Monday 26 May 2014

High praise for Saicos by DIY Grandma

DIY-ers come in all shapes and forms and ages.

Mrs M. Lewis, a grandmother from Swansea, decided in June it was high time to restore the original parquet floor in her house. Gaining knowledge about the steps to take from the "7 Easy Steps to Restore/Repair your Parquet Floor" she became confident she could do all the works herself.

When she first contacted us, the hardest part - sanding the old finish off - was already done. She just needed to know which finish would be best for her tropical floor and we advised to use the "tropical combo" from Saicos.



Saicos tropical combo
Saicos doesn't call the combination of the two oil products this way, we baptised it ourselves last year when we had to look for an alternative for the thin oil (Euku oil 1) which, due to VOC regulations, was not longer being produced. Our own experience with Saicos Colour Wax Clear extra thin, followed by one coat of Saicos Premium HardWaxOil (or in lesser traffic areas with Saicos Wax-Polish) proved to us it was a very worthy if not better alternative.
(Side-note: Saicos' Colour Wax products are a thin oil and not - as the name suggests - a wax).

Tropical wood species are oily of themselves, which, when applying HardWaxOil as first coat, can result in patchy areas when the oil in the HWO can not penetrate the wood enough before the wax part of the HWO starts doing its work. Therefore it is better to apply a thin - single - oil first, which can do its work to penetrate the wood for long term protection undisturbed, followed by one coat of HardWaxOil.

Uncertainties gone

This week Mrs Lewis called us again with high praise for the "Tropical Combo". 
Well done wood you likeIt had been so easy to apply, she told us, and brought out the original grandeur of the parquet floor in no time at all.

"And it is so hardwearing! I don't have to worry about the floor when my grand children visit, it doesn't show anything at all."

One worry she did have after applying the Colour Wax Clear was the fact it seemed to dry up a bit dull, not what she had expected. But after applying the coat of HardWaxOil the sheen of the original tropical floor showed up, dissolving her fear she had not applied the first coat correctly.

"You should explain this better in your guide! You know how people are uncertain about these things, doing this for a first time, and telling them upfront what to expect takes away these uncertanties."

Point taken, Mrs Lewis.

The reason Mrs Lewis called us was one little area of the restored floor stayed dull, she thought it might have had something to do with sanding this particular area more than others - closing the grain. Should she apply a second coat of HardWaxOil there?


In these cases we recommend to treat the spot with wax or wax-polish first, 9 times out of 10 this solves the dullness and it rather quickly to do.
(Side-note: one of the advantages of using HardWaxOil over varnish/lacquer is the fact you can "repair" small areas locally without having to sand down the whole floor again. Varnish/lacquer applied only on a small area can result in a patchy appearance when new finish overlaps with old finish, this will not show when you use HWO.)

Now she experienced the great result of her first floor restoring project Mrs Lewis has changed her mind about buying new rugs to put on the floors of the bedrooms, covering the original parquet in there.

"They are too beautiful to stay covered up really and now I know how well and simple your Tropical Combo products work I'm more than confident I can bring back their grandeur too."

Who are we to argue?
In our secure webshop you will find everything you need to repair/restore your own original parquet floor too.

Saturday 17 May 2014

Care/Repair set - everything you need in one box

When you are (re)searching products to care or repair your wooden floor, you could be forgiven for becoming overwhelmed by all the products available. Which one, or combination of products, would do everything you want it to do, AND is suitable for it?
Do I need an oil when my floor has been oiled before to bring back its lustre, do I need a cleaning product first and what wax or polish can I apply and how often?
What products do I need when I only have to add a few blocks to our existing parquet floor, and want to sand and re-finish the whole area of flooring?
The list of questions can go on and on.

