Moving to a house with a wooden floor

It is always important to know what type of wood the floor is made of. Not every interior product can simply be applied to all types of wood. For example, tropical hardwoods can only be treated with Osmo Clear Wax. But we will explain that in more detail later. So always ask the previous residents what type of wood it is; that provides a lot of clarity.

In addition to determining the type of wood, it is also important to know how the wooden floor has been treated. This is because not all products from different brands adhere to each other. Therefore, you cannot simply apply Osmo products over another product. For instance, Osmo does not adhere to floors treated with lacquer or traditional wax. Osmo often does adhere to floors treated with an oil product or floors that have already been treated with Osmo. However, the advice here is to always perform a test beforehand. That way, you can be certain whether the result and adhesion are satisfactory.

If your wooden floor shows signs of light wear in high-traffic areas such as the hallway or kitchen, consider Osmo Liquid Maintenance Wax. You can apply this product locally to these areas. The drying time for this product is just under an hour. Treatment with Liquid Maintenance Wax ensures the floor is refreshed.

If you prefer to give the entire floor a new protective layer, consider Maintenance Oil. This product is the diluted version of Osmo Hardwax Oil (a product for untreated wood). Because the Maintenance Oil is slightly diluted, it adheres better to already treated floors. Before treating the floor with Maintenance Oil, it is recommended to first clean the floor with the Intensive Cleaner. The Intensive Cleaner is a powerful cleaner that removes dirt tracked in over the years. After cleaning, the floor is clean again, which is beneficial for treatment with Maintenance Oil.

If you are going to apply one of the above products, it is always advisable to test it first on a small section of the wood, for example on a single plank. Allow the treatment to dry for the prescribed drying time and check the result. Are you satisfied with the result and is the adhesion good? Then you can apply it to the rest of the floor.

After the product has been applied and has dried for the specified time, you can check whether the Osmo has adhered well. This can be checked by: first, dropping a few drops of water onto the surface. Are these drops still on the surface after a few hours? Then it is well protected. Perform the second check with your fingernail. Scratch firmly over the surface with your fingernail. Provided no Osmo comes loose from the surface, the product has adhered well.

Are you going to sand the floor to create a different look or apply better protection? Then it is always advisable to sand the floor from coarse to bare. Start with grit 40, then grit 80, and finish with grit 120. These sanding passes ensure that the wood is bare enough for a new treatment.

If the floor has been sanded, you have many options for the treatment. For example, you can choose a white wash effect, where the wood grain is colored. Or go for a natural look with the Hardwax Oil Effect Natural 3041. All our products are suitable for softwoods such as oak, beech, ash, spruce, birch, etc.

Do you have a floor made of a tropical wood species? Then you can really only apply Osmo Clear Wax. This is because tropical woods are oilier and therefore have more difficulty absorbing the Osmo. The Clear Wax is a colorless product and colors the wood as if it were wet.

We have test packs of all basic treatments in stock. This allows you to test the look you like on a small section of the floor.