Bona Craft Oil 2k

Protect Your Wood Floor With Bona Craft Oil 2k

Oiling wood floors gives them a luxurious, protective finish. That rich look and feel adds to the ambience of the space, and it’s easily repairable whenever there are damages made. This approach to finishing wood floors is particularly good for the structure, since it nourishes the tissue by actually penetrating into the wood and hardening, as opposed to conventional lacquers that work by leaving a coat over the floor. Why is there a huge emphasis on adding to the protection of the wood floor? This is due to the numerous threats it faces, including:

• Moisture imbalance

The hygroscopic properties of wood causes it to lose or gain moisture depending on the moisture gradient with the surrounding. While the cyclic expansion and contraction with the changing seasons are expected, issues like spills and steep humidity changes can result in damaged wood floors. Risks of water damage are the main reason why you will see every contractor dealing with them warning against mopping the floors with excess water. When loads of moisture are absorbed into the wood, it can lead to cupping, crowning, or even buckling, though the latter is typically associated with extreme cases like flooding incidents on the floor. Finishes like the Bona Craft Oil 2k come in to increase the resistance of the wood to moisture and prevent imbalances in its structure that would otherwise put the structural integrity of the installation at risk. 

• Foot traffic

Floors bear the brunt of all that foot traffic in the premises. Sure, you can’t exactly prevent people from using the hardwood floor. In fact, one of the reasons why people opt for wood installation is their enhanced durability that enables them to stand up to high levels of traffic. However, this does not mean that the structure is invincible. The friction generated as people walk on the floors causes the surface to wear down gradually. Simply compare the frequently walked on areas of the floor to other sections such as under the tables. Traffic lanes will have developed – which are sections that have faded in appearance compared to the rest of the floor. 

For those premises where people walk in with their shoes, there is the issue of the dirt brought into the establishment from the outdoors. These gritty particles are grinded against the surface of the floor, and the effect is similar to abrading the surface with lots of tiny bits of sandpaper. This gradually weakens the floor – and unless proper maintenance measures are implemented to reduce the rate at which it happens, will reduce the lifespan of the installation, thus the need for formulations such as the Bona Craft Oil 2k under review. 

The kind of footwear also matters. Some are particularly notorious for their effects on wood floors- such as high heeled shoes. These exert loads of pressure on the surface, where the wearer’s body weight is placed on a tiny surface area, which magnifies its effect. 

• Pet claws

Are there any cats or dogs in the premises? Pet owners can attest to the impact that their furry friends have on wood floors. All that running around with their claws drawn out causes there to be cracks left behind on the surface. Sometimes the pet even intentionally scrapes up the surface. Simply inspect the sections under tables, near corners and where your pet likes resting. Here, a combination of measures is needed to protect the wood floor – from applying the finish to regularly taking your pet to the groomers to have the claws trimmed. 

• Furniture

This is especially for cases where one does not use furniture pads. The heavy sets of furniture like the household’s favourite sofa, to those that are frequently moved like the dining chairs, can easily create marks on the floor. Even that multi-seater unit or loveseat that appears stationary has tiny movements over the course of its usage, which can dig up the floor underneath. Mistakes like dragging the furniture across the floor instead of carrying it will also ruin the installation. Getting protective pads and fixing them to the bottom of the units is key to protect your floor.

• Toys

With the little ones playing their games, there will be some risk to the wood floor especially with regards to the kids of toys. Those toy cars that they are racing around with, to the train tracks set up on the floor, can create scratches, which contribute to ruining the appearance of the wood floor. 

• Spills

That mug that accidentally gets knocked over while you lounge back on the sofa, beer that spills during game time or house parties, that wine that sloshes off its glass during dinner and winds up on the floor, nail polish accidents, and even ink blots – if these are allowed to penetrate deep into the wood floor, it will result in unsightly scratches that will be difficult to clean. The longer that the spills are allowed to dwell, the higher the risk involved. The saturating effect of Bona Craft Oil 2k comes in handy to prevent the spells from soaking into the wood – which contributes to preventing stains from forming on the floor. Let’s delve deeper into the value that this particular formulation brings to your wood floor. 

