How To Determine Wood Floor Finish

Go to a small corner of the wood and take a small knife or coin and try to scrape up a little bit.

How to determine wood floor finish.

To begin put a few drops of mineral oil on your cleaned spot. If the oil tends to soak in it means your floors are finished with a very thin wiping varnish. That said it s never a good idea to splash lots of water about on any wood floor. Lighter wood floors may just have some type of finish over the top.

If nothing happens move on to the next test. To determine which finish type you have here are a few simple tests. If the oil readily beads up and wipes away easily then you have a film finish such as shellac or a varnish. Run your hand over the floor surface.

If it crumbles as you scrape it up then you can easily tell that you have a urethane polyurethane finish. Surface wax and acrylic. If it doesn t observe the spot over the course of a minute or two. Test for wax by rubbing an out of the way floorboard with the edge of a coin and looking for telltale wax buildup on the coin.

Wood s beauty is unparalleled but comes at the cost of proper maintenance. The good thing about a lacquered finish on your floor is that it becomes somewhat water resistant. If the finish dissolves congratulations you ve got a waxed floor. Put a couple drops of mineral spirits naphtha or turpentine on the surface you want to test.

Let it sit for a few seconds and then rub it into the area. The type of film finish will be determined in the next steps using the solvents. Also if you can determine the manufacturer of the floor you can check with them on proper care for their product. A homeowner may have this information which will take all the guesswork out of the process.

The easiest way to test a floor finish is to run your hand along the surface of the floor. If the acetone beads it is most likely a polyurethane coated wood. Follow these steps to determine what you are dealing with. Polyurethane is a very popular and durable finish and oil based polyurethanes impart a.

Select an inconspicuous area of the floor surface and apply a small amount of paint remover. If the finish bubbles up it is most likely a surface finish. Use a clean cotton swab dampened with acetone and apply in an inconspicuous spot. As such there is a really simple test you can use to determine if this is the type of finish on your wood.

There are three basic types of floor finish. Obviously the easiest way to determine what is on the floor is to ask. Determine the color of the stain. If you can feel the wood grain the finish is probably a penetrating finish.