Thread: Removing grease/oil stains on Cypress timber floor before resanding/polishing

Not only will it show up, it will also compromise the bond. Have you considered going to an oil finish?

Originally Posted by rustynail

Not only will it show up, it will also compromise the bond. Have you considered going to an oil finish?

The preference is urethane for the rest of the house but kitchen may have to have another covering as a last resort to mask the patch of oil.

Originally Posted by Teco

The preference is urethane for the rest of the house but kitchen may have to have another covering as a last resort to mask the patch of oil.

Why the preference?

Originally Posted by rustynail

Why the preference?

Higher authroity has demanded urethane finish!

Originally Posted by Teco

Higher authroity has demanded urethane finish!

Higher authority is basing their decision on what?
For what it is worth; urethane cannot be refurbished. Once scratched or damaged thats it.
Urethane will crack at board joints, leaving a white line that will eventualy begin to peel back.
Urethane doesnt feed the timber.
After 40 years in the trade I would go oil every time.
Some 20 years ago I layed a new floor (brushbox) in my own place. At the same time my BIL and his wife were having a brushbox floor put down in their new home. The installer recommended urethane and that was the way they went. It now looks terrible. The family size is exactly the same, right down to the dog. The oiled floor still looks good. It gets a mop over polish every 6months, after which, it looks like new.

Are you talking Tung oil Rustynail ?
Any timber flooring jobs we had anything to do with from about fifteen years ago on we recommended Tung oil over polyurethane every time for exactly the same reasons.
Most of my clients have thanked me because all these years later their floors still look so good as opposed to friends/family etc that chose poly instead.

Stewie

Maybe try some acetone on the oil/grease, tip liberally onto a rag and rub the area, will evaporate quickly, (will feel cold and don't sniff the fumes too much) repeat until no oil visible, and repeat again if oil still comes to the surface..... which may take some time...days or longer for any oil to appear, persist until no oil appears




Pete

I agree with Rustynail. If you know that there is grease and oil permeating the timber then you need to be prepared that a urethane coating will reject, especially a solventborne one.

The Tung Oil suggestion is good, but spoiled only through the lack of worthy products available. The majority of products labelled "Tung Oil' are really oil-modified polyurethanes. So you get the film-build of a poly, and a thin one at that. Durability is low, although it will probably not reject on a contaminated surface. They eventually flake off like bad skin and need re-sanding.

A true oil is one which is burnished into the grain. It's a specialised process which your chosen tradie needs to know, as it's not a set-and-forget system. It penetrates the timber and hardens the surface so spills and stains can be wiped off. It's a natural, matt finish. The good news is you should never have to re-sand your floors again, it can be spot-repaired and touched up with minor fuss. You can't do that with Urethanes or any other film-build coating.