Nothing brings the splendor of nature into the home quite like having natural wood elements throughout. A hardwood floor can convey classic elegance, bohemian bliss, or a country rustic atmosphere when paired with the right furniture and decor.
Unfortunately, taking care of hardwood floors can be challenging if you want them to last for a long time. To give your wood floors what they need, you will need to prevent scratching as much as possible and nourish the wood with oil. Fortunately, the real milk paint co. has fantastic tutorial videos to walk you through all the steps of treating your floor. Here are the key takeaways:
What is Tung Oil?
Pure Tung Oil, also known as Chinawood Oil is a wood oil that dries hard, increasing the durability of your floors while nourishing them to bring out the natural grain and shine. It has a fantastic absorption rate, offers surface protection, and is completely environmentally friendly. It has no additives or distillates and results in a flat finish as to not detract from the natural beauty of the wood.
It’s a common misconception that there are various shades of tung oil. On the contrary, high-quality tung oil has a lovely, natural honey shade. Cheaper alternatives and those with additives and extra ingredients result in color variances. While the greenish tinge offered by some companies may look interesting, it might actually be damaging your wood.
The natural elements of this product make it a nice addition if you have children or pets who spend a lot of time close to the ground (or a lot of time making messes on your floor).
Floor Preparation
As with any project that requires applying something to finished wood, you must prepare your floors before applying the tung oil. While it is a great product, it isn’t a miracle worker and can’t penetrate through varnish and years of grime.
First, wash your floors as usual. Then, you need to remove whatever finish is already on the floor. This might mean having to use a chemical stripper, which is unfortunate since your goal is to use an environmentally-friendly product.
Wash away the remnants of the chemical stripper and debris, then sand the floor to create some grit. You will want to use Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) to adequately remove any remaining barriers before sanding. This process will open the wood to absorb the oil better.
Applying the Oil
Now, on to the fun part: applying the tung oil to your floor. Use an all-natural citrus solvent at a ratio of 1:1 with the tung oil to ensure maximum absorption. Do a test spot on the wood to see if it absorbs well. If the oil does not absorb within 40 minutes, you will need to cut the oil further by adding more solvent.
Apply the mixture using a brush, paint roller or sponge mop wrapped in nylon stockings– the stockings prevent pooling on the floor. After you’ve coated the entire floor, go back to where you started. If the area is dry, you can start applying the second coat. If the room is fairly small, or the starting area is still wet, you should wait before applying more. In total, you should have about 40 minutes between coats.
When all coats are applied, let the floor dry for another 40 minutes and wipe off the excess material with a cloth. Allow the floor to dry overnight for best results. Repeat the process the next day.
After Application
After applying the oil, you will need to wait up to ten days before walking on the floor while wearing shoes. You could also apply a layer of wax paper over the floor during the first two weeks to prevent damage. Don’t use newspaper, cardboard or other materials as they will ultimately damage the finish.
The floor should cure over the course of 30 days. Wait for at least this long to apply wax to the floor. For more information about aftercare, check out the video linked in the first paragraph.