Varnish, oil, wax or soap for parquet floors?
How to choose the ideal DevoNatural® finish for your wooden floor!
Wooden floors can be treated in different ways. The method that you choose will determine the look, lifespan, comfort and how your floor needs to be maintained. Oil creates a natural matt aspect but requires a little more maintenance. A varnished parquet floor needs less maintenance and is better protected in the long term. Last but not least, wax gives the parquet floor natural protection, while the soaping method is very fashionable in the Scandinavian countries.
With this in mind, the table of the different DevoNatural products will help you to make the right choice.
Oil
DevoNatural High Solid Oil gives you an extremely natural look in only one single layer.
In addition to colourless oil, you can choose from a wide range of contemporary colours, which can also be combined with the DevoNatural Reactive aging product.
Oil greatly accentuates the natural appearance of the wood. Any subsequent scratches will be less visible, but floors with an oil finish require more maintenance and are less resistant to stains than varnished floors.
However, DevoNatural High Solid Oil clearly stands out in terms of comfort, adding DevoNatural Extra Hardener to DevoNatural High Solid Oil, will further improve wear resistance and reduce drying time!
In order to compare products, please see the table
Maintenance:
- Weekly cleaning using a floor cloth, water and DevoNatural Wood Soap.
- Once or twice per year, treat thoroughly with DevoNatural Intensive Cleaner and Renewer.
- Advantage of oil: it is always possible to remove small marks and stains, by lightly sanding and re-oiling the floor.
Please refer to the maintenance sheet for parquet floors treated with DevoNatural High Solid Oil.
DevoNatural High Solid Oil is mainly applied for bedrooms, living rooms, decking, etc. where floors are only subject to moderate use. It is also suitable for garden furniture. Combined with DevoNatural Extra Hardener, it can also be applied in bathrooms, shops, showrooms, bars, cafés, restaurants, etc.
Varnish/lacquer
Wear resistant DevoNatural parquet varnishes make the pores in the wood fully impermeable to moisture and grime.
DevoNatural parquet varnish makes your floor water-repellent and highly resistant to wear, as well as chemical agents. You can choose between three types of varnish for parquet floors, each of which have specific properties. In order to compare products, please see the table.
In order to compare products, please see the table
Maintenance:
- If necessary, clean with DevoNatural Soft Cleaner.
- For additional protection, treat your floor with DevoNatural Polish, which will extend the lifespan of the finish coat.
DevoNatural Finish is mainly applied for bedrooms, living rooms, etc., where floors are subject to moderate use.
DevoNatural Transit is mainly applied for living rooms, shops, offices, showrooms, etc., where floors are subject to moderate or heavy use.
DevoNatural Passage is mainly applied for living rooms, shops, entrance halls, showrooms, hotels, banks, museums, public buildings, airports, theatres, etc., where floors are heavy or very heavily used!
Wax
DevoNatural Solid Wax gives your floor a natural finish. Ideal for treating antique parquet floors, etc.
Recognisable because of its special odour, DevoNatural Solid Wax gives your floor a deep and natural shine. A waxed parquet floor is less resistant than an oiled or varnished parquet floor - and certainly if it is subject to heavy use. But it can easily be repaired without sanding!
In order to compare products, please see the table
Maintenance:
- Regularly wax areas where people frequently walk.
- It is advised to regularly use a domestic floor polisher.
- Once or twice per year, treat thoroughly with DevoNatural Liquid Wax, which cleans and nourishes your floor.
Please refer to the DevoNatural Solid Wax technical data sheet.
DevoNatural Solid Wax is mainly applied for living rooms, museums, prestigious projects, with parquet floors including design motifs, and for restoring parquet floors that were waxed before.
Wood soap
Soaping your floor gives it a very soft and natural appearance. This method is highly popular in the Scandinavian countries.
Developed for floor cleaning DevoNatural Soap is also used, in its concentrated state, as a basic floor treatment. Especially when applied to resinous woods (pine, pitch pine, larch, etc.), DevoNatural Soap provides similar protection to that provided by DevoNatural Solid Wax, when applied to the floor in concentrated form.
The soaping method can also be used on oak floors. It usually follows pre-treatment with another product, such as DevoNatural Reactive. Soap provides less protection on oak, but this solution is sometimes chosen for its attractive results.
A soaped floor has a distinctive and natural appearance. In order to maintain this effect, it needs to be treated regularly with the same soap.
In order to compare products, please see the table
DevoNatural Soap is applied to resinous floors, in a wide range of situations. It is used more frequently on oak floors than for interior design and can also be used to obtain an “aged” effect.
