Select an inconspicuous area of the floor surface and apply a small amount of paint remover.
Testing hardwood floor finish.
It comes in both paste and liquid forms.
If you can feel the wood grain the finish is probably a penetrating finish.
To test the finish you ll need a little mineral oil baby oil and three solvents.
Behind a door is a good spot because this area is usually.
So i found myself in the closet.
He was asking for advice on his wood floors and more specifically testing hardwood floor finishes.
Run your hand over the floor surface.
How to know the finish of my hardwood floors a variety of finishing materials.
Brush up on the basics of 8 popular options before choosing yours.
Choose a low traffic area that has been cleaned thoroughly.
Listed in order of aggressiveness of paired.
Put a couple drops of mineral spirits naphtha or turpentine on the surface you want to test.
Testing hardwood floor finishes in a closet.
Wax is the traditional time tested finish for hardwood floors making it a great choice for antique floors in historic homes.
The easiest way to test a floor finish is to run your hand along the surface of the floor.
It offers a low sheen non toxic finish and is a great choice for those who are environmentally conscious or those who are simply worried about chemicals in their home.
Using these solvents requires gloves and good ventilation and it doesn t hurt to have on a pair of safety glasses either.
Denatured alcohol lacquer thinner and xylene.
Hardwood floor finishes have varying levels of ease durability even glossiness.
If the finish dissolves congratulations you ve got a waxed floor.
I knew pretty well.
If nothing happens move on to the next test.
Next place several drops of mineral spirits a k a.
Testing for grease based residue like wax or oil soap 1.
If the finish bubbles up it is most likely a surface finish.
Before polyurethane became a household word floor finishers applied wax varnish.
A few weeks back jeff b i wrote this little spiel on diy home inspections for him contacted me.
Part 2 of this article including video of testing floor finishes in a closet testing hardwood floor finishes part 2.
To begin put a few drops of mineral oil on your cleaned spot.
Testing hardwood floor finishes in an old house part 2 the commonly accepted hardwood floor finish tests and paired solvents.