By surface & project
Wooden floors
Paint them, or restore, colour and protect the wood
| Route | What you use | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Paint | Floor Paint | A hard-wearing satin (40% sheen) in your colour; wooden floors only |
| Wood: oil | Hard Wax Oil, in seven colours | A natural, low-sheen finish that can be repaired in patches |
| Wood: lacquer | MyLac (Matt, Satin, Gloss) or MyLac Extra (Matt, Satin Matt) | A clear, sealed surface that is easy to clean; MyLac Extra is the toughest |
The paint route
Painting a wooden floor
Floor Paint gives a hard-wearing satin in your colour, for wooden floors only. It covers about 15 m² per litre and goes on by brush, roller or spray, between 8°C and 30°C.
-
Clean and sand
Remove dirt, grease and anything loose, and sand to a sound surface. Vacuum the dust.
-
Seal knots and prime
Seal knots in bare boards first. Bare boards need priming: ask us which primer suits your floor.
-
Two coats in a day
Touch dry in 2 to 3 hours; recoat after 3 to 4 hours.
-
Be patient
Light use after 24 hours; fully cured after 7 days.
Shop
For painting a floor
Wood finish
Finishing the wood
Clean it first and look again before you reach for the sander, colour it if you like, then oil it with Hard Wax Oil or lacquer it with MyLac.
The wood route
Should I clean or sand my floor?
Clean first. Sanding is irreversible: it takes away the colour, patina and character that years of use have given an old floor, and once it is gone it is very hard to get back.
-
Remove the grit
Vacuum or sweep away all loose grit.
-
Clean a small area
Use a suitable cleaner and let it dry. On waxed floors, Wax and Polish Remover lifts years of wax and grime.
-
Look again
If the finish is sound and only dirty, a clean and a fresh maintenance coat may be all it needs.
-
Sand only if you must
Only when wear, deep damage or an unsuitable old coating make it necessary. Start at 80 grit and work up to 120, or 180 at most, depending on the wood and the product. On softwood, seal resinous knots with Shellac Barrier Seal for Floors, unless you’re oiling.
How has it been finished?
This decides the route. If you don’t know how the floor has been finished, take it back to bare wood, as guessing risks a new finish that peels, stays sticky or never bonds.
| Your floor | What to do |
|---|---|
| Oiled, dull or worn | Clean with Floor Cleaner, then re-apply Hard Wax Oil, even just to the worn areas. No sanding needed |
| Waxed, sound but dull | Lift old wax and grime with Wax and Polish Remover, then re-wax with Liquid Floor Wax |
| Lacquered, dull or lightly scratched | Clean with Floor Cleaner, then apply Floor Refresher |
| Lacquer worn through, damaged or an unknown finish | Sand back to bare wood and choose a full system |
Colour
Changing the colour, and stopping it turning orange
Most clear finishes warm the wood, and oak’s natural yellow can turn orange once a finish goes on. Counter that warmth at the colouring stage.
-
Make a sample
Test first on your own timber, on a spare board of your own floor, sanded the same way.
-
Counter the warmth
Earth Stain Chalk for a paler, natural look. Earth Stain Clay for a soft, smoked or grey-toned oak.
-
Choose the finish
Water-based lacquers such as MyLac Matt warm the wood less than oils. For an oiled floor, Hard Wax Oil Natural over your stain.
-
Judge it dry
Finish the sample with the same finish and coats, and judge it dry in the room’s own light.
Already orange?
Cleaning won’t remove it: the colour is in the finish and the wood. Sand back to bare wood, restain with a counter-tone such as Chalk and refinish, working to natural breaks such as doorways.
Protect it
Which floor finish should I choose?
| Finish | Look and feel | Best for | Upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Wax Oil | Natural, low sheen; the wood feels like wood. Seven colours | Domestic floors where you want a natural finish that can be repaired in patches | Easy top-up maintenance coats when traffic areas look dry |
| MyLac | Clear protective lacquer in Matt, Satin or Gloss | Living rooms, bedrooms, hallways, and many shops and offices | Clean regularly; recoat when worn |
| MyLac Extra | Two-pack lacquer in Matt or Satin Matt, our toughest finish | Busy domestic and heavy-traffic commercial floors | Clean regularly; recoat when worn |
| Wax | Traditional, warm and tactile | Period floors where regular buffing and rewaxing is part of the charm | Regular buffing and rewaxing with Mylands Wax Polish or Liquid Floor Wax |
Applying and care
Applying a floor finish, and looking after it
-
Plan your exit
Start at the far side of the room and work back towards the door. Stop only at natural breaks, such as doorways or a change in board direction, never halfway along a board.
-
Thin coats
Apply along the length of the boards. Keep the room ventilated and at least 15°C for our lacquers.
-
Lift, never drag
For the first week, and put felt pads on chair and table legs. Each product page gives the coats and drying times.
-
Keep the grit off
Remove grit daily, clean with a barely damp mop and Mylands Floor Cleaner, and put a good mat at each entrance. Top up busy areas before they wear through.
From the Mylands Experts
Clean it first
Martin, our wood finishing specialist, often tells the story of a floor that had come up beautifully with nothing more than a good clean and a fresh coat of wax. Years later, worn traffic areas led the owner to sand it, and despite every effort they could never quite recreate the colour it had before.
His advice to anyone with an old floor: clean it first and look again before you reach for the sander.
Shop
For a wood finish
Questions
Floor questions
What is the most hard-wearing finish for a wooden floor?
Is hard wax oil or lacquer better for a wooden floor?
Why has my oak floor gone orange?
Do I need to sand my floor before refinishing?
How long before I can walk on a newly finished floor?
How do I clean a wooden floor without damaging it?
Can I use Floor Paint on concrete?
Need advice?
Ask our team
Call us on 020 8670 9161, Monday to Friday, or visit our showroom in West Norwood. We make every tin, so we can answer almost anything.