Advantages and Disadvantages of Wax Floor Finishes

Real wood flooring is one of the most popular choices among homeowners for many decades already. Wood flooring itself comes with a long list of benefits and advantages. One of the main reasons why so many people opt for real wood is because of the great variety of such floors available. Colours, textures, patterns, size of the floorboards, and so much more, it is easy to find and own a wooden floor that is tailored to your exact taste and requirements, to your precise specifications, no matter how creatively or classically you want to approach the purchase of a floor and its installation in your home. One of the main reasons why wood floors are so diverse and versatile is the fact they can be finished with a number of different products.

While the main function of a wood floor finish is to ensure lasting and hard-wearing protection for your floor, there is no doubt that wood floor finishes also affect the way your floor looks, completely changing its natural appearance or delicately enhancing its natural beauty, texture, and colour. Wax finishes are a classic option when it comes to real wood flooring. Popular and widely used for many decades, wax finishes can give your floor a very classic and traditional feel, a lot of elegance and sophisticated style. Some people opt for wax finishes, others don't like them so much. Let's find out more about all advantages and disadvantages associated with wax finishes.

Advantages of Wax Floor Finishes

Protection

One of the main functions of a wood floor finish is adding additional hard-wearing protection that prevents the wooden floor from wear and tear and other issues and imperfections. No matter if it comes to a commercial or a domestic setting, real wood floors should be finished and the finish should be kept intact and regularly maintained if you want to enjoy a strong and beautiful floor for many decades. Wax finishes are among the most long-lasting and hard-wearing ones, ensuring great protection for your wooden floor and preventing scratches and general wear and tear even the busy areas of high traffic in your home or in commercial premises.

Additionally, besides being a very durable type of finish, the wax is also a moisture-resistant one, which is a very essential addition, especially considering how prone real wood floors are to moisture and humidity damage. Therefore, it is recommended to have your kitchen floors at home, or restaurant flooring, when it comes to the commercial sector, finished with wax, because it will protect the bare wood from spills and splashes and all the damage these can cause. Wax finishes are penetrative ones, which means they penetrate into wood's porous structure and add extra protection from within while preserving the colour and texture of the floor.

Appearance

Wax finishes are often used for enhancing the natural beauty of real wood flooring. The glossy and elegant finish wax ensures can make every floor looks brand-new and very fresh. Wax finishes also enhance the natural pigmentation and colour of wood, intensifying it and enhancing the unique undertones it has. Make sure to regularly maintain the wax finish and you will enjoy a floor that looks like it has been just installed the other day for many, many years.

Eco-friendly Option

If you want to go as environmentally friendly with your wood floor finish choice as possible, we have some good news for you - finish is as natural and eco-friendly as you can go. While the rest of the floor finishes contain different chemicals that can trigger allergies and other conditions in your family, the wax is entirely natural and, therefore, very eco-friendly, and absolutely safe for the whole family, young children and pets included. Be aware that wax finishes still emit an odour, however, it is not long-lasting and the smell is natural.

Easy Application

One of the best advantages of wax floor finishes is how easy they are for application. In addition, wax finishes dry relatively quickly, especially when compared to other types of finishes, which means you will be able to use the room pretty soon. This is very important mainly for commercial projects when minimal disruption to the working process is highly preferred. Thanks to the fact that wax finishes do not become tacky while drying, applications are easier and correcting some mistakes during the application process is possible without stripping off the whole finish and staring all over again.

Disadvantages of Wax Floor Finishes

Difficult to Strip Off

It is easy to see why so many people opt for wax floor finishes, they come with so many advantages. However, there is also a considerable amount of disadvantages, one of the main ones being the fact that the wax finish is pretty painful and difficult to remove from the surface of the floor. The process of stripping off the finish is not that easy when it comes the time for refinishing the floor.

Not As Durable As Polyurethane

Well, wax finishes are still a very durable and hard-wearing option. However, if you want to go the extra mile and ensure the very impressive durability of the finish, you better go with polyurethane and leave the wax finish for the calmer and not that busy domestic setting.

Not Suitable For Every Floor

Unfortunately, wax finishes cannot be applied on top of every wooden floor. Generally, wax finishes are a very good option for unfinished real wood floors. Wax is even used for finishing concrete. However, wax cannot be used with some flooring materials such as vinyl flooring, no-wax flooring, etc. Still, you can use a wax finish for your linoleum, cork, or bamboo flooring.