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YOUR FLOOR WILL NEED SEVERAL COATS OF VARNISH.
The type of varnish used will have different effects on the floor. The example pictured here has been coated with two different types. The lighter area was coated with water based varnish, whilst the darker area was coated with spirit based varnish. The differences are due to the way the two varnishes react with 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.
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 allways 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. Cheap varnishes can give your floor a very orange/yellow finish and can be problematic on application.
HOW TO CALCULATE THE AMOUNT OF VARNISH YOU NEED. CLICK HERE.
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 childrens 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.
OUR RECOMENDATION
Of all the varnishes, we recommend the water based bonakemi of which there are several to choose from depending on the amount of traffic the floor is expected to receive. For average domestic use we recommend the Spectra varnish which gives a beautiful finish, ideal for bedrooms, with three coats this varnish will have a long life and give adequate protection. Many of the homes we sand and varnish have had Spectra applied to the floors. To see the final finish that is produced with Spectra, look at some of the floors we have completed using this particular varnish. CLICK HERE Another water based varnish we regulaly use and recommend is Ronseal quick cure, (not to be confused with the Ronseal varnishes available in your hight street stores, or advertised on television ) This one is professional quality, and excelent protection for your every day needs.
Bonakemi Traffic and Mega are for floors that receive more traffic eg, work spaces, galleries, museums etc. Mega is a little more expensive than Spectra, but is 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.
BONAKEMI SPECTRA and MEGA: our recommendation buy this and other Bonakemi varnishes online
Click here to find out more about Bonakemi varnish and how to work out the quantity you will need and application information.
These floors have been varnished by Peter with Bonakemi Spectra
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) PREVIEW FILMS FIRST
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