What you’ll need:
Method:
- Sand the floor back to bare timber, working through the grits with a drum/belt sander for open areas and an edge sander for the perimeter and corners. Finish at 120 grit. For larger areas, a professional flooring contractor is recommended for this stage.
- vacuum thoroughly to remove all sanding dust.
- Cover any windows or skylights that let in direct sunlight.
- Lightly mist the floor with water using a pump sprayer and even it out with a clean mop to raise the grain. Let it dry fully before moving on. This slightly roughens the surface so the oil penetrates deeper - it will be smoothed out again during buffing, so it won’t leave the floor feeling rough.
- Wear non-marking shoes such as Crocs or, cover shoes with soft shoe covers before working on the floor
- Cut in the edges and corners first. Apply Oslek LED Hardwax Oil with a roller or brush by band, then work it into the timber with a 3M Red Pad.
- Apply oil to the main floor area a section at a time, working it into with a 3M Red Pad fitted to the heavy-duty floor buffer. The weight of the buffer generates heat that helps drive the oil deep into the timber. Don’t let the buffer sit in one spot too long - this can burnish the wood and leave an uneven patch.
- Switch to a clean 3M White Pad on the heavy-duty buffer and buff off the majority of the excess oil
- Make a final pass over the whole floor with the lightweight high-speed buffer to feather out any lines left by the heavier machine.
- Let the coat sit, uncurled, for around an hour so the oil fully penetrates - the surface should still look wet at this point.
- Cure the coat with your LED Light, working across the surface in even, overlapping passes. The oil cures within seconds and the floor is safe to walk on immediately after.
- Lightly screen the cured coat with a clean pad to remove any dust nibs before recoating.
- Repeat steps 6-9 for the second coat, using only 10-20% of the oil used on the first coat.
- Cure the second coat with the LED Light as before.
- Optional: buff any oil remaining on your pads, roller or rag into high-wear or dry-looking areas for a final “half-coat,” then cure with the LED Light.
- Your floor is fully cured and ready for furniture and foot traffic - no waiting period required.