ReFinising Service
Oil Based Vs Water Based Wood Floor reinishing’s
Having wood floors in the home can really make a difference to the whole ambience and feel, and with different colourings it can transform a dull room to greatness. However over time this colouring can fade, or if you have just moved into an older property and the floors need a spruce up how can you bring back life to it?
What you need to decide on is the type of finish you wish to go for, one that is going to compliment the home and one that is going to be hard wearing and help protect the wood from the normal day to day use the floor will get.
There are many different types of floor finishers the main two being oil based and water based, so how do you decide which is best? Here is a quick guide to their advantages and disadvantages to help you with that decision.
Water Based
These finishers are typically a mix of several resins, film forming components, and plasticizers, this mixture of ingredients help to provide a coating on the wood floor that is durable as well as water and moisture resistant.
Typically these water based finishers don’t have a strong oduor and are more eco friendly; because the smell from this is not as strong, you will not have to worry about it filling up the whole house, although for safety reasons it is best to keep the room where you are working well ventilated. Also the color will stay for a very long time, the ingredients used in the formation means that the typical yellowing you can see on other finishers does not occur.
The next advantage is the drying time, these take a very short time to dry, so you can apply a second coat if needed within a couple of hours; you will also find that you can start using the room quicker too, but always follow the particular brands instructions and allow to be completely dry before placing furniture or walking on the floor.
Now the disadvantages, although there is not many it is something to take into consideration; the first being the price as they can be more expensive. The second is because of the fast drying, the wood may not seem smooth and might not feel it either as it picks up the grain of the wood, you may need to do sanding in between coats to avoid this.
Oil Based
Like the water based finishers, these have a combination of plasticizers and resins along with petroleum ingredients, and still provide a durable and moisture resistant covering.
These finishers will provide a much warmer and smoother look to the floors, and can help to bring out the beautiful colouring of the wood naturally. You will also find that these are cheaper to buy and easier to apply straight from the tin.
Unfortunately there are a few downside to this solution the most prominent being the strong odour which can stay around for days after the job has been completed. It is essential to keep the whole house well ventilated and you may be best to go out of the house while it dries too. These also take a lot longer to dry too, and you may have to not use a room for a couple of days, especially if applying a second coat. Some people have also found that this type of finisher is not as durable over a longer space of time, and find that they have to re-apply the finisher sooner than water based one.
By American Trust Flooring.com
Posted on January 21st, 2013 by anagyz in | Comments Off.