Benefits Of The Bona Craft Oil 2k

• Tough finish

Based on modified plant-based oil, Bona Craft Oil 2K is a high-performance formulation that brings increased wear resistance to the floor. One coat of the product is actually enough to provide the protection in moderate to high traffic environments. The water and stain resistance, coupled with the chemical resistance that you get when you treat your floor with this formulation, preserves the structural integrity of the installations.

The Bona Craft Oil 2k delivers enhanced protection on its own and is ideal for areas that are exposed to moderate and high levels of wear. However, for commercial areas with particularly heavy levels of traffic, it can be overcoated with a lacquer from the Bona Traffic line, such as applying one coat of the oil followed by two coats of Traffic HD lacquer. 

For the moderate and high wear areas, you can also choose to mix things up by applying 1 coat of Bona Tone, 1 coat of the Bona Craft Oil 2k, followed by 2 coats of Bona Hardwax Oil. We’ll cover more on these alternative methods shortly. 

• Enhance the beauty of your floor

One of the primary reasons that people get wood floors is the characteristic natural charm. This ranges from the hue of the particular wood species, to its grain pattern and swirl marks. No two floors are exactly ever the same, and you can get the installation that meets your particular décor preferences. Treatment options including the Bona Craft Oil 2k enable you to further customise this.

The natural appeal of the wood floor gets accentuated by the Bona Craft Oil 2k. It delivers the aesthetic of an oiled floor, while ensuring you get the desired protection from everyday wear and tear. Bona Craft Oil 2k is available in different colours, from Frost and Ash, to Umbra, Sand, and Invisible & Light Grey. There is also the Neutral formulation, that way you get to work with the particular tone that meets your needs. Moreover, you can use the lacquer with Bona Tones and Bona Mix Colours for further optimisation to your specific needs. You can also overcoat it with lacquers from the Bona Traffic line, including Bona Traffic HD and Traffic Natural. This will be based on the variations on gloss levels that you desire, as well as the level of protection that is needed. 

• Versatile formulation

The Bona Craft Oil 2k can be used on most wood species, enabling you to bring the protection to your installation. This also includes troublesome species like cherry, smoked oak, walnut and steamed beech. With the different colours that the formulation is available in, you get to set the ambiance that will meet your decor preferences. 

• Safe product

A key component when selecting between the different kinds of floor care products that are available in the market is looking at their impact on the indoor air quality. One of the complaints when dealing with the conventional solvent-based agents is the copious amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are released into the air space. These come with different risks to the persons in the establishment – which are worsened by the length of time that the particulate matter remains in the airspace. While your goal is to enhance the beauty and strength of the wood floor, you don’t want to jeopardise the health of your family members at home, or the customers and staff in your workplace. You want a floor treatment that won’t end up putting the persons on the premises at risk. This is one of the reasons why alternative floor care products like the Bona Craft Oil 2k are increasing in popularity. 

The Bona Craft Oil 2k formulation has been developed with a key emphasis on sustainability and safety. From its raw material – the modified plant-based oil, to the low VOC content, as well as adherence to EN 71-3 standards that enable it to be used for sensitive applications like children’s toys, you can rest assured that you’re dealing with a safe formulation. The product is also free from agents like Cobalt and Ketoxime. This makes the Bona Craft Oil 2k suitable for situations such as hospitals and day-care centres. 

• Trusted brand

While going through the different kinds of floor care products that are out there, the brand will be a critical factor that you should weigh before making the purchase decision. There are numerous companies out there providing floor care products, and each claims to be the bet – but which ones have the track record to prove it? Here, you want to deal with products from a firm that has made a good reputation for itself, with feedback from its customers on the reliability of its products. Going through the history of the firm, as well as the reviews and testimonials that are left behind by persons who have actually used their products will be a pointer to the level of quality that you can expect. Let’s go over what Bona Craft Oil 2k brings on board in this regard. 

