One question that I have heard from a lot of people lately is ‘what is meant by polishing a timber floor?’ It is a commonly used technique to give a new shine and glossy appearance to your timber floor.

Simply put, polishing a timber floorboard is a process of sanding the timber to remove any rough parts and apply a coat of wax or polish on it. This process gives your floor a shiny and smooth appearance.

There is more than one way of polishing your floorboard. You can either choose to use polyurethane or a wax finish to polish your timber. The polyurethane is more commonly used as it gives the customer more chance for customizing. The polyurethane finish comes in matt, satin, semi-gloss and gloss finishes, giving you various options to choose from. You can use a polyurethane gloss or satin finish to replicate the exact looks of a wax polished floorboard. Even in the polyurethanes, there are 3 different types of polishing, both with pros and cons.

Water based Polyurethane

Water based polyurethane is a great option if you wish to enhance the natural look of your timber floor. They are noncombustible, nontoxic, low odor and fast drying making them a great option if you are short on time. The nontoxic nature of polyurethane also means that you will not have to vacate the premise while the coat is being applied. The polish has a touch dry and takes about 3 days to get ready. You also need to wait 12 to 13 hours between coats.

Solvent based polyurethane

Solvent based polyurethane is a commonly used finish for polishing a timber floor. It is a perfect pick if you are looking for durable and easy to maintain finish. But with this improved durability, it comes with a longer drying period and time between coats. It is also not safe as it is combustible and gives off a toxic vapor for the first 4 days. It takes 6 hours to touch dry and requires you to wait for 18 – 24 hours between each coat. It may also take as long as 3 days to get ready.

The solvent based polyurethane can give you a shiny glossy or classy satin finish. It also provides a darker and amber like shade to the timber.

Modified oil based polyurethane

Modified oil based polyurethane provides a protective coat to your flowing. It also provides a slight amber colour and the best part of this finish is that it doesn’t require thinning when used under normal conditions.
There are a lot of options for you if you wish to give your timber floor a nice and smooth finish. You have the chance to choose from a wide range of finishes and textures, including satin, glossy, smooth etc. All you have to do is choose your ideal finish and let us do the rest.

JU Flooring is an industry leader in the timber flooring servicing industry and provides an array of engineered and solid pre-finished timber flooring in Sydney. Contact us to have more details.