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wood flooring
advantages and disadvantages

Oiled wooden floors advantage

Lacquered wooden floors advantages

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  • On Oiled floors scratches are harder to see (on low gloss finishes such as ultra-matt oiled);

 

  • On Oiled floors surface can be refinished easily. It can often be as easy as just cleaning the floor or applying new oil with a roller;

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  • The main advantage of oiled floor is natural look – it really brings out the best in many woods, lending them a warm, natural look. Oil will bring out the essence of the wood and makes its rings more visible;

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  • Oiled floor finish wood flooring provides both a surface protection and a deep penetrating protection that’s why oiled floors are a perfect choice for rooms which are exposed to higher traffic and higher humidity level, such as kitchens or bathrooms. Oil penetrates deep into the wood structure, it doesn't fill the pores, thanks to which the wood breathes;

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  • An unquestionable advantage of oiled floors lies in the possibility of spot repair (If the floor is seriously scratched or damaged, what you need to do is only to use abrasive paper to sand the floor and apply the oil again. This helps you save time and money, as you don't need to sand the entire floor);

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  • Oiled floors are antistatic, which, in practice, means that they don't pick up static, and thus don't accumulate dust;

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  • Natural oils are not as volatile, so they do not affect the environment as much. Oiled floor is a great choice for those who are conscious about the environment and keeping things green for future generations. They are also appropriate for projects that seek to be LEED certified.

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  • Lacquered floor lasts longest without refinishing (often 10-20years);

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  • Lacquered floor performs best against surface moisture;

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  • Lacquered floor is easy to maintain. You only need some water and a flat mop;

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  • Lacquered floor’s high-gloss varnish looks extremely luxurious

Oiled wooden floors disadvantage

Lacquered wooden floors disadvantages

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  • Oiled floors surface will wear off much quicker

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  • An oiled floor also requires slightly more maintenance, needing a top up of oil periodically

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  • With oiled floor it can't be possible to have glossy surface achieved

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  • Oiled floors, in order to clean and protect oiled floors, you need to use special products.

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  • With lacquered flooring, sanding is often required to refinish a floor. This can require specialist tools and an experienced tradesman too;

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  • With lacquered flooring very low shine rate (ultra-matt) flooring cannot be achieved;

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  • Scratches show up easier on reflective higher gloss finishes;

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  • Lacquered floors are more demanding when it comes to cleaning, as even the slightest dirt particles and the smallest scratches are exposed on that type of floors, that’s why with lacquered flooring it’s doubly important to invest in really great doormats and sweep or vacuum regularly;

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  • Lacquer effectively sits on the top of the wood and doesn’t sink in like oil does;

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  • In the refinishin process of lacquered floor there is a need to leave the rooms concerned unused for about 2 weeks. That is the time you need to have the floor sanded and lacquered again.

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