Floor Lacquer | Floor Primer | Gap Filler | Wood Floor Cleaner

Floor Lacquer | Floor Primer | Gap Filler | Wood Floor Cleaner

If you are planning a small or large floor refurbishment project and if you are planning to do it on your own, you will need to source some top quality wood floor finishes to be able to achieve decent results. Just because a floor lacquer or a floor primer costs a fortune it does not mean that the product is amazing. Some solvent or water based floor lacquers are manufactured from some very “fancy” products that sound very complicated but in reality are nothing better than a cheaper floor lacquer. You, as a DIY user, should be looking for easy to apply floor finishing products that do not require expensive or professional tools. Durability is also essential but you do not need to go mad. Spending 300 euro for a commercial strength floor lacquer will only make sense if your floor is used by thousands of people daily, otherwise it is like buying the most expensive Ferrari car ever to do your daily food shopping. No need for it. Most of the products suitable for residential use are a perfect fit for most medium to high traffic residential traffic. Below, we will detail. 

We have sanded and finished thousands of wood floors over the past 15 years. We don’t just sell any product to make a quick profit but instead we use every product, we do trials on every product and only the best of the best end up for sale on our website. This is exactly the reason why we can truly advise any DIY user and we can explain to you step by step how to do it and what’s next. Our aim is to train people on how to be cost effective, how to work easier and faster and how to achieve professional results without hiring a professional floor sanding company. So the question is, are you capable of refinishing your own floors?

The answer will depend on the job complexity and the level of heavy duty floor sanders required. While for a light sanding or a light refreshing, there is no need to use very powerful sanders, when dealing with old solvent based varnishes and uneven wood floors, extra cutting power is required so the machine has to be very heavy to provide decent results. It is a well known fact that most DIY floor refurbishing projects are likely to end up bad or unfinished, but some people do succeed and achieve professional results. 

Before starting your floor sanding and your floor refinishing project you should decide if you want to go full “green”, mixed or use very durable but highly polluting products. For many years up to now, there was only one type of floor lacquer available. The solvent or oil based one. These products are very durable and very resilient but also great polluters. It generates pollution when the oil is extracted, when the product is made, when the product is applied and when the product is removed from the floor. Also, it yellows very badly over time. The second option is to use a mixture of wood floor primers and wood floor lacquers. Some people will use a solvent primer first and then 2 coats of floor lacquer over it. Or you can go full water based or eco and use water based floor primers and water based floor lacquers. It is a personal preference based on the size of your budget and the desire to use only top quality water based floor lacquers.

Below, we will explain in detail how to take on a full scale refurbishment project and what products to use to work fast and keep costs down. So let’s start with the surface preparation.

1. Floor Sanding | You have decided to restore your floors because you are not happy with it. It can be the colour, it can be the scratches, the level of slippiness or maybe it is patchy looking. To be able to start recoating the floor with a fresh coat of floor lacquer you will need to remove all old and damaged sealers. When dealing with a table or a small piece of furniture you can easily use a small hand sander but when dealing with heavy duty floor lacquers or waxes, you will need to apply a great level of pressure on the floor to remove all that residue and the old sealers. So a quality floor sander is needed. You will need a belt or a drum floor sander, an edger for all the edges, a vacuum and a low speed floor buffer if possible. Using the belt sander you should start with grit 40. Then move to grit 60, then move to grit 80. Same rule applies when sanding the edges. After sanding the larger surface with 40 grit sanding paper, do all the edges with 40 grit sanding discs as well, then after you are done with 60, do all the edges with 60 grit sandpaper and so on. Always sand moving along with the fiber of the wood and not against it. Your floor should be ready for varnishing or priming after grit 80-100. Bear in mind if you do not know what you are doing you can cause alot of damage to your floors, so if in doubt about your ability this is a job best left to the professionals.
2. Surface Preparation | Vacuum the floor a number of times to make sure that even the finest grain of dust is extracted. Any residue left on the floor will create rough patches when varnished or lacquered over. You can even use a flat mopping system to make sure that you extract even more dust. Do not lacquer over old sealers or over patchy finishes. The wood surface has to look perfectly flat, clean and also has to have an even colour. Any imperfection on the surface will be made more visible when the sealer goes over it.
3. Product Preparation | Most floor primers and most floor lacquers have an estimated coverage area. That particular coverage area is estimated only and it can depend on the type of wood, the wood quality and the quality of the sanding job. But if your product recommends 10 sq meter per 1 L coverage area, you should have 50% more product available. When sealing a 20 sq meter floor, you will need to apply 3 coats, so you will need enough product to cover 60 sq meters (each coat will cover 20 sq meters x 3 coats), but you should have enough product to cover 90 sq meters of floor. It is always better to have extra sealer than to have too little. 
4. Applying The Products | The primer goes first. For the primer to fully dry it has to penetrate the wood in full. So apply a thick coat of floor lacquer. Use a small brush for all the edges and a varnishing roller for the larger surfaces. Apply enough floor primer for the product to look wet and even. If there are puddles on the floor, roll it off until the floor absorbs it in full. Now wait 2-3 hours to dry. Using a 150 to 180 grit sandpaper resand all the edges one more time to get rid of all kinds of imperfections and rough patches. Don`t worry about removing the primer. The point of the primer is to fill up pores and prepare the surface for lacquering. Now prepare for varnishing. Apply the first coat of floor lacquer the same way you have applied the primer. Allow 2 hours to dry and then apply the second coat of floor lacquer. Allow 2 extra hours of drying time and the job is completed. 

