Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer

The Professional Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer

Doing your homework and researching the most durable and most cost effective water based floor lacquers can really benefit you in the long run. A premium quality two pack water based floor lacquer like the incredible Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer will increase your hardwood floors life expectancy by up to 10 years. Cheaper and poorer quality water based floor lacquers are only cheap because the level of acrylic content is low and the base product hasn’t got enough acrylic to make it last. 

• A two pack water based floor lacquer suitable for intense traffic floors
• A non yellowing formula that will not bleach or change colour from UV light
• A specific two pack formula that can be applied over oil and water based stains
• Incredible coverage area, super fast drying times and 100% protection in 2 coats
• It can be applied over all kinds of water based and solvent based floor primers
• It can be used to seal hardwood floors in hotels, schools, pubs, gyms, restaurants
• Recoatable within 4 hours and fully cured within 24 hours | Touch dry within 1 hour
• One of the most natural looking water based floor lacquers available in Ireland

Gloss Levels

One size fits all is not Tover`s policy. The incredible Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer is available in a beautiful and natural looking extra matt finish, a matt finish and highly popular semi gloss finish.

Extra matt gloss level | 5%

Matt gloss level            | 15%

Semi gloss level           | 30%

The extra matt finish is nearly invisible. After 2-3 coats of the sealer, the wood surface looks pretty much unchanged. The extra matt finish should be done in a 3 coats system because the first 2 coats will be absorbed into the wood surface. The matt finish is also pretty dull but it has a very low level of sheen. The matt finish is the ideal finish for those who own pets or small children.

The semi gloss finish will create a nice light glossy finish that really makes the wood fibre visible and rich. The semi gloss finish is the most popular and easiest to maintain finish. While the gloss finish is available, it has to be pre-ordered in advance.

Coverage Area

All branded or unbranded sealers, solvent or water based, have a recommended coverage area. The recommended coverage area is usually informative only and is designed to give the user an idea of what can be achieved if the ideal preparation is respected. For the coverage area to be maximized and the finish to be as smooth as possible, the wood has to be sanded to perfection, with all types of grits, up to about 100 grit as the final sanding before the lacquering.

The new Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer has a recommended coverage area of around 12-14 sq meters per 1L. That is the ideal and is rarely achieved without professional tools and knowledge. For the ideal coverage to be achieved, the following steps have to be respected:

1. Fine Sanding | The surface has to be sanded with all grits sanding paper, starting from 40 grit, then 60 grit, then 80 grit and then finished with 100 grit sanding paper. The lacquer has to be applied, allowed to dry, sanded lightly with 150-180 grit sanding paper to remove the imperfections and rough patches and then the last two coats applied. The surface has to be sanded to perfection to achieve that smooth finish.
2. Type Of Wood | Not all types of wooden floors are the same and not all types of wooden floors have the same absorbency. The pine floors are likely to absorb a lot of lacquer and reduce the coverage area while the maple or the oak floors are likely to absorb very little lacquer and dramatically increase the coverage area. 
3. Primers | A primed wooden floor is likely to really increase the coverage area to its maximum recommended by the manufacturer. The first coat of lacquer will slightly sink inside the wood while the next coats will slightly glaze. A primed floor will not allow deep absorption so the coverage will be much superior than a surface that is not primed.
4. Application | Using a top quality varnishing roller will really increase the coverage area. A short hair varnishing roller will create a perfectly smooth finish and it will not absorb a lot of lacquer. Cheaper varnishing rollers can actually absorb and waste up to 500 ML of water based floor lacquer within its fibre. 
5. The Skill Of The User | A professional floor refinishing company that knows how to apply the lacquer correctly and how to use it, can in some cases achieve up to 20 sq meters per 1L. Years of practice and top quality tools are the secret to a perfectly smooth coat of floor lacquer and relatively 0 waste. 

Where To Use It

Tover sells a wide range of water based floor lacquers that are suitable for a wide range of applications. The new Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer is their premium product and is usually used to seal and protect commercial hardwood floors, intense residential floors and retail floors. The product has an incredible solid content and when applied correctly, it can provide up to 10 years of protection.

Use the new Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer to protect intense traffic floors within the schools, pubs, restaurants, gyms, sport halls, offices, commercial units, art galleries, residential floors with intense traffic, furniture, handles, woodwork, skirting, doors, etc. A multi use water based floor lacquer that can stay unchanged for many years even when exposed to intense daily traffic.

How To Apply It

The trick is in the preparation and the application. Even the most beautiful looking water based floor lacquer will not end up looking good if the surface is not prepared correctly or if the right tools are not used. 

