It is often recommended to apply 3 or 4 coats of oil to get the best look and the most protection for your floor; however, the number of coats may vary depending on the wood. The issue with oil, especially Linseed oil, is the amount of time it takes to dry.
How many coats will be applied? The standard for a hardwood floor is at least three coats. This consists of one seal coat (which may be the stain) and two coats of finish. Additional costs of finish may be applied depending on the need.
Usually you'll need about 3-4 coats to fully protect the floor, one or two seals, and two finish coats. Make sure to keep a wet edge while applying with a t-bar. Each coat should be ready to re-coat in about 2-3 hours with a water-based finish and typically overnight for oil-based.
If additional coats of oil are applied or if it is applied too thickly, the surplus oil will remain on the surface of the wood. This could result in a number of problems including a sticky, tacky finish; a finish that could take days or longer to fully dry; or a finish that is easily scratched, scuffed and marked.
How Often Should You Oil Your Hardwood Floors? The frequency varies depending on the level of foot traffic, dirt, and animals within that area of the home. A good rule of thumb is to re-oil your floors every 3 to 5 years.
It is often recommended to apply 3 or 4 coats of oil to get the best look and the most protection for your floor; however, the number of coats may vary depending on the wood. The issue with oil, especially Linseed oil, is the amount of time it takes to dry.
You may have to apply 3 to 7 coats of oil one on top of the other until it stays glossy. After all coats are applied and you waited 20 to 40 minutes you are now ready to wipe down the surface. Wipe all excess oil from the surface with lint free “T-shirt” type material. Hang rags outside to dry.
You will probably find 3 or 4 coats of oil is your optimum, delivering the best results.
Apply a coat of Finishing Oil using a brush or lint-free cotton cloth. Allow the oil to penetrate for up to 10 minutes then wipe off all the excess with a clean lint-free cloth, before the surface dries enough to become sticky. Allow to dry for a minimum of five hours and apply more coats as required.
Apply an even coat of oil to the surface, then let it soak in overnight before wiping off any excess.
Make sure to sand the polyurethane between coats. Sanding removes drips, bubbles and other uneven spots in each coat. Dry the first coat for a full 24 hours. If the coat feels tacky or sticky after that, let dry until it feels completely dry.
To give the subsequent poly layers something to bond to, sand lightly between coats with 320-grit sandpaper wrapped around a hard block. Note: The first coat needs the most sanding to appear smooth; don't worry if it doesn't look as flawless as you'd like at first.
And just because it's thicker doesn't mean one coat is sufficient. In most cases, you'll need to apply three to four coats of oil-based polyurethane to create a smooth, durable barrier.
Therefore, it is recommended that you stay out of your home for at least 72 hours after applying an oil-based polyurethane finish. It's also recommended to have proper ventilation in the room during the drying process. In order to fully cure, this finish typically requires at least 30 days.
Each coat of an oil-based finish normally takes 24 hours to dry, and if you are staining your wood, this can take 24 hours or longer to dry, too. You should expect refinishing your hardwood flooring to take a minimum of three days. For water-based finishes, it can take about two days to refinish hardwood floors fully.
For water-based finishes, the recommended wait time is 4-8 hours. For hard wax oils, this increases to 4-24 hours. Finally, for oil-modified Polyurethane, the surface will take between 12 & 24 hours to dry.
Wood oiling is widely used for a variety of high-end finish applications, such as maintenance of countertops, oiling furniture, refinishing kitchen countertops and recoating old surfaces. Before, in-between and after the oiling, you need to ensure that the wood has been properly sanded.
In summation, just make sure the oil you applied to your piece was a drying oil. Then make sure that it has had the time to fully dry/cure (days to weeks depending on heat & humidity). After that, feel free to add a top coat of lacquer or polyurethane to it.
Helping to prevent drying, warping and splitting, wood oils provide a tough, durable and waterproofing low-lustre finish. Choose a blend of oil and resin for improved water repellence, or enhanced UV filters for an increased shield and protection against sun damage.
However, the best way to apply stain is usually “wet on wet.” This means if you are going to apply two layers of stain, apply the second layer soon after applying the first layer. This allows the stain to fully permeate the wood without drying and creating a shield between the first and second layer of stain.
Danish oil dries slowly, so wait overnight before recoating. And it goes on thin, so apply a minimum of three coats. You don't have to worry about brush marks, but you'll get an even smoother finish by lightly "wet" sanding between the second and third coats.
Oil – Wood with an oil finish will absorb linseed oil. If the oil beads on the surface then the piece is most likely finished with shellac, lacquer, varnish or polyurethane. Wax – You can tell if wax has been applied by lightly scraping your finger nail in a inconspicuous area to see if a scratch mark is left.
Massage the oil into the wood, using a buffing machine with a beige pad mounted on its underside. Remove excess oil with cotton cloths - wrap a cloth around a pad and use it with the buffing machine. Allow the oiled floor to dry overnight, or for at least 16 hours.
Preparing your floor
If your hardwood floor has been previously oiled or is an unfinished floor, it can be treated directly with oil. However, if your floor has been previously treated with varnish, it will need sanding down to the bare wood before oil is applied.
If your floors are finished with oil polyurethane, there is no traffic AT ALL for a minimum of 24 hours after the job is finished. 48 hours after the job is completed, socks-only traffic on the floor. We recommend a minimum of 2 days of socks-only traffic for floors finished with oil polyurethane.