Surface treatments

Surface treatments

Hard wax oiled – Protection and naturality

Hard wax oiled – hard wax oil has a satin matt or almost a matt surface. Its appearance is more natural than, e.g. traditional high gloss lacquer. Hard wax oil is botanical and therefore a more ecological option. It also has a breathing surface, which allows the warmth of the wood to better reach the surface, but the surface still repels dirt and moisture. It is not slippery and, e.g. pets’ pads get a better grip from hard wax oiled than lacquered surface.

UV hardened wax oil is as easy to maintain as a lacquered surface. UV light hardens the surface of wax oil to be considerably more resistant than, for example, the surface of traditional natural oil is. That is why the hard wax oiled floor does not need to be retreated every half an year – which is traditionally the case with natural oils – but according to wear and need. For example, in public premises where people walk with shoes on and sand and dirt travel indoors, more care is needed than in private homes, where people often walk without shoes in socks or barefooted. We recommend treating the wax-oiled floor immediately after installation if the floor is located in a public space or other environment where the floor is more susceptible to wear and tear (children, pets, shoes).

Vacuuming and mopping with a damp mop is usually sufficient. Hard wax oiled surface can also be repaired/patched locally, meaning that the whole floor does not need to be retreated.

In our products we use more wax oil than is customary, so the floor feels rougher at first but evens out along with use and mopping. The product is immediately ready for use without any maintenance oiling – from the package to the floor!

Lacquered – Surface like silk

Lacquered – lacquer treatment is a traditional method to treat floors. Lacquer provides better wear resistance than wax oil for the wearing surface, so it is an excellent choice, for example, for lobby, entry and kitchen premises, where there is more wear than, e.g. in living rooms or bedrooms. Our selection contains shades which are available both with hard wax oiled and matt lacquered, and then the entire apartment/ premise is of the same shade, but e.g. in the lobby and kitchen there is a more durable matt lacquered surface. Timberwise has three different lacquer options: normal lacquer (gloss degree 25), matt lacquer (gloss degree 10) and extreme matt lacquer (gloss degree 5). Matt lacquer is mostly used in the products; we do not use high gloss lacquers in our products.

Treatments

Sanded surface – Sophisticated and elegant

Sanded surface – a traditional and classic method of treatment: even, smooth and elegant. A sanded surface shows the natural hardness of wood. For production related reasons, some of the products are only available as sanded. A sanded surface is sophisticated and elegant. A sanded surface treated with hard wax oil/natural oil is more sensitive to scratches. Therefore we do not recommend it for spaces with heavy wear (families with children, pets, walking with shoes).

Brushed surface – Wooden floor at its most genuine

Brushed surface – brushing lifts the grain pattern of the wood to the surface, which makes the surface structure visible. A brushed surface is pleasant to walk barefooted on and is recommended for families with pets and children, because scratches are not as visible as on a sanded and smooth surface. In brushing we do not use steel brushes which leave a deep and sharp trail, but softer special nylon brushes. Wear resistance is then also better. Brushing is not available for all products. A brushed floor is more difficult to keep clean than a sanded floor, but regular cleaning prevents dirt from sticking to the surface of the wooden floor. We recommend treating the brushed and wax-oiled floor immediately after installation.