Flooring Choices: Lacquered vs Oiled

Flooring Choices – Lacquered and brushed and oiled are two of the most popular hardwood flooring finishes available, and it’s often debated which is better. First things first we’ll tell you what they actually are.

Lacquered is a high gloss and matt finish, with the lacquer that’s applied being a type of varnish that’s used as a protection. Brushed and oiled is more of a vintage finish, and far more old fashioned, and is finished with a hardwax. Both have advantages and disadvantages, and in this blog we’ll break them down for you.

Lacquered

Pro’s

Lacquered is far more water resistant, meaning that spillages can be very easily cleaned up without causing any permanent damage. We would advise you don’t expose it to excessive amounts of moisture, as it can cause your floor to curl so it’s important to maintain caution. It’s also good for rooms that can expect high levels of traffic, and has good resistance to heavy footfall, particularly lacquered engineered wood. It’s one of the toughest finishes around.

One of the downsides is it can be quite easily scuffed and scratched, so we’d recommend that if you’re worried about the appearance of any scratches then oiled may be a better finish for you. If you decide to use it in hallways, we’d recommend that you invest in a mat. Resanding can also be an issue, if small scratches are an issue then the whole floor would need resanding, and refinishing.

Pro’s

The protection of brushed and oiled isn’t just on the surface, it runs down to the core. It has incredibly impressive levels of durability. It’s far more sustainable than lacquered, and is incredibly easy to resand and refinish. It also has excellent anti static qualities, thus meaning that dust and dirt won’t attach itself, and is incredibly easy to clean.

The wood is allowed to breath due to the nature of the finish, and it’s also ideal for areas of high traffic. We’d recommend with all wood products you allow them to sit in the room you intend on fitting them into to allow for environment adaption.

Con’s

It does take a lot of maintenance, and has very little if any water resistance. Any spillages would need to be cleaned up immediately to avoid any permanent damage to your wood. The anti static nature can be problematic for pet owners, as it means your pets may slip and slide all over the floor, so mind your favourite vases!

There is no right or wrong answer with this debate, as both have pro’s and con’s. I hope this guide has helped you make up your mind