Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin
- Premium quality oiled floor cleaning services and oiled floor refreshing
- Low cost varnished wood floor cleaning and wood floor polishing
- Full wood floor restoration, resurfacing and wood floor rejuvenating
- We are fully insured, highly recommended, reliable and well established
- We use top of the range wood floor cleaners and wood sealers
- Our company deals with all types of hardwood and semi solid floors
- We can remove stains, dull patches, rough patches and markings
- We provide free no obligation estimates and very competitive prices
- Our company covers the whole of county Dublin and the surrounding areas
- You can book our wood floor cleaning services online or by phone
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin | Lacquered Floors
Most people cannot tell the difference between oiled floors and lacquered floors. A few years back, the difference was pretty visible because most of the oil based floor lacquers had a very artificial look while the floor oils were maintaining the natural look of the wood. But over the past 10-15 years, the water based floor lacquer industry has gone from strength to strength and nowadays you can buy a water based floor lacquer that looks 100% similar to a floor oil or a hardwax oil. But most professionals that deal with wooden floors on a daily basis can tell you the difference.
The lacquered or varnished hardwood floors are called “lacquered” because they are sealed with a solvent or a water based floor lacquer. A floor lacquer is a durable type of sealer that contains high levels of acrylic and polymers. A floor lacquer can be applied directly on the wood surface, over a primer or in the cases of a two pack floor lacquer, over an oil based wood stain. A lacquered wood floor can look 100% matt or highly glossy. Now that we know what a lacquer floor looks like, we will explain how the maintenance and the refreshing works on those types of finishes.
Even if the lacquered floors are very easy to maintain and very long lasting, from time to time the sealer will crack, scratch, get stained etc. This is not the end of the world because there are a number of ways of dealing with such issues without having to sand or fully restore the floor. A wood floor cleaning company will assess the condition of the floor and based on the type of finish, the condition of the floor and the customer’s expectation, it will recommend the next steps.
- Wood Floor Cleaning | While the wooden floor might look in a decent shape and ready for a few coats of wood floor polish, the floor will still require a nice deep clean to remove all kinds of residue and body fats that could prevent the wood floor polish from attaching to the surface. A mixture of professional wood floor cleaners and wood floor degreasers will be used to deep clean the floor and remove any type of dirt. The essential thing within this process is to use as little water as possible and to extract the water as fast as possible. The floor will be lightly scrubbed either with a system of flat mops or with mechanical equipment.
- Wood Floor Polishing | Now that the floor was deep cleaned, any dull patch or any type of imperfection is clearly visible. Depending on the customer requirements, the wood floor cleaning company can apply a matt wood floor polish, a semi gloss wood floor polish or a highly glossy wood floor polish. The durability of the sealer is not really affected by the level of sheen but instead it is a personal preference. Again, depending on the type of traffic and the condition of the wood floor, the wood floor cleaning company can apply 1 to 3 coats of wood floor polish. While extra coats of wood floor polish can increase the protection, it can also increase the risk of scratching the finish because of the thick coat of wood floor polish that covers it.
- Wood Floor Buffing | One of the most essential things ignored by most wood floor cleaning and wood floor polishing contractors is the buffing of the floor after the floor is sealed. Using a medium speed floor buffer and a white pad, the floor has to be buffed for a few minutes. By buffing the newly polished wood floor, you will heat the floor and you create a compact surface that really attaches to the base wood surface. In the case of commercial wood floor cleaning and commercial wood floor polishing, the contractor should buff the floor after every coat and insist even longer on the final coat.
- Maintenance | The maintenance part is always ignored and it always ends up damaging the wooden floor. We recommend the use of proper wood floor cleaning products and no “universal floor cleaners”. The sheen of the floor can be dulled up instantly by a bleach based wood floor cleaner or by a high PH wood floor cleaner. Use a spray mop to avoid oversoaking the wood floors and prevent the water from leaking down between the joints of the wood floors. There are two types of wood floor cleaning products, wood floor deep cleaners and wood floor maintainers. The wood floor maintainers should be used on a daily basis to prevent the dirt from building up while the deep wood floor cleaners should be used to deep clean the wood once per month or as the maintainers fail to provide great results.
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin | Oiled Floors
The oiled floors are the most misunderstood types of floors. While most people love the idea of having natural looking wooden floors, they struggle with the idea why the floor requires yearly refreshments and maintenance after paying so much money for it? Well, the explanation is pretty simple if you want to hear it. Your natural looking hardwood or semi solid wooden floors are impregnated with a blend of natural oils. While all brands of floor oils contain a number of extra ingredients to make it more durable, glossier or more matte etc, the base product is some type of organic or synthetic oil. Those oils do waterproof and stain proof the wood without creating any artificial look but it is also affected by the natural elements, like the sun light, friction, water, etc. The idea of the oiled wooden floors is that you could basically have beautiful wooden floors forever as long as you refresh it every year and you top up areas with higher traffic. One quick coat of refresh and the oiled floor is ready for another 12 months of use. The number of refreshings required will actually depend on the level of traffic, the amount of natural sunlight and the type of oiled floor cleaners used. While most people can deal with the daily oiled floor cleaning and maintenance, most people can’t safely deep clean oiled floors because they do not own the right equipment and the right wood floor cleaning products.
