How to Re coat Your Lacquered Flooring?

One important step of the decision-making process when buying wooden flooring in London will be choosing the right finish for your hardwood flooring. There are many types of hardwood flooring finishes, and one of the most popular is lacquered. Lacquered flooring is favoured for its moisture-resistant qualities that can also stand-up to a great deal of wear and tear.

However, a lacquer finish is more prone to surface scratches than oil finishes, due to the fact that it sits on top of the wood flooring, rather than soaking into the wood surface. When lacquered finishes are scratched, your flooring can appear dull and tired. When it is time to recoat your flooring with a new lacquered layer, there are some simple steps you should follow.

First, remove all of the furnishings from the room to avoid any damage with the dust that will come from sanding. Be sure to lift furniture items rather than drag them to prevent additional scratches and damage to your flooring.

Once the room is empty, check the flooring for any nails or staples that need to be flattened down or removed. Now you can begin re-sanding your flooring to remove the old lacquer finish. If you are completing this step by yourself, be sure to find a drum sander and an edge sander with a good sandpaper, ranging from heavy, 40 grit, and to fine, 120 grit. When you sand your floor, start with the heaviest grit paper first and then move to finer paper as you progress to smooth of the flooring surface.
Once your flooring has been sanded, let the dust settle down and be sure to vacuum up all the dust created, especially in the flooring gaps. Then wipe down the flooring with a damp mop to remove all traces of dust.

Now it is time to recoat your lacquered floor. Begin by applying the lacquer, starting at the edges of the room and working towards the middle of the room and finishes towards the door or entryway. When you are lacquering edges, it is best to use a paintbrush, and a roller for the larger open areas. Work in sections and along the grain to be sure you have full coverage of the flooring.

Now that you have your newly re-coated lacquered floor, maintain it with a regular cleaning schedule. Lacquered engineered oak flooring is particularly resistant to water so a damp mop is a suitable cleaning solution. As always, stop by our blog for all of your flooring needs.