Picking The Best Floor Refinishing Products

There are two types of wood floor finishes available, residential and commercial strength. The difference between a commercial floor lacquer and a residential floor lacquer is usually made by the level of solids content. More acrylic content, more durable and also more expensive. It all depends on the level of traffic expected on that particular floor. If your floor is hardly used or has low to medium traffic, a residential floor lacquer is the perfect product. If your floor is used by you, your full family, pets and other people as well, you should spend a bit more money and buy a proper commercial floor lacquer. 

There are a number of wood floor finishing and wood care products available on the market but we have selected a specific brand of wood care products that manufacture top of the range products and lacquers for affordable costs. 

Primers | What Is A Primer

A primer is a product used to level up imperfections, change the colour of the wood or reduce the lacquer absorption. The wood primers are usually cheaper than the lacquer so if you use primer for the first coat, you are guaranteed to pay less per square meter of finishing product. A primer can also be used to change the colour of the wood.

1. Chimiver Eco White Wood Floor Primer | This is a top quality waterborne white wood floor primer compatible with all unsealed wood floors. It will create a white wash finish or a Scandinavian finish. The product will penetrate the wood and it will prevent the yellow of some types of wood surfaces from penetrating through the floor lacquer. Or it can be used for making the wood surface “whiter”. It can be applied in as many coats as needed to achieve the level of white desired. The primer will create the perfect base for further coatings. This wood floor primer is not a finishing product so it has to be overcoated with a single pack or a two pack floor lacquer. We recommend using a matt finish to seal this professional floor lacquer. A matt finish will maintain the natural look of the wood without over glazing it. 
2. Chimiver Ecorapid Wood Floor Primer | This is a superior quality acrylic based wood floor primer well known for its super fast drying times. If applied right and with the correct tools, it will fully dry in a matter of minutes. Estimated drying time is around 30 minutes!! The product does not alter the original look of the wood and it can be overcoated with any water based or solvent based floor lacquer. A quick drying floor primer is ideal for the professional wood floor restoration industry. Even better, the new Chimiver Ecorapid Wood Floor Primer will cover over 10 sq meter per 1 L of primer. It can be applied with a varnishing brush and a standard varnishing roller. It helps speed up the whole process and it will reduce the lacquer absorption dramatically. A professional quality wood floor primer for all kinds of professional use and DIY use.
3. Chimiver Ecocrom Wood Floor Primer | A high coverage water based wood floor primer that will create a warm (similar to solvent) finish on all types of wood floors. To be applied over a new or newly sanded wood surface. The product will penetrate in full and it will create a cool and rich finish. To be overcoated with Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer or Chimiver Ecostar 2K Floor Lacquer. It dries within 2 hours and it can be easily abraded with fine grit sanding paper. The product is as green as it can get, fume free and it is suitable for heavy duty professional use and DIY use as well.
4. Chimiver Chim Tabu Primer | A very high coverage solvent based wood floor primer compatible with all types of unsealed, new or newly sanded wood surfaces. The product is 100% clear and it will not alter the original look of the wood. It can be applied with a varnishing roller. The product fills up imperfections and creates a perfect base for further coatings. While the product can be a bit smelly while applied, it will be odorless the minute it dries. Estimated drying time is somewhere between 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the surface itself and the way it is applied. The product speeds up the whole project and it reduces lacquer absorption dramatically.

Floor Lacquers | What Is A Floor Lacquer?