1. Start by vacuuming the floor to remove even the finest grain of dust from the wood surface. The dust could be hiding in the gaps, under the skirting, around all the woodwork, etc. While the fine dust is not really visible while applying the dust, it will settle on the surface and it will create rough patches. So vacuum, vacuum more and then vacuum one more time. Use a small brush to vacuum the narrow corners.
2. Apply your sealers or wood primers in good time to make sure that the coating is fully dry before the first coat of water based floor lacquer is applied. Each brand of floor primer or wood stain has its own recommended drying times, but to be sure, go double on the time. Applying the new Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer over a semi dry base, it will create a number of adherence issues and aesthetical issues. 
3. Use quality varnishing rollers and quality varnishing brushes to make sure that the finish is smooth, even and the product is not wasted. Have a look at Tover`s range of varnishing rollers and brushes. Use a small varnish brush for the small and narrow corners and then use the varnishing rollers for the larger open spaces. Always move along with the fibre of the wood.
4. Mix up the lacquer with the hardener about 10 minutes before the application to make sure that the reaction happens and the lacquer is at its optimum stage. Do not just throw the hardener into the lacquer and that’s that, but instead, pour it slowly while mixing the composition in slow rotating movements. 
5. Apply the lacquer around the edges with the varnishing brush while trying to avoid touching any other surfaces that do not require lacquering. Apply enough lacquer to make sure that the surface looks wet but not soaked. Soak the varnishing roller in the lacquer and then roll it up and down while moving along with the fibre of the wood until the surface looks evenly wet but without puddles. 
6. Allow it to dry for 1-2 hours and only when it feels touch dry, you can walk on the surface. Assess your handy work and check for rough patches or missed patches. Use some fine sanding paper, between 150 to 220 grit, to lightly sand down all the patches that feel dull or rough. Sand down while moving along with the fibre of the wood. Now vacuum well and prepare for the second coat.
7. Remember, the first coat is likely to cover less than the next coat. Mix up enough floor lacquer to enable you to cover the entire surface but do not mix up more than needed because after the initial mixture, the lacquer will start hardening and within 3-5 hours will go full hard and it cannot be used any longer.

Regular Maintenance

Over the past 20 years, the water based floor lacquers have taken over. The old classic solvent based floor lacquers have had their time but nowadays the world is looking into more natural looking finishes, less polluting finishes, responsibly manufactured finishes and non yellowing finishes. The incredible Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer is the most natural, effective, durable, cost effective and reasonably priced water based floor lacquer from the entire Tover range. Used with the right maintenance, the product should look incredible and fully protect the wood surface for 10-12 years. So what is the proper maintenance?

1. No Harsh Chemicals | The main enemy of all water based floor lacquers is the chemical reactions. Most people use one cleaning product for all their floors because the product says “all floors” compatible. That is a major mistake because most universal floor cleaners contain traces of sodium or bleach and over a prolonged period of time it will either soften up the floor lacquer or it will bleach the finish. Use professional floor cleaning products like the incredible Tover Pulito, Chimiver Velurex Star, Junckers Sylva or Bona Wood Floor Cleaner. These products will safely remove the residue without negatively affecting the finish.
2. No Steamers | The steamers are lethal for hardwood or engineered wood floors that were sealed with a water based floor lacquer. Extremely hot water injected right into the gaps of the wood are likely to cause permanent damage, bleach the sealer, crack the sealer and over a relatively short period of time, transform a beautiful looking wooden floor into a water damaged wooden surface.
3. Mats And Rugs | Many people wash their beloved hardwood floor and then, before the surface dries out, will just throw the old mat over it. The humid floor will be covered with a rubber backed rug and that humidity will just stay there for a long period of time without getting the opportunity to fully dry. A darker or lighter patch will develop over time and the floor is basically ruined. No mats on newly refinished or sealed hardwood floors.
4. Scrubbing Dirty Areas I Some people use steel scourers or catering scourers to lightly scrub the floors. By doing so, the chances of creating brighter patches and damaging the sealer are increased dramatically. 

Above, we have listed some of the wrong things that people do to their floors to end up wrecking the finish. Below, we will explain in a few words how to apply the right care and the right maintenance to extend the life expectancy of your hardwood floors and to keep the incredible Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer in great shape for years. 

Use A Flat Mop

The classic cotton mop is likely to release too much water at once and some of that water will just end up leaking down the floor through the gaps. Use a flat mop head that will not soak the floor and will extract the dirt residue.

Use A Neutral PH Floor Cleaner

If you are cleaning your floors on a daily basis, then you do not need to use a highly aggressive floor cleaner. A neutral PH floor cleaner, like the ones listed above, will safely remove light dirt, slightly deodorise and protect the sheen of the floor.

Use A Refresher

If some areas are getting more traffic than others, you can use a refresher to increase the protection on those intensely used areas and prevent uneven wear. There are a number of very easy to use refreshers from Tover, Chimiver and Bona that will add years of extra durability to your floors.

Your floor was just sealed with the incredible Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer. This sealer was made for intense traffic and it will maintain the natural look of your floors. If you are using the services of a professional floor sanding company to refurbish your old floors, you should ask them to use the new Tover Maxima Floor Lacquer instead of a cheap, artificial looking floor lacquer.