Replies

1. 
   JDRHI | Apr 24, 2003 03:50pm | #1

   Finishing floors is not a specialty of mine, but I believe that a pro Ive worked with strongly recomended against this. If I remember correctly, it is very difficult to remove all the wax when sanding which may affect the application of the finish. (Can anyone confirm this?)

   Have you considered just slapping on a coat of water based poly as a "quick fix" to seal the wood and hold you over? This goes against everything I would normally preach...but in your situation it may serve the purpose.

   J. D. Reynolds

   Home Improvements

   "DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"

2. 
   bill_1010 | Apr 24, 2003 05:22pm | #2

   wax is a bit more durable then the oil youre applying.   Wax will really only affect your Laquer Finishes and Water Borne finishes. But good sanding should get the wax out.  Wax is a top coating product youre oil is a penerating product that really wont cure.  That oil youre applying might actually make it hard to refinish if you chose a water borne finish later on, Harder meaning more sanding since oak is an open grained wood. 

   YOur wood floor is basically being worn down.  SInce your finish has degraded youre wearing down the wood fibers, youre embedding dirt and abrasives like sand into the wood.  Prolonging this effect youre only making it harder to refinish.  Harder meaning more sanding/cleaning.  

   However if you cant refinish the floor id suggest a good cleaning (to get out the dirt and abrasives in the pores of your oak) then getting a floor wax.  The wax will film coat the wood as opposed to a penerating finish like the oil that is hard to cure.  The wax can be touched up over time, but not having a proper finish like a varnish or poly or laquer on your floor is really damaging your floor.

   you might wait until the summer or fall when your wood floor has expanded.  Waxing in the spring and winter will get wax down between your boards.  This should be avoided.  

   
   

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   Edited 4/24/2003 10:26:49 AM ET by WmP

1. 
   rickshort | Apr 27, 2003 06:45pm | #3

   thanks for the advice.

   I'm really hoping to refinish the floor and the wax will buy me the time I need.

2. 
   luvmuskoka | Apr 30, 2003 03:25pm | #5

   Never, never, never, wax a floor...Ditch

1. 
   mushhuskies | Dec 14, 2004 08:59pm | #7

   Ok Ditch,

   I have to ask.......why not wax?  I am at that point in a "rustic" floor I'm working on.  I have been using Danish oil and am trying to figure whether to wax or apply poly???  Also, the floor is to see light use, but we're in the woods, so muck and what have you will get tracked in.

   Thanks ahead of time for thoughts/comments.

   pete

1. 
   IanDG | Dec 14, 2004 09:13pm | #9

   A penetrating oil finish is the best for bringing out the beauty of the timber but it -- and wax -- isn't waterproof so things like mud, blood, red wine, etc., will stain.

   I'd only recommend wax or oil for areas where you could safely use carpet -- unless you are looking for a floor to quickly develop an 'Antique' look.

   IanDG

2. 
   luvmuskoka | Dec 15, 2004 02:24am | #10

   Holy Crappola,

   This is an old post...either my emails are 4 months late or this floor is taking a long time!! :+)

   Anyway wax is bad for floors overall. It needs lots of attention, water spots, and again, makes future refinishes very risky. Wax was a great finish (over shellac) when I was a kid...but we also sold maintenance.....then in the late 70s we went totally to poly and most of our early finishes failed. Anyway that's the scoop on wax.

   We offer an "olde" finish on our handscraped floors which you may want to try. "Hand rubbed" poly, although we buff it in with a machine you can cover a lot of area with a r.o. sander and a sheepskin...or a car buffer would work well too. 3 coats, let dry over night.Ditch

1. 
   mushhuskies | Dec 15, 2004 08:22am | #11

   Thanks Ditch,

   For once I think I'll listen to the voice of experience, instead of bumbling ahead and having to redo yet again!!  See, newbies like me can learn!!  I'll give your hand rubbed poly a shot. 

2. 
   IanDG | Dec 14, 2004 09:09pm | #8

   There are some occasions when wax is the only finish to use, but I agree that once a floor has been waxed it is very difficult to remove it from the timber, even by sanding, and any remaining will reject a film finish.

   IanDG

3. 
   luvmuskoka | Apr 30, 2003 03:23pm | #4

   You've contaminated the floors already with lemon oil. Applying wax will only compound the problem down the road. Start cleaning the floors now with TSP, rinse well, dry well and fan dry to keep the floors from cupping. Applying a water-borne finish now will fail because of the residual oil.

    Properly refinish the floors when the time is right. 

   Ditch

4. 
   FrankB89 | Apr 30, 2003 04:11pm | #6

   The good floor guys are gonna kill me, but I had some neighbors a number of years ago who layed an oak plank floor (unfinished), dumped several burlap bags of unshelled peanuts on it, and had a big party.

   People danced and stomped and cavorted on and off all weekend. In the end, the peanuts were swept up and, when I last saw the floor, about 5 years after the party, it still looked pretty good (not great, but good).

   Now, those folks are probably getting too old now to dance and stomp and cavort, so I don't know how their floor looks today, but maybe their grand kids could do a refinish party...or maybe they broke down and had it finished traditionally...I don't know, but at the time, the peanuts, with their oil in the nuts and shells, was supposed to be the reason old tavern floors held up (or maybe the puke and beer had a part in it).