We have been in our new to us house 6 months with wooden oak floors.
The areas of high traffic are loosing their shiny finish and getting a grey hue to them. We have bought some Bona Wood floor polish but it appears to have made it worse. This is after using a wooden floor cleaning product. ie it appears to have taken off any layer of protection
Do I need to try wax/oil next ? What should I try ? Thanks
That looks fairly similar to the high wear areas on our oak flooring, specifically the hall corridor which gets the double wammy of dirt on shoes plus all the footfall.
Every now and again I scrub with hot water and washing up liquid (ecover) to lift the dirt. I'm about to do a re wax with Osmo wax oil, probably a couple of coats. Originally it was done along with the rest of the house in Osmo clear matt finish and has lasted well, just the hall has taken the brunt. It's a great product, not desperately expensive, gives a very good tough finish and goes a long way as you apply in thin coats. It takes several hours before you can walk on it and is quite smelly so you'll probably want to time applications accordingly
I have used some rub on wood waxes too but had mixed results - on grainier surfaces the wax has sat in the grain and been very difficult to lift and polish out, giving a slightly speckled greying look over time.
I think on your floor I would first wash the boards to remove any obvious dirt, then once dry probably wipe with a white spirit dampened rag to see if any more ingrained dirt/wax lifts off. Once i was happy it was clean i'd osmo wax oil a couple of coats.
I spose if I was feeling especially motivated i'd be doing some localised sanding too but life's too short as it is
Thanks, I’ve just ordered a small sachet to test !
Forget to say I have used both brush and rags to apply - rag is better ime, you can work it in much more easily
i'm sure deadly will be along to recommend saicos hardwax oil, and tell you what you need to do to prep it. sand the floor probably
^^^^ Osmo HardWax Oil (PolyX [sp])
But the OP needs to know what the original finish was because nothing will fix it without that knowledge.
But the OP needs to know what the original finish was because nothing will fix it without that knowledge.
We asked the people who owned the house before us who seamed a bit clueless. Apparently she used to clean it with pledge 🙄
Clean with some detergent and the Osmo oil works for us. I use a little foam roller to apply as it is easier than a brush.