Raw wood effect flooring

How does an oil finish for wood look?
Solutions for creating a raw wood effect flooring.
Some of us often think of oil as a simple embellishment treatment for wood, as if it’s only role were to revive the luster of an old, traditional lacquer-based finishing. Borma proposes a full range of oil-based products (natural vegetable oils) able to completely substitute traditional lacquer-based finishings and to impart a high level of protection and unparalleled aesthetic pleasantness to parquet, furniture and all wooden surfaces in general.
A solid but soft oil-based wood finishing is extremely pleasant to touch. When treated with oils, ligneous veins get emphasized, wood´s general tone becomes warmer and deeper, even without the use of stains or pigments. For example, due to natural oil’s extraordinary impregnating capabilities, it is possible to create a raw wood effect flooring bereft of “plastic” or „glass“ feeling. This effect will never be particularly film-forming or concealing. The wood will remain nourished, protected and exceptionally beautiful to see and to touch.
An oil-based finishing matches particularly well a natural furnishing concept, where intentionally raw materials such as stone, bricks, concrete are preferred. The same goes for restoration of luxurious settings, when one wants to preserve a lime-based plaster or old terracotta floors.
Thus, an oiled parquet becomes a supporting plane for a modern ambient as well as the classical one. Wherever a conservation of the original material feeling is desired, the use of oil is a must.

Oil: one- or two-component system?
The use of catalysts does not compromise oli´s natural look, but determines it´s higher toughness and resistance.
What kind of lifespan one should expect from an oil-treated wooden surface?
The lifespan is almost endless, if some easy adjustments to ordinary maintainance that let us preserve the wood always beautiful, nourished and protected are made.
The use of a neutral soap instead of aggressive detergents like alcohol, ammonia, bleach or different acids will save us from unwittingly depleting the finish, allowing for a fast, efficient and safe daily cleaning. Wax is without a doubt the most adequate material for creating an easy-to-refresh protective coating. Whether it´s beeswax or self-shining water-based polish, the main principle is always the same: easy and regular application with no need for costly preparation phase or professional equipment. This small act of attention and care allows us, as years pass by, to preserve the wooden surface uniform, beautiful and resistant to stains and wear.
What if instead of a warm and deep effect someone opted for an absolutely neutral finishing that doesn’t alter color in any way and creates a perfectly matt raw look on a new light-colored wood? This is only about taste and preference of materials. The tendency to choose natural wood or raw wood look reflects a typically modern taste. This kind of fresh and bright surfaces frames well neutral and lightly-colored, not necessarily cold, furnishings. The effect is easy to obtain using water-based products instead of the oil-based ones. Lacquers enriched with matt waxes guarantee wooden surface an ultra-matt look with a genle opalescence and a light, almost bleached, but virtually undetectable tone. This would surely be one of the best ways to treat natural spruce whether at first or second ageing stage, planed or brushed, just like oak that is brushed to give maximum value to it´s tridimensional structure without coloring it.

Water based enamel: One- or two-component system?
Naturaqua Parkettlack 0-5 gloss has already a great resistance level. Naturally, the use of a catalyst makes it higher still, even at the cost of raising glossiness, though keeping it under 5 gloss. The two-component version of this lacquer is usually chosen by professionals for it´s technical characteristics, especially when treating high traffic surfaces such as stores, public spaces or even critical domestic ambients needing a higher protection level like kitchen, bathroom and entrance. This does not concern exclusively floorings, but also table tops, bathroom tops, living room tables, writing-tables.
The natural effect is liked not only when applied to floorings, but to the eintire furnishing as well. The contrast between this kind of super-matt neutral surfaces and deep translucent, especially when colored, effect of Borma Glass 2K epoxy resin is surprisingly captivating. In fact, glass-like inserts may easily appear natural when put inside wooden boarding. Natural, but unexpected.

How to maintain a matt surface treated with a water-based finishing?
In this particular case we should avoid beeswax-based products as they have a natural amber hue and potentially become semi-gloss when polished with a woollen pad. A water-based polish (attention! not glossy one) is to be preferred instead, a natural matt version of Parkettwachs, for example. The principle is same as with beeswax: the use of a sacrificial easy-to-renew during regular maintenance layer of readily available to any private user product. It should be used with reasonable thriftiness in order to avoid the build-up that over time causes the flooring to acquire an undesired 'lens effect'.

What about cleaning?
To avoid damaging the finishing one should use a neutral soap. It would be really unforgivable to create on light-colored wood depletion zones where dark stains will inevitably form.