A floor lacquer is a water based or a solvent based sealer that can be used to seal and protect wood floors and wood surfaces. There are two types of floor lacquers available, single pack floor lacquers and two pack floor lacquers. The level of solids contained by the lacquer itself will determine the level of protection. A single pack floor lacquer is sold without a hardener and it can only be used over water based and solvent based primers. Not compatible with oiled based wood stains. The two pack floor lacquer can be applied over all types of floor primers and also all types of wood stains. A floor lacquer can be natural, extra matt, matt, semi gloss and gloss. The level of sheen does not affect the durability of the lacquer. Some floor lacquers are compatible with low to medium traffic floors, others are compatible with medium to high traffic floors while others are compatible with very high traffic commercial floors. Also, while most of Chimiver`s floor lacquers contain a good level of anti slip and comply with all EU regulation, some floor lacquers are designed for wood floors with high risk of slippiness. Below, we will list a number of water based and solvent based floor lacquers to suit all industries and all types of traffic.

Chimiver Ecostar Polyurethane Floor Lacquer | a premium quality water based floor lacquer, single pack, non yellowing and non glazing floor lacquer. The product is very affordable, easy to apply and it will create a streak free finish. The product has great scuff resistance and it is compatible with all types of wood floors. It can be applied in a three coats system over a primed wood surface or it can be applied in 3 coats of floor lacquer. Estimated coverage area is around 12 sq meter per 1 L but it can vary from job to job. This product is a money making product for the professional floor sanding and floor restoration industry. Even if this product is recommended for medium traffic floors, with the right maintenance it will provide up to 10 years of uninterrupted protection. It can be refreshed with one of Chimiver wood floor refreshers. Sold in a 5L bottle. No dilution required. Fume free. 

Chimiver Ecostar 2K Polyurethane Floor Lacquer | The most highly recommended and widely used two pack water based floor lacquer from the whole Chimiver range. A premium quality commercial strength water based floor lacquer compatible with all high to very high traffic wood floors. The product is sold with a hardener and is compatible with all oil based, solvent based and water based wood floor primers and wood stains. Its amazing anti scratch technology and anti scuff qualities make this product highly desirable by pet owners. To be applied in a 3 coats system over a clean and dry surface. The Chimiver Ecostar 2K Polyurethane Floor Lacquer is compatible with all wood floors, all wood furniture and generally all types of wooden surfaces. It covers anywhere between 10-12 sq meters per 1 L of floor lacquer, it dries within 2 hours and it will fully cure within 24 hours. A professional water based floor lacquer for all offices, shops, bars, restaurants, high traffic commercial floors and high traffic residential floors. The product is 100% fume free, non yellowing and it does not alter the original look of the wood. To be applied with a varnishing roller or some kind of varnishing applicator.

Chimiver Ecotraffik2K Floor Lacquer | The most durable and most effective water based floor lacquer from the Chimiver range. This superior water based floor lacquer is compatible with extraordinarily high traffic wood floors like schools, airports, sport halls, corridors, reception areas, GYM`s and very high traffic residential wood floors. The product provides top of the range protection against scratches, chemical reactions, water damage and day to day traffic. A two pack water based floor lacquer for all heavy traffic surfaces. Available in a matt and semi gloss finish. It can be applied over any type of water based or solvent based wood floor primer. Also compatible with all oil based and wood based wood floors. To be applied in a three coats system to benefit from all the advantages provided by this spectacular product. It contains unequaled levels of solid content and it dries in under 2 hours. It can be used for all indoor wood floor sealing applications. The product is ready to use and it does not require dilution. A non glazing and non yellowing water based floor lacquer. It can be refreshed with all water based floor refreshers from Chimiver. Regular maintenance with “proper” wood floor care products is highly recommended. Use the new Alfred Spray Mop to reduce the level of water used and to create streak free finishes.

Chimiver Hard Lack MC 50 | A very long lasting and very tough solvent based two pack floor lacquer for all industrial and commercial wood floors with extraordinary levels of traffic. The product will slightly glaze the surface and it will create a mid sheen finish. The product is compatible with all water based and solvent based sealers from Chimiver and all other brands. It can be applied over oil and water based wood stains. The product has to be mixed up with the hardener before use. Medium odour while being applied, quick drying times and superior chemical resistance. The new Chimiver Hard Lack MC 50 is compatible with all sport rooms, GYMs, shopping centers, airports, warehouse floors, factory floors, schools, etc. To be applied in a 2 coats system with 4 hours break between the coats. It can be rolled in with a standard solvent roller. Use this product only for wood floors with industrial heavy duty traffic.

