Oil, wax or varnish new oak boards in bedroom?

[toomuchworknotenoughtime]

OK. Lovely looking new solid oak boards laid in the bedroom: a relatively low traffic area.

At the moment they are unfinished and I am in love with the look and the feel and texture underfoot.

However. I now need to give them some protection. If possible I would like to darken them slightly and retain as best as possible the feel and texture of the natural wood. We restored old boards in the dining room which, for practicality, we varnished. I don't want to effectively lay something over the surface as we did there and would really appreciate any suggestions.

I seem to have come down to oil or wax. This is the bedroom so I want a completely natural and non-toxic product. Which is better and does anyone have any actual product suggestions. Which is easier to put down and maintain. Will I need a buffing machine?

Many thanks

 

[aceone]

hi ......used to be in the trade,,best to hire a floor sander...start with 40 grade paper then 60 then 80 ,then varnish,..lightly sand with 80,...repeat varnish and sand 3 times always vacuuming prior to varnishing,,,....cary out same proces around the edges either using a floor edging sander once again from a hire shop ,or a ordinary sader,...cary out all the main sanding before varnishing(main floor & edges)....you will find if you varnish the floors they will darken down slighty,to see a near colour of varnished floor, get a damp cloth and rub it on the floor that will be what it will look like when done,....ps you can get a water based varnish with minimal smell,but chemical based ones are much beter and harder waring .........i know it sounds alot to do,but it really isnt ...and you will get the best results by far.......i guss it should take you around 2 days to complete.........hope this helps you.....mike

 

[tall_tone]

Firstly you will need to sand to at least 100 or 120 grit, leaving the floor at 80 grit will cause accelerated wear.
In a straight fight between traditional oil or hardwax oil I would go for Hardwax Oil due to it's better wear ability and resistance to spills. That said I would not discount lacquer, look for extra matt products or even Natural lacquer finishes.
If you choose lacquer go for waterbased, solvent based is only for professional use in nightclubs and bars, this is a bedroom!

Hardwax is easier to put down than lacquer, that said lacquer is not difficult to put down. Once dry, in a bedroom they should both be relatively maintenance free.

You say you want a completely natural product. Hardwax Oil claims to be very green but contains between 25-50% "Naphtha (Petroleum)" Make your own decision there.
http://www.osmouk.com/images/POLYX OIL MATT.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphtha
Water based lacquers are mainly water 60% and then Polyurethanes 30-35%. In most cases these are made from Petroleum but with Bona Mega these are made from Plant oil
http://www.bona.com/en-gb/United-Kingdom/TopMenu/BonaSystem1/Coatings1/Finishes/Bona-Mega/

Lacquer is put down with a brush and roller, hardwax oil is put down with a brush, trowel or roller depending upon the brand.

Hope this helps

TT

 

[WoodYouLike]

Saicos Premium HardWaxOil (in 4 sheens, from ultra-mat to high gloss) is environmentally friendly, containing natural oils and hardly any VOC
EU limit value for Hardwax-oils (cat. A/i): 500 g/l (2010).
SAICOS HARDWAX-OILS contains maximum 435 g/l VOC.

Quick drying too.

 

[tall_tone]

Saicos Premium HardWaxOil (in 4 sheens, from ultra-mat to high gloss) is environmentally friendly, containing natural oils and hardly any VOC
EU limit value for Hardwax-oils (cat. A/i): 500 g/l (2010).
SAICOS HARDWAX-OILS contains maximum 435 g/l VOC.

Quick drying too.

Hardly any VOC!!
With a specific gravity of 1:1 435g/l VOC is 43.5%voc Nearly half the product is Volatile Organic Compounds.

http://www.saicos.de/fileadmin/bild...merkblaetter_EN/03TDS_HardwaxOilsGB_08_10.pdf

With a specific gravity of 0.9g/cm3 this actually works out at 48.3% VOC

Water based have much lower VOC than this.

http://www.bona.com/Global/PDFs/SalesSheet/SalesSheet_Coatings/Salessheet_Coating_Mega.pdf

60g/l VOC with a specific gravity of 1.05g/cm3 is 5.7%VOC

5.7% VOC or 48.3% VOC which would you say is more environmentally friendly?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Lacquer versus oil will always have different components and IMHO can't be compared on VOC content.
Saicos, as HardWaxOil, contains below EU max VOC compounts, unlike other HWO brands.

 

[will2000]

in any case wear a respirator

 

[toomuchworknotenoughtime]

in any case wear a respirator

Are you serious?

Just out of interest, once the wax has cured (c. 1 week?) does it still give off any VOCs? Thanks

 

[WoodYouLike]

in any case wear a respirator

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT:
SAICOS HARDWAX-OILS contains neither biocides nor preservatives.
It does not require identification after the ordinance
of dangerous materials, and is physiologically harmless.
The dried finish complies with German DIN 53160 T. 1+2
(fast to perspiration and saliva) and the EURO-Norm EN 71
T. 3 (assessment of migration behaviour) = suitable for children’s
toys.

 

[will2000]

yeah im sure its all safe and kid friendly and all that spin, when the oils have cured But them oils don,t dry in 3 hours on there own!!!

 

[WoodYouLike]

Ever heard of the VOC regulations? Hence all products (most products, we noticed some "green" manufacturers using the UK as dumping ground for non compliance products) being changed to safe to be used and during drying. And that's not just a regulation to protect the health of DIY-ers, more for those who use these products regularly.

 

[tall_tone]

yeah im sure its all safe and kid friendly and all that spin, when the oils have cured But them oils don,t dry in 3 hours on there own!!!

Nicely put.

Just to copy another line from the Saicos data sheet WoodYouLike just quoted from
"Do not apply in the presence of naked flames. Wash out any used cloth immediately or store in airtight container (danger of combustion)."

I have never been convinced that a product that is 50% very good (Carnauba and Candelilla wax, soybean, sunflower and thistle oils) is still very good when the other half contains Zinc-Zirconium-Cobalt-octoates and Volatile ingredients: aliphatic hydrocarbons

You also quote "The dried finish complies with German DIN 53160 T. 1+2 "
This is a measure of colour fastness and nothing to do with emissions.

"EURO-Norm EN 71 T. 3 (assessment of migration behaviour) = suitable for children’s toys." This is used by all manufacturers of Hardwax Oil and relates to dried product only. Sadolin PV67 would probably pass this test if they put it forward.

Look for an Emicode EC1 label
http://www.emicode.de/gev-uk/gev.htm

Look for an ecolabel
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/about_ecolabel/what_is_ecolabel_en.htm

There are durable floor finishes that pass these very tough "emissions and content tests"
Strangely Hardwax Oils don't meet these standards.

Sorry for the rant

 

[tall_tone]

in any case wear a respirator

Are you serious?

Just out of interest, once the wax has cured (c. 1 week?) does it still give off any VOCs? Thanks

The most dangerous part of the operation is the dust you generate while sanding, wear a mask for that.

Once dried the VOC will have gone from either product.

TT

 

[WoodYouLike]

Just to copy another line from the Saicos data sheet WoodYouLike just quoted from
"Do not apply in the presence of naked flames. Wash out any used cloth immediately or store in airtight container (danger of combustion)."

It's an oil, so yes do not apply in the presence of naked flames and combustible, like all natural oils