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FSC TECTONIC™ HARDWAX OILS OR WATERBASED LACQUER
WHICH IS BETTER?
Hardwax Oils vs Water-based Lacquers: Which is Best??
The answer is that it depends!! …. and what it depends on is:
- Expected wear pattern – commercial or residential?
- Will the end user maintain the floor or not?
- What maintenance schedule can be expected long term?
- How easy will it be to re-finish the whole floor?
The main difference between our bestselling Hardwax Oil (Treatex) and our best selling water-based lacquer (Chauncey’s Duraseal / Duraguard) is the different maintenance needed. Both are hardwearing and both have additional hardeners which can be added for the toughest finish.It is important to realise that the lacquer is a coating which sits on top of the wood, whereas the hardwax oil is partly absorbed by the wood. Because the oil is absorbed by the wood, Hardwax Oils must be maintained using the special maintenance wash either daily (for commercial premises such as pubs or restaurants) or weekly (for residential use). This wash will both clean and restore some of the oils in the wood.
The flooring will need to be re-oiled as necessary – probably less than once a year in residential properties but it could be as often as once a month in the bar area of a pub - so keeping a vigilant eye on the condition of the oil finish is part of the maintenance regime.
However, the good part of this is that Hardwax Oils can be applied to only the parts of the floor which are worn – just lightly sand any damage and re-apply the oil. This means that you don’t have to clear the whole area – just apply where necessary - a good option for restaurants and pubs.
Initially, only applying two coats of Hardwax Oil is recommended – and don’t think that applying a good thick coat is an advantage as it will take much longer to dry. We would recommend applying Treatex with a roller – for more advice on applying check out the Treatex website (treatex.co.uk) for their FAQs
Water-based Lacquers require very little maintenance – so are a good option for rented properties or lazy customers who won’t do the maintenance required for oiled floors. Here it is important to recommend a neutral floor cleaner which doesn’t contain any oils or soaps (e.g. Chauncey’s Neutral Floorclean) as the soaps and oils will form a waxy layer which will impede a new layer of the water-based lacquer.
The down-side of lacquers is that when they become worn or damaged the only option is to re-coat the entire floor. It isn’t possible to patch in a worn area. This is a problem for commercial premises, such as restaurants, where it is difficult to clear the entire area without closing for business.
A good tip for using Chauncey’s lacquers over solid hardwoood is to use the Duraseal lacquer for the first coat rather than the harder Duraguard. This is because the Duraguard bonds so strongly that you can get ‘cross-bonding’ where the boards are stuck together so firmly by the Duraguard that any contraction of the timber results in a larger gap every two or three boards. (With Chauncey’s Tectonic boards they are resistant to movement so ‘cross-bondin is unlikey to become a problem). Very lightly sand any patches of raised grain and apply Duraguard mixed with the hardener for subsequent coats – and unlike Hardwax Oil you can apply more than the three recommended coats if you have the time.