You do not need to buy commercial floor lacquers if you are sealing wood floors with little or no traffic. Also, do not use residential floor lacquers to seal wood floors with commercial traffic. If you are unsure about any of our water based floor lacquers, please call us.

Gap Fillers | What Is A Gap Filler?

Many floorboards and parquet floors have large gaps. In some cases, these gaps are left like that on purpose so the floor can have some movement in it, but in some cases were just left like that by the builders or have expanded over time. Either way, if you are not happy with the look of your wood floor gaps, you can fill it up. Chimiver has two types of professional gap fillers available, a solvent based one and a water based one. For all tiny gaps or for all parquet gaps you can use a water based gap filler while for all large gaps between the floorboards (up to 0.5 cm) you can use a solvent based gap filler. 

Chimiver Polifilm TP 10 Lega Stucco | A high quality professional gap filler compatible with all residential and commercial wood floors. The product has to be mixed up with dust generated from sanding the wood floor itself and the composition has to be used to fill up gaps. It penetrates the gaps easily and it attaches to the sides of the floorboard. It can only be used on new or newly sanded wooden floors. The estimated coverage area is around 10 sq meters per 1L but it can vary dramatically based on the size of the gaps and the skill of the user. The product has a slight “solvent” odour while wet but the odour disappears in full within 1-2 hours. Estimated drying time is around 1 hour but again, it can vary from floor to floor. If applied right, it should dry the same colour as the floor, it will absorb oils and stains just like the wood floor itself and it will last many years. The product is single pack and sold in a 5 L bottle. After the original application the wood floor will require one more floor sanding to remove all excess gap filler before applying sealers. Try the new Chimiver Polifilm TP 10 Lega Stucco today. The wood gap filler used by professionals all over Europe.

Chimiver Ecofill Tech Gap Filler | A low cost but high quality water based gap filler from Chimiver. Compatible with all parquet floors and generally all wooden floors with small gaps. It has to be mixed up with fine wood dust generated from sanding the wood floor itself. The product has to be applied with a large scrapper or some kind of special applicator. Estimated drying time is about 2 hours but it can depend on the size of the gaps and the type of wood treated. When dry, the new Chimiver Ecofill Tech Gap Filler can be stained, oiled, waxed or lacquered with any water based or solvent based product. The durability of the gap filler will depend on the level of traffic and the floor flexibility. Wider gaps of over 0.5 cm might not be suitable for gap filling. Do not create a very wet composition and allow enough time to dry. A fine quality, fume free and easy to use gap filler suitable for DIY use and professional use as well. Like most Chimiver wood care products, the new Chimiver Ecofill Tech Gap Filler is eco-labeled and sold in fully recycled and recyclable plastic bottles.

Using a professional gap filler does not require a lot of skill or very expensive equipment. A bit of common sense is needed. Not all floors can be gap filled and it can only be used on real wood floors like hardwood floors and semi solid floors (also known as engineered).

Wood Floor Maintenance | Why Is The Maintenance Essential?

The new types of water based floor lacquers are designed to maintain the natural look of the wood and are manufactured from very eco-friendly components. Even if the new water based floor finishes are very durable and very easy to use, they are not as “bullet proofed” as the old solvent based finishes. The maintenance required is a bit more intense but if done right and regularly, then the wood floor will last for very long periods of time. Every year or every second year a quick refreshing should be done while cleaning and maintaining the wood surface with flat mops and 100% wood safe wood floor cleaners and maintainers from Chimiver.

Alfred Spray Mop | The best way and the most cost effective way of maintaining wood floors sealed or refinished with a water based floor lacquer. The new Alfred Spray Mop is a complete kit that has a refillable cartridge. The cartridge has to be filled up with 90% clean water and 10% wood floor cleaner. A quick press on the trigger and a fine mist of cleaning agent will be sprayed right in the front of the microfiber flat mop head. By doing so, you avoid oversoaking the wood floor and wasting the cleaning product. Also, no more buckets, mops and harsh chemicals. Use the new Alfred Spray Mop in conjunction with Chimiver Velurex Cleaner Start. This product will safely remove all kinds of dirt build ups and is PH neutral. The wood floor will look spectacular while the risk of over wetting the wood is reduced to nearly 0. To refresh the wood floor you are provided with two options, a matt finish and a semi glossy finish. Use the new Chimiver Velurex Re-Pair Lack to reglaze and restore old and damaged wood floors if you are after a semi gloss finish or the new Chimiver Velurex Re-Pair Matt if you are looking for a matf finish and new protective coat over your pre-existing finish.

Floor Lacquer | Floor Primer | Gap Filler | Wood Floor Cleaner