Testing Hardwood Floor Finish
Choose a low traffic area that has been cleaned thoroughly.
Testing hardwood floor finish. Select an inconspicuous area of the floor surface and apply a small amount of paint remover. It offers a low sheen non toxic finish and is a great choice for those who are environmentally conscious or those who are simply worried about chemicals in their home. Listed in order of aggressiveness of paired. Wax is the traditional time tested finish for hardwood floors making it a great choice for antique floors in historic homes.
Paint thinner and let them sit for 2 3 minutes on the. Before polyurethane became a household word floor finishers applied wax varnish. The easiest way to test a floor finish is to run your hand along the surface of the floor. So i found myself in the closet.
To test the finish you ll need a little mineral oil baby oil and three solvents. Testing hardwood floor finishes in a closet. Using these solvents requires gloves and good ventilation and it doesn t hurt to have on a pair of safety glasses either. Behind a door is a good spot because this area is usually.
Brush up on the basics of 8 popular options before choosing yours. Part 2 of this article including video of testing floor finishes in a closet testing hardwood floor finishes part 2. Testing for grease based residue like wax or oil soap 1. Run your hand over the floor surface.
If nothing happens move on to the next test. Testing for oil or wax. Let it sit for a few seconds and then rub it into the area. If you can feel the wood grain the finish is probably a penetrating finish.
How to know the finish of my hardwood floors a variety of finishing materials. If the finish bubbles up it is most likely a surface finish. He was asking for advice on his wood floors and more specifically testing hardwood floor finishes. If the finish dissolves congratulations you ve got a waxed floor.
Denatured alcohol lacquer thinner and xylene. Hardwood floor finishes have varying levels of ease durability even glossiness. Next place several drops of mineral spirits a k a. To begin put a few drops of mineral oil on your cleaned spot.
Put a couple drops of mineral spirits naphtha or turpentine on the surface you want to test. It comes in both paste and liquid forms.