whittle WAXES Evolution Hardwax Oil Colour Stains Floor Care User Guide

**whittle WAXES Evolution Hard wax Oil Colour Stains Floor Care User Guide

**

Nothing beats experience

For more than 20 years, Whittle Waxes has been installing, restoring, protecting and maintaining timber floors. The work has involved every type of timber floor imaginable, including some very special heritage floors that required innovative techniques to maintain their unique character. We also played a major role in transforming a stack of 100-year-old French oak beams into one of Australia’s most beautiful bespoke floors (check out the “Story of a Floor” blog on our website for the full story).

With all this experience, we like to think we’ve learnt a great deal about best practices when it comes to timber flooring – like what works and what doesn’t! Along the way, we’ve obviously tried and tested many different products and techniques.

It’s true what they say – you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince! We have kissed the frogs so that you don’t have to! You’re welcome! It’s impossible to overemphasize the importance of using quality products when working with timber flooring – products that not only make a floor look beautiful but also give it protection from everyday wear and tear. Thankfully, our journey led us to the very best hardwax oils made in Germany. That was over 20 years ago and we haven’t looked back since. In this brochure, we’ve done our best to distill as much of our knowledge and experience as possible. We hope you find it useful.

An 80-year-old reclaimed parquet floor we installed in the UK.

A bespoke floor, crafted from 100-year-old French oak beams, we installed in Bronte, Australia.

A 1930 heritage floor we sanded and waxed in Sydney (using a technique that maintained the floor’s character while ensuring it was perfectly smooth to walk on).

Why are Whittle Waxes products so ideal for timber flooring?

Our products (Evolution Hardwax Oil, Colour Stains, Floor Care, etc.) perform two very important jobs:

1. They enhance the natural beauty of timber, giving it a natural look and feel.
2. They protect the floors (even in high-traffic areas) against daily wear and tear.

And the benefits don’t stop there. Our products are also:

1. Non-toxic – so completely safe for humans, animals and plants.
2. Water resistant – spillage on the kitchen floor? No problem – just wipe it up!
3. Hard-wearing – they last for 5-7 years (even in busy areas) before needing another coat.
4. Economical – with high coverage rates (20-30m2 per litre!), a little goes a long way.
5. Micro-porous – allowing the timber to breathe. It integrates with the timber and this allows the boards to move seasonally.
6. Easy to maintain – simply clean with Floor Care (which has replenishment properties) to prevent the surfaces from becoming dull.
7. Kind to the environment – made from natural, sustainable raw materials (such as beeswax, carnauba wax and jojoba oil) – it is a very environmentally friendly product.

This beautiful European Oak floor is coated with our Evolution Hardwax Oil (Matte).

How do you apply Evolution Hardwax Oil to flooring?

Your floors will look and feel beautiful when you use our hardwax oils – and the application process is definitely something you can do yourself. Here are 8 important steps to follow when applying hardwax oils:

1. Sand the floor. This is the one job you may want to get a professional to do. The simple reason – it’s hard to disguise a bad sanding job. If you feel confident, then by all means hire a sanding machine yourself. Even new floors require a light sanding. If you have a floor that already has another coating on it (i.e. polyurethane), then you should definitely sand it back to raw timber.

2. Choose your coating. Once the floor has been sanded and vacuumed, it is ready for you to apply the coating. You will need to decide which sheen level you would prefer. Our Evolution Hardwax Oil is available in 4 sheen levels – Matte, Classic, Satin and Gloss.

3. Add 2K Booster. Adding our 2K Booster to the hardwax oil (for first coat only) increases the hardness and durability of the coating (good for high-traffic areas), as well as improving the drying time. Check the tin for easy instructions.

4. Have a plan. Before applying the coating, make sure you have a plan that gives you an exit route. It’s easy to paint yourself into a corner!

5. Apply with either a roller or a brush. After cutting in around the edges with a normal paint brush, use either a roller or a long-handled brush for the rest
   of the application. A 270mm-wide roller with a 10mm micro-fibre nap is ideal.
   Your goal is to achieve a thin, even coat. Be prepared to roll over it a couple of times to even out the film of Hardwax Oil. Brushes are good for more rustic floors as the bristles get into uneven surfaces.
   
   Sanding the floor with an industrial sanding machine.
   Applying hardwax oil with a roller.
   

6. Let the coat dry overnight ( or for at least 8 hours) – drying times vary according to timber species and climatic conditions.

7. Give the floor another light sanding (preferably with a 220 grit screen) and then vacuum.

8. Apply a second coat (no booster required) and allow time to dry. We recommend you wait 8 to 10 days before wetting the surface or laying down rugs.
   For more details, please check out our step-by-step YouTube video (“Applying Evolution Hardwax Oil on a Timber Floor”).

