Help with hardwood floor selection! UV cured oil finish any good?

2 years ago

Hello! I need help with my search for new engineered hardwood. I have been looking primarily at Canadian brands (Vintage, Lauzon, Mirage, and Mercier) but so far I haven't found a style that I really like. I recently came across a brand called Coswick and I instantly fell in love with their offerings. I guess I prefer European oak? Anyway, Coswick became my clear frontrunner until I realized that the styles I want have a "silk oil" finish rather than a polyurethane finish. The hardwood would be used all throughout my condo, including the kitchen and other high traffic areas, so scratches, water and other stains are a major concern.

Coswick uses a silk oil, which they describe as follows: "Silk Oil consists of 4 layers of UV-cured modified organic oil-acrylates. Silk Oil easily penetrates into the surface pores of wood, where it polymerizes under UV light. In appearance, this type of hardwood flooring finish is similar to Hardwax Oil, but is distinguished by higher wear resistance." More info here: https://www.coswick.com/technical-information/decorative-surface-finishes/uv-silk-oil/

It sounds like silk oil is better than regular oil, but still not as resilient as a polyurethane finish (by their own admission, it's not as wear resistant as UV cured lacquer finishes). But their care and maintenance instructions suggest that it's a lot of work: "Maintenance of hardwood floors with Silk Oil finish assumes regular (daily if necessary) cleaning from dust and grit using a vacuum, followed by a thorough cleaning with Coswick Hardwood Floor Cleaner or other similar product."

Does anyone have experience with Coswick, specifically with their silk oil finished engineered hardwood? Anyone have any insight into UV cured oil finishes? Will I regret going with a Coswick silk oil finished hardwood?

Alternatively, can anyone suggest any reputable brands that offer European oak with a matte PU finish?

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Comments (5)

SJ McCarthy
2 years ago
The "Maintenance of hardwood floors with Silk Oil finish assumes regular (daily if necessary) cleaning from dust and grit using a vacuum, followed by a thorough cleaning with Coswick Hardwood Floor Cleaner or other similar product."

Is 100% normal for hardwoods. The sweeping vacuuming 2-5 times per week is a normal requirement for hardwood (and vinyl and laminate and cork and linoleum).

The 'followed by' part does not mean 'immediately afterwards'.

A regular 'damp' cleaning (for poly = water only) is 1/week. A regular wood cleaner (for poly) is 1-2 per MONTH. The Silk Oil will be closer to the polyurethane side of things than the oil side of things.

Don't get discouraged by the 'maintenance'. These statements are everywhere for hardwood. The part that is closer to hardwax oil is: "In areas where traffic is most intense, it is recommended to periodically apply Coswick restorative cleaners for oiled floors. Such floor cleaners consist of up to 10% wax, and, in addition to cleaning the floor surface from dirt, they renew worn-down finish."

The reappliction of the 'oil' back onto the finish is normal for hardwax oils. In essence this finish is a temporary "ail acrylates" 'polish'. The 4 layers means they have thrown down plenty of waxy finish...that needs a bit of a boost from time to time.

My issue is the wire brushing. This is a texture that is known to cause issues with cooking oils and spills.

I would personally purchase a box of the floor to test test test the finish out for a few months. After that test, you decide if you can handle the high wearing waxy finish and the wire brush texture.

European Oak normally requires a HEALTHY budget. Where are you located and what is your total budget and your square footate?
thrilho thanked SJ McCarthy
thrilho
Original Author
2 years ago
Wow, thanks for the great answer! It sounds like silk oil isn't as "bad" as I thought, in terms of maintenance. Perhaps Coswick is still in the running then! Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time to order a box and test this out. I'm in Canada and my budget is about $10/sq. ft for the hardwood.

How does silk oil's protective qualities (liquids, stains, dents, scratches) compare to PU? Does the silk oil actually create a "barrier" on top of the wood similar to PU? I don't mind the occasional reapplication of oil but I'm really hoping that the protective qualities are closer to PU than it is to regular oil, which I've read is fairly poor.

I've heard about debris getting stuck in the wire brushed texture but I didn't really think about cooking grease and other stubborn kitchen spills and splatters. How bad would this be? Are there any solutions to this? Or can you point me to any discussion on this? My Google skills seem to be failing me. I've been almost exclusively looking at wire brushed hardwood options because the texture hides scratches and dents. I may be wrong but from what I remember, the texture on the Coswick samples that I saw weren't that aggressive.
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Heidelburg floors use Osmo polyX and i am liking mine so far. we still need base, but otherwise done.

Help with hardwood floor selection! UV cured oil finish any good?

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SJ McCarthy

thrilho
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Help with hardwood floor selection! UV cured oil finish any good?

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SJ McCarthy

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thrilho
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