Let the sun shine, but protect your floor

Enjoying the sunny weather we're having of late? I'll bet you do!

The intens sunshine however resulted in a panicky email:

"I hope you can help us. We had an Oak floor installed which was finished with UV-oil. Now with all the sunny weather of the recent weeks, the part of floor that gets the sun all afternoon long is still changing colour! How is that possible, we thought with the UV-oil the floor was protected against this???"

An UV-oil finish is quite common nowadays. but is sets most people on "the wrong foot". UV-oil means the oil in the factory has certain particles in it that assists the quick factory drying of the oil with UV-light. It does not mean your floor is now protected against the effects of the UV-light of the sun.

Any wood floor reacts to light, by turning darker or lighter - depending on the wood-species. The best way to protect your floor (and its colour) is to shade it from intense sunlight during mid-day when the UV rays are at their strongest. Awnings, screens or even soft curtains will reduce the UV effect on your floor.

Plus, as you would (should!) do with your own skin to protect it during the most intense sunshine, you can also protect your floor - no matter if it is treated with UV-oil or not - by applying a regular maintenance regime which keeps the surface healthy and will reduce the effect of the sun's UV light.


A regular maintenance regime means nothing more than applying a polish or a wax every 5 - 6 months (do avoid treating your floor in direct sunshine, the high temperature of the surface will dry out the polish/wax too quickly and result in a patchy result).

The simplest way to treat your floor - and protect it better against the sunshine - is using Saicos EcoLine Wax-Care Spray. Simply spray it on your floor, spread it out with the polish applicator and within 10 minutes the job is done!

Treat your floor regularly, enjoy the sun and don't get burned!

Non visible finish, new from Saicos

Often we are presented with the following question:

"We've sanded down our Oak floor and like the pale colour the wood has now. How can we keep this colour?"

Before we had to tell every one that even a natural finish (such as Saicos Premium HardWaxOil, available in 4 sheens) would "darken" the wood to its natural characteristic. With Oak this tends to be honey - or yellow, and not the pale(r) colour you see right after sanding. Doing the "wet-finger" test on sanded Oak will show you this authentic colour the boards/blocks will get after oiling.
However.......!
Saicos Coating Systems has just launched a new "sheen" in their Premium HardWaxOil (the quick drying product) which will keep your Oak wood the paler colour you saw after sanding:

• Another innovation from Saicos to keep the wood looking as natural as possible. It’s a Non visible finish.
• After completely sanding the floor, and you would like to keep the same appearance, you should apply two coats of Saicos Pure Hardwax Oil.
• Does not yellow over time and easy maintenance with Saicos wash care.
• Coverage 14m2 with 2coats per litre
• Available in 0.75 litres and 2.5 litre
• Also ideal for Kitchen worktops, doors and furniture as well.

 Available now in our secure webshop:
Saicos Premium HardWaxOil 0.75 ltr - select the "pure" option
Saicos Premium HardWaxOil 2.5 ltr - select the "pure" option
If you are looking for a pale look on your tropical floor - for which we highly recommend the Tropical Combo - two coats of HardWaxOil staight on the sanded surface will create a patchy look, due to the fact the tropical wood is oily of its own and the oil in the HardWaxOil will have trouble penetrating to wood as it should. Therefore we do not recommend the pure on these wood-species, use the Tropical Combo and apply the single oil first!

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 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". 
It 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.

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

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

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!

New look for Saicos Products

New Spring = New Look - at least for Saicos high quality products for floor finishes, floor maintenance - for your interior and exterior wood.
   
Premium HardWaxOil, Ground Oil Extra Thin and the Colour Wax - all available in the Floor Oil Category
       

All maintenance products in their new "coats": Wax-Care-Spray, Wash-Care, Magic Cleanser, Wax-Care Polish and the Floor Care Set - all available in the Maintenance Category

   

Green-Ex, Wood Brigtherner, Special Wood Oil and Clear Oil Finish, quality products for your exterior wood
Great products which will give you ease of use and do exactly what it says on the tin (or can)

Knowing your way

There is a massive amount of information available online about wooden flooring and all things related. Where to start if you are looking for something specific?

Well, one point of access would be Wood You Like's information centre (online) where you will find various carefully put together information packs you can not go wrong with:
For instance if you are planning to install your own wooden floorboards there is the
Wooden Floor Installation Manual (160 pages)

or if you still are undecided on what type of flooring to have, the Buying Guide for Wooden Flooring is THE place to start

Perhaps you discovered an original parquet floor underneath old carpet? 7 Easy Steps to Repair/Restore your Parquet Floor will tell you all you need to know to bring it back to its former (valuable) glory.

And the Ultimate Maintenance Guide will help you keep your wooden floor - any wooden floor - healthy and beautiful in the most simple ways.

Or, all information problems solved in one go!

Spring is on its way: outside wood

Now it seems that Spring is definitely on its way - and in some parts has already arrived - this period would be an excellent time to prepare your outside wood for the coming longer and warmer days.
Decking, garden furniture all need TLC, and specially for this task Saicos has the right products:
Saicos Green-Ex Concentrate:
Removes green-growth from all exterior wood, painted or unpainted. Highly effective - self-acting - checks new growth! 
Saicos Wood Brightener Concentrate:
an easy to use, highly effective special liquid detergent to clean and refreshen greyed, unattractive looking exterior wood surfaces without sanding.
Saicos Special Wood Oil:

Natural wood stain for exterior wooden decks, garden furniture and other wooden surfaces which shall keep their natural appearance.Available in colourless and colours Bangkarai, Pine and Teak. Special colours can be ordered in White, Black and Grey.

For your own Spring Cleaning of Exterior Wood we've put all three products into one "pack" at a discount: together now £ 42.40 (instead of £ 43.45)

The Ultimate Maintenance Guide

The Ultimate Maintenance Guide

everything you need and must know about keeping your wooden floor healthy and beautiful

 Welcome to Wood You Like's comprehensive maintenance guide, filled with tips, examples, advice and videos to show you how easy, simple and necessary wood floor care is.

 Every wood floor needs - simple - care

A wooden floor is a wonderful lively and natural floor covering, more and more home owners are installing (or restoring) this type of flooring:

• it's beautiful
• it's eco-friendly
• it's anti-allergic
• it's clean
• it's healthy
• it's long lasting
• it's practical
• plus it can add value to the home

But no matter what type of wood floor or finish you have, the surface of the wood floor needs a bit of TLC once in a while to keep its healthy and grand appearance. The best comparison you can make is with your own skin: to keep this important part of the body healthy we often - daily - treat it with feeding and moisturising creams or lotions etc. A flaky, dry skin doesn't look good plus it will not effectively protect your body against outside (harmful) influences.
Just like you want to look great and healthy, your wooden floor will look at its best when it's been taken care off regularly.
What this guide will show you

A splash of lotion on your skin is easily applied, and so is treating your wooden floor! That's one of the things this guide will show you - and we'll be using videos to really show you how easy this is.
This guide contains:

• what absolutely NOT TO DO
• why floor care is important
• a maintenance plan
• stain removing tips - just in case
• how to restore your parquet floor without sanding
• images and videos
• recommended high quality products and tools
• vouchers to use in Wood You Like's secure online shop
• and more

Order the guide now!