On large areas (such as the dancefloor pictured above left) we sometimes pour the product on the floor to speed up the process.

Use Anti-Slip on stairs

The Building Code of Australia states that the treads on steps must have a slip-resistant finish. Our ready-to-use Anti-Slip increases the anti-slip level from R10 to R12 and is designed to be applied with our hardwax oil.
Anti-Slip is suitable for all wooden and cork flooring surfaces and is ideal for stairs, wet areas, ramps and doorways.

To apply, simply use the Anti-Slip in place of the first coat of hardwax oil. Allow to dry overnight and then apply a single coat of hardwax oil (same sheen level as rest of your floor). Our AntiSlip Kit contains 1 x 1L Anti-Slip, 1 x Roller kit, Masking Tape, Certificate and an Information sheet.

Colour Stains

For anyone wanting to add colour to their timber flooring, Whittle Waxes has a range of 10 different colour options. These include:

Raw Stains

Our Raw Stains are designed to keep the freshly sanded look on timber by neutralising the darkening effect when Hardwax Oil is applied. Use Raw Stain Natural for predominantly orange timbers like old Hoop Pine; Raw Stain Light for blonde timbers like European Oak; and Raw Stain Dark for all the darker timber species, for example, Walnut or Spotted Gum. Take care to cover the entire piece before removing the excess, as this will ensure you have not missed any spots.

Treatex Colourtones

Our Treatex Colourtones are available in 4 different tones – Antique Oak, Dark Oak, Ebony and Spruce

We transformed this beautiful oak floor with our Dark Oak Treatex Colourtone, followed by two coats of Evolution Hardwax Oil (Matte).

Applying Colour Stains

Applying a colour stain to your timber floor is a simple process.

1. Once the timber has been sanded, cut in with a brush and remove the excess with a lint-free cloth. This can be done in a couple of different ways. The easiest is to just use a lint-free cloth or even an old t-shirt will do the job. When you apply it with a cloth, make sure you wipe off the excess immediately. Again, a rotary polisher can be used on a large floor.
2. Once you have applied the colour, leave it to dry overnight.
3. Then you apply your first coat of Evolution Hardwax Oil over the top, which seals in the colour. This should then be given a light sanding before applying the second coat.

Depending on the timber species, colours will vary so please always do a

sample first.

Tips:
There are a couple of tricks to make colour stains more or less intense.

• To make the colour less intense (or lighter) you can sand the timber with a finer screen, for example, a 150-grit as opposed to a 120-grit.
• To make the colour more intense (or darker) you can raise the grain by wetting the timber with a rag prior to applying the stain. You should leave the dampened timber for approximately 3 hours before applying the colour.

Maintaining your timber floor

Keeping a timber floor looking good, while also protecting it from everyday wear and tear, is easily achieved by following a few important steps:

1. Protect your floors with Evolution Hardwax Oil – not only do hardwax oils enhance the natural beauty of the timber, they also provide a wax coating that protects floors.

2. Vacuum your floors regularly to lift abrasive sand particles which can often cause scratching.

3. Use Floor Care. This is a mopping additive designed to both clean and maintain floors. The great advantage of Floor Care is that it contains vegetable oils and carnauba wax which means that when the floor is cleaned, it leaves a thin replenishing, protective layer on the surface, without making the surface slippery.
   The best way to use Floor Care is with a Spray & Glide Mop. With this mop, a little goes a long way and the floor doesn’t get too wet (which can damage the timber).

4. Use Wax Polish when your floor is looking dull. Wax Polish revitalizes your timber floor while forming a durable, water repellent and non-slip finish. Wax Polish can also be used to remove fine scratches and is available in two sheen levels: Matte (for surfaces protected with matte Evolution Hardwax Oil) and Regular (for use on all the higher sheen levels).
   

10 handy hints to protect timber floors:

1. Put felt pads on the feet of all your furniture.
2. Use rubber wheels on chairs.
3. Pick up furniture, don’t slide it.
4. Place doormats at all exterior doors to trap dirt and grit from outdoors.
5. Check the soles of your shoes for gravel and grit.
6. Use rugs in high traffic areas.
7. Make sure rugs are shaken out and vacuumed regularly.
8. Don’t wear high heels.
9. Wipe up food and spills in good time.
10. Never place plants directly on a wooden floor even if they are in a waterproof saucer.

For more information, please get in touch:
Tel: 300 326 929, 1300 ECO WAX
Email: info@whittlewaxes.com.au
whittlewaxes.com.au
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our series of
Whittle Tips videos on YouTube (www.youtube.com/@whittlewaxes1853).

References

• Whittle Waxes for Beautiful Timber, Naturally...

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