Four Ways to Protect a Solid Timber Floor

Some of the timber flooring that’s available for purchase and auction at Fowles is solid, unfinished timber. In a sense, that’s the best quality flooring you can buy. Unlike laminate, it can be renewed by sanding many times before it needs to be replaced. Unlike carpet, it won’t soak up liquids and it’s easy to keep clean. With light to moderate wear, solid timber flooring can last for a century or more.

Solid timber is the choice of many of our customers who want to make a long term investment in their home or business premises. It comes unfinished, as milled. Once it’s installed, it needs to be treated with a sealant to protect it from stains and to bring out its natural beauty. Click here to find out more about why you should buy timber flooring.

Here are four ways to finish your solid timber flooring.

1. Solvant-Based Polyurethane Timber Floor Finishes

Polyurethane finishes are made up of plastics suspended in solvents. They’ll give your floor a durable, water and stain resistant surface. You can choose tinted or clear polyurethane, and it’s available in everything from a matte finish to a high gloss. Polyurethane is affordable and practical, and it’s the most popular wood floor finish in Australia at present. However, it needs to be applied in a well ventilated environment, and it is not the most environmentally friendly option.

2. Water-Based Polyurethane Timber Floor Finishes

Many water-based polyurethane wood floor finishes are available today, often marketed as non-toxic, environmentally friendly options. They’ve been improved a great deal in recent years, and they can provide a much more durable and long-lasting finish than in the past. You’ll pay a little more, though.

3. Oil-Based Polyurethane Timber Floor Finishes

Oil-modified polyurethane is less durable than solvent based polyurethane but more durable than a natural oil finish. It’s also less toxic than solvent based polyurethane. You’ll find that it’s got a more natural look than the solvent based product and is very easy to patch and spot-repair.

Unfinished Timber Floor

4. Traditional Oil-Based Timber Floor Finishes

A natural oil finish is the best choice for people who want to use a traditional, completely non-toxic process. The oil soaks into the wood and makes it moisture and scratch-resistant. Often, wax is applied over the oil to make the surface more impervious. This type of finish needs to be renewed every couple of years. However, its satiny finish looks fantastic, and if you sand the floor, you won’t have to sand off a layer of plastic before you get to the wood. Traditional oil-based finishes are easy to spot-repair and touch up, too.

Whichever finish you choose, you are going to love the beauty, durability, authenticity and elegance of a solid timber floor. You’ll get maximum quality and maximum control with unfinished timber. It will be up to you to decide how to finish the wood. With Fowles’ low prices and the great values available at our timbering flooring auctions, you can have the fresh, unfinished solid timber floor you’ve always wanted. The rest is up to you.