If you’re looking for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic products for your wood floors, consider a natural Hemp Oil wood finish from the Real Milk Paint Co. A safe, sustainable option for homes with kids and pets, it conditions and protects wood floors while enhancing their natural beauty, helping you avoid harsh chemicals in your living space. Let’s look at how hemp oil for wood floors proves beneficial and compare it to other finishes you might be considering.
What Is Hemp Oil?
Hemp Oil by the Real Milk Paint Co. derives from the seeds of industrial hemp plants, creating a THC-free, hypoallergenic finish for wood grain. Featuring only naturally occurring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and a thin viscosity that helps it better penetrate your wood surface, our natural Hemp Oil works equally well on raw wood and on surfaces covered with chalk paint and Real Milk Paint.
Why Consider Hemp Oil for Wood Floors?
Using hemp oil on wood floors creates a wonderful finish that stands the test of time. Aside from durability, natural hemp oil brings out the natural beauty of your wood surface and offers an environmentally friendly way to protect your flooring.
Characteristics of Hemp Oil on Wood
Natural and Nontoxic Properties
Our food-safe hemp oil wood finish has a nontoxic formulation that makes it ideal for homes with kids and pets. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it a safe choice for those allergies or sensitivities.
Penetrative Qualities
When you apply our Hemp Oil to wood, it penetrates deeply to condition the wood surface from within, preventing drying and cracking. The thin viscosity means you don’t need to add solvent to achieve deep penetration on porous surfaces.
Matte Finish
When hemp oil is applied to flooring, the low-sheen matte finish lets the natural beauty of wood grain shine, reviving the look of old wood.
Compatibility With Different Wood Types
A Hemp Oil finish works well for various hardwood and softwood flooring, including raw wood and reclaimed wood. It penetrates deeply into bare wood and surfaces painted with chalk paint and our Real Milk Paint.
Benefits of Using Hemp Oil on Wood Floors
Eco-Friendly Choice
A hemp oil wood finish, made from renewable industrial hemp plants, is an eco-friendly, biodegradable way to maintain floors.
Durability and Protection
A Hemp Oil finish helps prevent wood floors from drying out and cracking, boosting their durability and improving their resistance to water.
Aesthetic Appeal
Hemp Oil on wood flooring enhances the warmth of the surface for a beautiful finish in any room. It also boosts the beauty of the natural wood grain for improved aesthetic appeal.
Ease of Application
Applying a Hemp Oil finish is fast and easy, requiring no special tools or techniques. The thin viscosity means you don’t need to add a solvent to thin it out before application for extra eco-friendliness.
How to Apply Hemp Oil to Wood Floors
Preparation
Start by cleaning your floor. For deeper penetration, you can sand the surface first and then clean up the dust before using hemp oil on wooden floors.
Application Steps
To apply a Hemp Oil finish, you only need a lint-free cloth or paintbrush. Apply the oil in thin coats, allowing at least 40 minutes between each one for ample penetration. When it stops penetrating the wood, wipe away the excess oil and let the surface cure appropriately before use.
Curing Process
Wait 7 to 10 days before walking on the surface or moving furniture back into the space to ensure your hemp oil finish has completely dried. Keep in mind that it takes 30 days for oil-based finishes to properly cure, and plan your project accordingly.
Optional Topcoat Suggestions
Enhance the protective properties of your Hemp Oil finish by adding a topcoat such as our Wood Wax. This wax has environmentally friendly properties, such as being food-safe and having no VOCs, to complement the sustainable formulation of Hemp Oil.
Maintaining Hemp-Oiled Wood Floors
Regular Cleaning Tips
When cleaning wood floors with Hemp Oil-based finishes, opt for gentle cleansers. Abrasive options may damage the finish, so avoid them to keep your floors looking their best.
Periodic Reapplication
When you see signs of dullness or dryness, your Hemp Oil finish may need a fresh coat. Finishes in high-traffic areas typically hold their own for 6 to 12 months, so look for signs they need maintenance as that timeframe approaches.
Dealing With Stains and Scratches
When you notice small stains or scratches in your finish, you can repair them by cleaning and sanding the area and then reapplying Hemp Oil. For the best results, use the preparation, application and curing steps above.
Potential Limitations
Hemp Oil finishes have many benefits, but they aren’t without their drawbacks. Consider these potential limitations before deciding on how to finish your wood floor.
Limited Surface Protection
Hemp Oil finishes may not withstand heavy foot traffic as well as other options. Frequent maintenance may be required to keep floors with lots of use looking their best.
Curing Time
Compared to synthetic finishes, Hemp Oil takes longer to cure. Curing times of up to 30 days may mean you can’t use your floor or move furniture back onto it without risks of clouding the finish during that timeframe.
Requires Regular Reapplication
High-traffic areas of your home typically require regular reapplication. This means you have to go through the curing process all over again, which may leave you without the use of entire rooms for up to a month while they complete drying.
Comparison With Other Wood Finishes
Hemp Oil vs. Tung Oil
Pure Tung Oil offers a harder finish but takes more effort to apply and typically requires mixing with a solvent to achieve deep penetration. Products like Half and Half provide premixed Tung Oil and Citrus Solvent options, but Hemp Oil still provides a softer matte finish that beautifies wood.
Hemp Oil vs. Polyurethane
Synthetic finishes like polyurethane are tough, but they aren’t environmentally friendly. Harsh chemicals and VOCs in these formulations mean you need adequate ventilation for application, and they typically aren’t food-safe or as sustainable as natural Hemp Oil. In addition, polyurethane is not flexible. This means as your wood floors expand and contract due to environmental changes, a polyurethane finish will crack and chip, unlike when you use an oil-based finish.
Suitability for Indoor vs. Outdoor Use
Hemp Oil excels indoors, but it doesn’t provide the weather resistance necessary for outdoor use. Instead, opt for oil-based finishes like Outdoor Defense Oil to protect outdoor wood flooring on porches, patios and decks.
Use Real Milk Paint Hemp Oil For Wooden Floor Finish
Hemp Oil is hard to beat when you want a top-notch finish for your indoor flooring, especially in lower-traffic spaces. This all-natural finish works great on bare wood, reclaimed wood and surfaces painted with chalk and milk paints, making it an excellent choice for various home flooring. Its eco-friendliness and sustainability make Hemp Oil an excellent way for homeowners to go green with floor care and maintenance. Still, high-traffic areas may need a tougher finish, such as Tung Oil, to live up to their potential. Learn more about the all-natural oil finishes offered by the Real Milk Paint Co. to make the best choice for your home’s floors.