If your oiled floors have lost their original look, it looks patchy, it stains easily and it looks terrible after being washed, you should contact your oiled floor cleaning contractor fast. Here is the step by step oiled floor restoration process:
- Oiled Floor Cleaning | As the oil evaporates or wears off, the fiber of the wood is left unsealed. Now that the wood pores are exposed, the dirt is likely to penetrate, the water can and will cause water damage and the appearance of the whole floor will change. While the floor might not be permanently damaged, it will certainly look bad. A nice deep clean with a mixture of oiled floor cleaners and oiled floor degreasers will restore the balance and will emulsify the dirt that got stuck inside the grain of the wood. If the wood was not water damaged, then the results will be really amazing. This is the first step on the road of refreshing the oiled floor.
- Refreshing | After the oiled floor cleaning process is completed and the wood has dried in full, the next step is the oiling. Even if it looks like there is no more oil left inside the wood, there is still a lot of oil left but it is deep inside the wood fiber. The wood floor cleaning and wood floor refinishing contractor can use a clear oiled floor refresher or a coloured oiled floor refresher. Depending on the original colour of the floor and the condition of it, the wood floor might require a few coats of refresher or one will do it. The whole process of refreshing the wood is usually different from company to company and each contractor has its own tricks and secrets, but the end result is to top up the protection and make sure that the floor has enough oil in it to create a barrier between the liquids and the wood itself.
- Maintenance | A new oiled floor or a newly waxed floor can look as new for many years or it can get damaged pretty fast if poor quality or improper cleaning products are used on it. We recommend the use of proper oiled floor cleaners, ready to use or concentrated, little water, a spray mop is even better and regular refreshing. Do not scrub individual areas and do not use catering scourers on your oiled floors. If you do not know how to refresh your oiled floors or how to clean it, use the services of a professional wood floor cleaning company.
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin | Floor Issues
All types of floors are likely to have specific needs and requirements and that is also the case with wooden floors. It does not matter what type of wooden floor you own or what type of sealer is on it, they can all be badly affected by the following issues:
- Water | The wood and the water do not make a good home. The reason why your hardwood floors are sealed with a sealer is to waterproof it and prevent water damage. The water can be problematic when it comes from above or when it comes from below (rising water). Most of the damage created by the water is usually caused by floods, leaks, overuse of water while cleaning the wood, high air humidity and rising water. The rising water usually affects wooden floors that are glued directly on the concrete slab without a damp proof barrier. To prevent water damage on your wooden floors please use a spray mop while cleaning it or a mop head semi wet. Make sure that the floor underlay is properly installed and suitable for your particular type of concrete or wooden base. Deal with spills and leaks on the spot without delays to prevent further issues.
- Chemicals | This is the biggest issue for all types of wooden floors. Most people do not use proper wood floor cleaners and wood floor maintainers. Most people use universal floor cleaners that are also suitable for wood. Those products are only suitable to use on lacquered wooden floors that were sealed with a solvent based finish. The water based wood floor sealers will bleach out and it will crack in contact with such products. There are a number of brands like Tover, Chimiver, Bona & Junckers that sell proper quality wood floor cleaners and maintainers that clean and protect the wood floor finish. Avoid universal floor cleaning products, bleach based wood floor cleaning products and acidic floor cleaning products. If the products are concentrated, use the recommended dilution rate to prevent making the surface sticky. If the products are ready to use, then only use a fine mist of it without soaking the floor.
- Refreshing | Due to daily traffic and daily use, the sealers are likely to require a bit of attention once in a while. A quick coat of water based floor polish or a few coats of oiled floor refreshers will recoat and rejuvenate the finish. Ignoring the refreshing periods can end up damaging the wood itself. If the wood floor refreshing is done regularly, there is no need to use heavy equipment or professional tools.
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin | Best Products
There are many brands of wood care products out there that sell pretty much the same types of products or similar. Sometimes it can be pretty hard to decide which product to use on what type of floor. While using a matt wood floor polish instead of a glossy wood floor polish will only slightly affect the level of sheen, using a wood floor polish to seal an oiled floor will end up bad. The wood floor polish cannot attach to an oiled surface and the sealer will just exfoliate within a few hours or a few days. Informing yourself if you are not planning to use a professional wood floor cleaning and wood floor polishing company is essential.
Wood Floor Polishes | All wood floor polishes are water based right now. Some are matt 100%, some are soft sheen while some are very glossy. Some wood floor polishes are only suitable for domestic traffic while others are suitable for commercial use. Some wood floor polishes are glazers (it glazes the wood) while others are impregnators (it penetrates the wood). Depending on the type of finish that you are after, make sure to select the most appropriate ones.
Polish Removers | If the old sealer is damaged or patchy looking, you might have to use a polish remover or wood floor stripper. A wood floor stripper will emulsify the pre-existing water based floor sealers and it will help break down the damaged coat of floor polish. While there are many types of floor strippers out there, you need to use a specific wood floor polish remover that safely removes the floor polish without damaging the wood.
Oiled Floor Refreshers | The oiled floor refreshers are basically floor oils that contain enhancers and drying boosters. While most floor oils will require between 12 to 24 hours to fully dry, the oiled floor refreshers will only need about 1 hour to fully dry. The oiled floor refreshers are only compatible with oiled surfaces. Applying an oiled floor refresher on a varnished floor will end up creating sticky surfaces that cannot dry.
While using a professional wood floor cleaning and wood floor refinishing company is highly recommended if the finances are available, most of the basic wood floor cleaning routine can be done by anyone without any professional tools. If you have wood floor issues or if you would like to have your floors done by a professional wood floor cleaning company, call us today.
Wood Floor Cleaning Dublin And Oiled Floor Refreshing Dublin