Maintenance natural oil

Kährs natural oiled floors are ready-treated for use in domestic environments.

Note: Before starting any of the maintenance and repair work that follows, you must check that your floor is a natural oiled floor and not a UV-oiled floor, which is the more common in domestic interiors.

Prevention
Place doormats inside and outside the front door to stop dirt and grit being walked in, which can cause considerable wear.

Put protective pads on furniture (not metal feet, which mark wood floors) to avoid unnecessary marks and scratches on the floor.

In rooms where you know water is frequently spilled, and where it may also be left on the floor, we recommend that the floor be treated with Kährs Maintenance Wax after laying. This seals the joints between the boards and gives better protection against water.

Maintenance
It is easy to care for floors in domestic environments, and treatment with polish is not necessary. However, care must not be neglected, otherwise "pathways" or a greyish layer can form.


Cleaning natural oiled floors

Cleaning
For daily cleaning use dry methods such as vacuuming. When necessary, damp-clean the floor with a well wrung-out mop/floor cloth. The floor must only become slightly damp. The film of water formed in this way must dry within one minute.

For the best cleaning results, use Kährs Cleaner. If you use another cleaner, ensure that it is pH-neutral (maximum pH 8).

Do not allow spilt water to be left on the floor, particularly on Beech and Hard Maple floors, which are particularly susceptible to moisture. The frequency of damp-cleaning depends on how much the floor is used and how soiled it gets.

Regularly cleaning the floor prevents dirt from adhering to the oiled surface. Unnecessary cleaning using damp methods does more harm than good. This applies particularly to the first few weeks after maintenance with Kährs Maintenance Wax.

Removing marks
Remove marks as soon as possible using water and Kährs Cleaner or another neutral cleaner. If this does not work, remove the mark using a green nylon pad, e.g. Scotch-Brite.

After removing the mark, you may need to apply a little Touch-up Oil to the area before applying new Maintenance Wax. See also the table of marks below.

Maintenance & Repair natural oiled floors

Maintenance using Kährs maintenance wax
The need for maintenance depends on a number of factors, and varies from case to case. Maintenance needs to be carried out more frequently if the floor is cleaned regularly with a damp cloth, because this has an abrasive effect on the protective coating. Maintenance is required more frequently on floors subjected to greater wear, e.g. where people walk wearing outdoor shoes. Light, soft and porous wood species (e.g. Beech, Ash) also require more regular maintenance.

It becomes obvious when a floor needs maintenance, because it starts to feel more difficult to clean. In the majority of cases, a floor will require maintenance twice in the first year and then once a year thereafter.

It is recommended that the first maintenance be carried out immediately after the floor has been laid. This first maintenance should include the whole of the floor. If it is done immediately after the floor has been laid, there is no need to move furniture.

You also get extra protection from the onset against moisture that can get into the joints between boards. If you carry out the first maintenance after 6-12 months, it is best to move the furniture into one half of the room, treat the cleared area and wait 1-2 hours. Then move the furniture and repeat the treatment on the rest of the floor.

Subsequent maintenance can be carried out only on floor areas where it is really needed, such as high traffic areas. Maintenance, therefore, does not necessarily mean that all the furniture has to be removed from the room. The surface's dirt resistance, durability and resistance to moisture increases each time it is maintained, The need for maintenance, therefore, decreases over time.

Partial repair of multi-layer parquet and Linnea
Treat small surface scratches and scrape marks with Kährs Maintenance Wax. On deeper scratches, use Kährs Touch-up Oil first. Then apply a layer of Kährs Maintenance Wax to the damaged surface.

Fill small indentations with Kährs Touch-up-oil.

First fill deep dents, scratches and cracks with Woodfiller, then oil with Kährs Touch-up Oil. Boards with major damage can be replaced.


Renovation natural oiled floor

Microscratches
If small areas have been scratched (under chairs, etc.), the floor can be treated with Kährs Maintenance Wax, which conceals the microscratches.

Partial repair of Kährs multi-layer parquet
Worn or damaged surfaces can be sanded or planed down to clean wood; finish using 220 grit sandpaper. Apply a thick layer of Kährs Touch-up Oil, and wipe off the excess after about 30 minutes.

Allow the renovated surface to dry overnight. Then apply a coat of protective maintenance wax. Use Kährs waterbased Maintenance Wax.

If necessary, the treatment with maintenance wax can be repeated. Any differences between the treated area and the rest of the floor disappear with time. Damaged boards can also be replaced. This is easy with the woodloc joint.

Renovating the surface treatment on wood floors
After extended use, it may be necessary to renovate the surface treatment and replace it with a new oil treatment.

Apply a thick layer of Kährs Maintenance Oil on the floor.
Then buff the floor using a polishing machine (150 rpm) so that the oil dissolves any dirt in the floor. Use a nylon pad, e.g. green, or coarse Scotch-Brite.

Collect the soiled oil using a rubber scraper and wipe up the residual oil. Then attach a cloth beneath the disc of the polishing machine and buff the floor as dry as possible. Work in small areas so that the dissolved dirt does not have time to dry.

The floor can be used again when the Kährs Maintenance Oil has been allowed to harden.

Total renovation of natural oiled wood floors
If normal renovation of the surface treatment is insufficient, the wood floor can be machine sanded down to clean wood and then oiled again. Consult your floor oil supplier.