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Living Sustainably » Treatments and Finishes » Oil, Soap and Wax
Oils
Oil is often used for finishing solid timber floors, particularly in Scandinavia. It provides a natural finish, allowing the wood texture to show through and can be combined with stains to create a variety of effects.
Unlike lacquer, oil doesn’t provide an impermeable surface, so it is best for light traffic areas. But localised damage, like dents and scratches can be easily repaired with a fresh application and surfaces can be re-treated without having to re-sand.
To achieve the overall surface finish, several applications are usually needed and ideally oiled surfaces, such as solid timber floors, should have a re-application every year to maintain the surface finish.
Soap
Soap is traditionally used on large areas of decorative solid timber surfaces, such as floors. It creates a deep lustre which gets richer over time with each re-application. As with oil, minor damage, like dents and scratches, can be repaired easily and re-treatment can be done without sanding the surface.
Again, like oil, soap doesn’t provide an impermeable surface and several initial treatments are needed to build up the finish, with annual re-treatment required to maintain the surface.
Wax
Wax provides a natural finish or a wide range of colour finishes for wood in the home, e.g. floors, mouldings, turnings, furniture, etc. and is used extensively in the pine furniture industry. Most waxes are based on a blend of beeswax and other waxes to give an instant natural sheen to bare wood.
