Oiled Engineered Wood Flooring

Oil or lacquer?

Oil soaks in and hardens in the wood. It looks and feels the most natural, and scratches, dents and worn walkways can be repaired locally with a little oil. It needs regular maintenance oiling, more often in busy areas. Lacquer forms a sealed layer on top. It resists spills best and needs little maintenance, but deep scratches and worn areas usually mean sanding and re-coating a whole area.

Types of oiled finish

• Natural or hardwax oil: applied and cured in the factory or on site; natural, matt and repairable.
• UV oil: cured with ultraviolet light at the factory, giving a harder, more consistent surface from day one; maintain with the oil the maker recommends.
• Coloured oils: white, grey and smoked tints; maintain with the same tone.
• Brushed and oiled: brushing opens the grain, so the oil settles deeper and the texture shows.

Who suits an oiled floor?

An oiled floor suits people who love the look of natural wood, do not mind a little routine care and like the idea of repairing marks rather than living with them. It ages gracefully, developing a soft patina. If you want the lowest maintenance possible, a matt lacquer may suit you better.

Caring for an oiled engineered floor

1. Sweep or vacuum regularly: grit wears the finish.
2. Clean with a well-wrung mop and a pH-neutral cleaner made for oiled wood; some contain soap that feeds the oil.
3. Never use a steam mop, bleach or harsh detergents.
4. Re-oil when the wood looks dry or pale, or water stops beading: often once or twice a year in busy areas, less in quiet rooms.
5. Spot-repair scratches with a light sand along the grain and a little oil.

Oiled floors in different rooms

• Living rooms and bedrooms: ideal; maintenance is light.
• Hallways: beautiful but needs more frequent re-oiling in the walkway.
• Kitchens: possible with a hardwax or UV oil, prompt wiping of spills and regular maintenance near the sink.
• Bathrooms: never; wood is not suitable.

Fitting oiled engineered wood

Acclimatise the boards, check concrete with a moisture meter, and float the boards over an engineered wood flooring underlay or glue them with a wood floor adhesive. Protect the floor during decorating. Many makers recommend a first maintenance coat soon after fitting, which seals the joints and evens out the finish. Our installation guides explain each method.

Comparing samples at home

Order free samples of two or three options and put them on the floor of the room where they will be laid. Look at them in daylight and in the evening under your own lamps, next to the walls, skirting, units and furniture they will sit with. Colours and textures look different in every room and on every screen, so a few minutes with real samples is the best way to avoid a costly mistake. Stand back as well as looking close up: a floor is mostly seen from standing height and from the doorway.

Common mistakes

• Using a cleaner made for lacquered floors, which can leave a film.
• Letting the finish dry out in walkways before re-oiling.
• A clear oil on a white- or grey-oiled floor.
• Putting rugs down on freshly oiled wood before it has cured.

Oil also makes an oiled floor easy to refresh before a move or a special occasion: a clean and a thin maintenance coat bring back its glow in an afternoon.