Watering wood floors before oiling

By watering wood floor, the expert will use 10-20 ml water per square meter. The application can be done with a mop or a cotton cloth. Watering is a very old technique that was used by carpenters and joiners in the past.

Advantages of watering:

By watering, wood floor oils penetrate deeper into the wood. This leads to better ptorection of the surface, enhancement of the wood colour or a more intensive colour result with coloured oils. Watering leads to a more uniform absorption behaviour in common wood types and thus to a more consistent appearance than conventional oils without pretreatment. In addition, it leads to an increase in volume of the wood surface. This can conceal optical irregularities such as sanding marks.

Procedure for watering:

Wood floor is wiped with moistened clean water after finishing the fine sanding and before applying the selected wood floor oil. By applying water, the wood fibre straightens up, the surface becomes noticeably rough and becomes darker. After a drying time of 30 - 45 minutes, the wood floor is usually superficially dry and becomes light-coloured again. Now the application of the wood floor oil can begin. The installed wood fibres are simply turned over again or "shaved off" by processing with the stainless trowel. Approx. 10 - 15 minutes after the application of the filler, the oil is massaged into the wood using a single-disc machine and a polishing or cleaning pad (beige) and then polished out again with a white polishing pad.

The appearance of the surface is also influenced by the material properties and quality of the wood. If the surface does not have an even appearance, a second oil application is recommended.

What should be observed when watering?

"Care is the highest premise when watering," knows Rainer Mansius, PALLMANN Technician. "If not all areas are evenly wetted with water, this can lead to visual irregularities. Areas that are not moistened appear brighter than the rest of the surface. Excess material of the oil on the wood floor should also be avoided, as otherwise shiny, greasy spots will appear, according to the expert.

Can I water every kind of wood?

Any common wood species can be watered without any concerns. In the case of exotic woods, it is advisable to consult an expert in application technology, as the specific properties of the wood vary greatly. Rainer Mansius: "Watering is not recommended for wood types with a high fat/oil content such as Ipé/Lapacho or teak. Here the water does not penetrate the wood well."