Restoration packs

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Since long, Wood You Like's secure webshop has presented you with 3 different Restoration Packs when you're in the process of restoring your original parquet floor:
  • Oak pack - with HardWaxOil, among other products
  • Tropical - with the Tropical Combo as finish
  • Pine - with a thin colour oil to prevent the pine turning ugly orange
All three packs also contain parquet adhesive, notched trowel and trowel knife, wood-filler, oil/polish applicator and the "7 easy steps" guide.
For some "restoration" jobs the above packs contain more products than needed. For instance, when you don't have any missing or loose blocks the adhesive is not needed.
And sometimes there is even no need to sand your floor, making the wood-filler superfluous too.

New: Care/Repair Kits

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If that's the case we have make life easier for you by creating 2 brands new Care/Repair Kits - more Kits might follow in the near future.
We had a close look at our sales statistics to see which products were frequently combined in orders through our secure webshop, and simply put them in one box - to make it easier for you if you are planning a sort like DIY-Repair project.
The EcoLine Cleaning Kit contains all the EcoLine products you need for regular and thorough maintenance: Magic Cleanser, wash care and the wax-care spray.
The Intensive Cleaning/Repair Kit are ideal for those floors which have been covered with carpets for a long time. The Magic Cleaner - dilute with water - will remove all the dirt, grime and even old wax/oil layers. Once this application has dried - do read and follow the instructions of use - it is simply a matter of applying Premium HardWaxOil on your floor. No need for sanding at all!
In the Care/Repair Kits category you will also find the Floor Care Set: 1 ltr Wax-Care and 1 ltr Wash-care for regular maintenance for your wooden floor to keep it healthy, durable and beautiful.

More Kits? Tell us!

The above Kits came to be after researching our own data, but of course it is possible we are overlooking something you are in need of.
That's why we said: more Kits might follow.
If you think there is a specific combination of products to care/repair/restore your wooden floor which is now missing in our secure webshop - simply tell us now!

Monday 5 May 2014

Due to popular demand, the buffing block is back!

The most effective and eco-friendly way to maintain your natural wooden floor the easy way!

Note:
Due to popular demand it is back in our secure webshop. 
We - Wood You Like Ltd - seem to be the only company supplying this great and handy tool in the U.K. We therefore have to add international freight to the standard price of the buffing block and since it has a weight of 7 kg these add up, but nonetheless it is still cheaper than an electric household floor polisher.

Real natural wooden flooring are an asset to any home. A valuable asset you want to keep healthy and beautiful. Therefore any wooden floor, no matter what type of finish it has, needs maintenance, only once every 5 - 6 months. This way you make sure your floor not only stays protected against dirt and drips but becomes even more beautiful with every maintenance treatment it receives.

Buffing blockMaintenance is made even easier with the modern liquid polishes, waxing your floor on hands and knees is a thing of the past! You sprinkle the polish over the floor and with an applicator with woolen sleeve you spread it out.

The best, long lasting result comes when you use our genuine 'old-fashion' buffing block to polish the floor. The buffing movement spreads out the maintenance product more evenly and enhances the appearance of your floor by feeding both the wood and the wear & tear layer.
(You could even wrap a non-fluffy cloth around the buffing block and use it as applicator)

Our genuine cast-iron buffing block weighs 7kg! Heavy enough to make light work of the polishing.


Our genuine buffing blocks are in fact cheaper and more effective than any of the electric household floor polishers (buffing machines) we've come across. These machines are just not heavy enough to do the job properly. They just skim over your floor, where the pads soak up more of the polish than they work into the wood.
  • The 7kg cast-iron block with natural bristle brush doesn't need electricity - just a broom stick, doesn't have cables to trip over or to get smeared under with polish.
  • Just a simple cast-iron block moving to and fro over your floor - giving you some exercise at the same time too!
  • Eco-friendly, wood floor friendly and exercise friendly.Now, price comparison:
  • The cheapest electric floor polisher (Karcher) we've found online (new)
    £ 154.70 
  • One genuine cast-iron buffing block with natural bristle brush only £100.50 (including delivery charges from The Netherlands straight to your home address in the U.K.)
As said before: cheaper and more effective!
Buy now and see the result immediately, your wooden floor will truly love you for it.
(Please note: buffing block will be dispatched without a broom stick, to avoid additional delivery charges for longer lengths)