VARNISH         

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YOUR FLOOR WILL NEED SEVERAL COATS OF VARNISH.
We recommend at least 3 coats.
There are different types of varnish. Oil or spirit based varnish, water based varnish and acid catalyst varnish.
these varnishes have different effects on the wood.
WATER BASED VARNISH
leaves the wood as pale as possible and is very quick  drying, 1-3 hours. It has a low odour, is hard wearing and easy to use, with no yellowing.  Clean rollers, brushes etc. with water. Of the three is is the most environmentally safe and friendly.

SPIRIT OR OIL BASED VARNISH
Can darken the wood considerably and is Slow to dry 6-8  hours . It has a Strong odour, is hard wearing and discolours with age. Solvents are  needed to clean brushes etc.

ACID CATALYST VARNISH
Darkens wood, is quick drying, 2-3 hours, hard wearing and has  a very strong odour which can last for days. Special solvents are needed to clean  brushes etc.

CHOOSING A VARNISH.
Go for the best quality you can afford and allow for at least two to three  coats. Peter always uses at least 3 . Trade quality varnishes are available to the public, but not in your high street shop. They are better quality than the DIY  store choices. you can purchase these varnishes from this site with next day delivery, Uk mainland only, click here.  The varnish we use is water based Bonakemi Spectra, Traffic, or Mega depending on the amount of wear, tear and traffic expected. It's expensive but the finish is absolutely fabulous. If you try to save money on something make sure it's not the varnish. DIY varnishes can give your floor a very orange/yellow finish and can be problematic on application. ALWAYS GO FOR A TRADE VARNISH. ONLY AVAILABLE FROM THE INTERNET OR A TRADE COUNTER. Trade varnishes are not available from any DIY stores or shops. You can buy Bonakemi varnish here on this site with next day delivery. See the enter shop image below, the link will take you straight to the shopping page.

An alternative available from this site is Osmo Oil: this is applied with a special brush. Hard wax oil is extremely water-repellent and does not water-mark. It's stain-resistant against wine, beer, cola, coffee, tea, fruit juices, milk and water. Contains no biocides nor preservatives and is suitable for use on children's furniture and toys. Requires only two coats with no primer. Is almost odourless on application and during drying period. Needs overnight drying.

If you don't want to buy over the net, hunt through yellow pages for Flooring materials. They will be trade counters and not a high street shop. These places can seem a little intimidating but don't be put off. They are very often situated on trading estates.

It's important your floor is sanded to a high standard, don't cut corners thinking the varnish will cover up mistakes, it's quite the opposite, the varnish shows up the mistakes.

FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH YOU ARE STRONGLY ADVISED
to wear a mask that protects against vapour when using ANY  floor varnish. Make arrangements to have your children and pets safely out of the vicinity of odours caused by the application of varnish. Some varnishes give off very strong dangerous fumes especially acid catalyst varnish. Water based varnish gives off the least odour.

PETER'S RECOMENDATION
Of all the varnishes, Peter recommends the water based Bonakemi varnishes of which there are several to choose from depending on the amount of traffic the floor is expected to receive. For domestic use we recommend the Bonakemi Mega varnish which gives a beautiful finish, ideal for all rooms, with three coats this varnish will have a long life and give hard wearing protection. Many of the homes we sand and varnish have had Mega applied to the floors. To see the final finish that is produced with Mega, look at some of the floors we have completed using this particular varnish. CLICK HERE Another water based varnish we regularly use and recommend is Ronseal quick cure, (not to be confused with the Ronseal varnishes available in your high street stores, or advertised on television ) This one is professional quality, and excellent protection for your every day needs.
Bonakemi Traffic is for floors that receive heavy traffic eg, work spaces, galleries, museums etc. It is a 2 part varnish and needs some expertise to apply.

Mega is one part and very easy to apply (glides on like silk) and is ideal for kitchens and bathrooms. We have Mega matt on our own kitchen floor. These varnishes are widely used by the flooring  trade. Most types of varnish come in a choice of gloss, semi gloss or satin and in some  cases matt finishes. GLOSS is the hardest wearing but can be mirror reflective in a room with large windows and plenty of sun. SEMI GLOSS OR SATIN has a softer  shine which looks more natural on a wooden surface. YOU CAN PURCHASE THESE VARNISHES FROM THIS SITE. CLICK HERE But we do advise you to watch the sanding download for correct application of these professional varnishes.
WORK OUT THE QUANTITY YOU NEED TO BUY
— Make all measurements in metres.
— Measure the total length of the room into any bays.
— Measure the total width into alcoves.
— Multiply the 2 figures together. The result will be the area of the room in square      metres.
Example.
Living room.
Length.  4 metre 15 cm  (4.15 metre)
Width.     3 metre 60 cm  (3.6   metre)
                4.15 X 3.6 = 14.94.        Area = 14.94 square metres.
In this example, to give the floor 3 coats of varnish multiply the area by 3 ( 3 X 14.94 ) = 44.82 square metres.
One 5 litre bottle of varnish will cover 50 square metres, so 1 bottle is enough for this floor.

BONAKEMI VARNISHES Peter's Recommendation. These trade varnishes are available from this site with next day delivery.

Enter shop below.

Click here to find out more about Bonakemi varnish and application information.
These floors as with all Peter's floors have been varnished with Bonakemi water based varnish

    

You can now download our sanding demonstration film to your computer. No need to wait for the post. It will take 20 to 40 minutes to download with 56k modem, much faster with broadband, and only costs £5. View it first. Peter demonstrates the whole process. this instruction film was filmed while Peter actually repaired, sanded and varnished a floor. ( With running commentary)