Coming to you from Bona, you’re getting a product from a brand that has a solid track record that spans over the course of a century. The company was launched by Wilhelm Edner in 1919, and has grown to become an industry leader trusted by home and business owners, professional contractors tasked with projects ranging from floor installation and renovation, maintenance crews all through to cleaning companies. The heavy investments that the company makes has seen it deliver products that have changed industry norms since their inception. For instance, it introduced waterborne finishes into the industry in the 1970s, which were a safer alternative to the solvent-based formulations that are predominant at the time. In fact, Bona was the first company to have an entire line of water-based lacquers certified for indoor air quality. These formulations provide the required protection without the risks involved with the solvent-based agents. 

Bona was also among the pioneering firms to push for the usage of dust containment systems during floor sanding. These sets of equipment pick up the coarse and fine sanding dust particles that are generated during the floor renovation tasks, preventing them from circulating into the indoor air space. Bona’s emphasis on the need for protecting the indoor air space is also seen with the development of products that release very minimal VOC content – such as the Bona Craft Oil 2K under review that clocks 19g/litre, including when mixed with the hardener. The push for sustainable practices is also seen with the adoption of renewable raw materials for the floor care solutions that are manufactured. This was first seen with the Bona Mega formulation that was released in 1995, where it is based on vegetable oils which still deliver required performance due to the cross-linking that occurs once the lacquer is spread out onto the floor. 

What’s the state of the company now? It boasts a strong workforce of over 600 employees, and the brand has established a presence in 90 countries spread out across the different continents. While its headquarters are in Malmö, Sweden, its subsidiaries are all over the globe, from Austria, Belgium and Brazil, to Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, the US, China and Singapore. It remains a family-owned business, now being run by the fourth generation of Edner’s family, and the heavy demand for its products saw it rake in 3.1 billion SEK revenue from the sale of its products in 2020. As such, by using the Bona Craft Oil 2K you can rest assured that you’re getting value for your money.

How To Use The Bona Craft Oil 2k

Let’s break this down into the different stages of the treatment process, with the various measures that need to be observed for you to get optimal results. 

• Floor preparation

First is getting the floor ready. It needs to have acclimated to the environment – basically getting stability with the surrounding temperature and humidity conditions. This is to prevent wild swings due to changes in moisture levels within the wood structure – and is particularly important for new wood floor installations. 

The Bona Craft Oil 2k lacquer treatment needs to be applied to the bare wood itself. This means that any existing finishes should be sanded off. Old lacquers and wood stains, wax and other kinds of substances on the floor should be removed, and the surface dusted. 

For the sanding you can use the Bona Brushing System, where you work with a Bona FlexiSand 1.9 that’s equipped with Bona PowerDrive NEB, which comes with Metal and Tynex Brushes. Start with the coarse and medium grit sanding, followed by brushing the surface using the Metal &Tynex Brush on the Power Drive, followed by fine sanding with grit 120 Bona Diamond abrasives. After this, the floor will be ready to receive the lacquer. For the edges, follow the same sanding sequence, but use a Metal & Nylon brush for the sanding. 

• Preparing the treatment

The temperature and humidity conditions will affect the drying process (high temperature and low humidity leads to fast drying; low temperature and high humidity causes slow drying). Definitely, conditions vary from one premises to the next. Ideal conditions for optimal results are applying the Bona Craft Oil 2k when the temperatures are between 20-25°C and the relative humidity is in the 30-50% range. The minimum temperature for application is 16°C. Allow the formulation to reach room temperature before you use it. 

The product comes in two parts: 1125 ml oil and 125 ml hardener. They need to be mixed before application. The total amount of product needed for the facility will depend on the size of the floor area, but a 10% mixing ratio is used, i.e., 9 parts oil with 1 part hardener. Mix them thoroughly. 

Note that the Bona Craft Oil 2k mixture cannot be rehardened. Use this oil/hardener mixture within 6-8 hours after it has been prepared.

• Application

The recommended tools for the application are a short-haired roller, stainless steel trowel or Bona Oil Squeegee. Some buffing will be required, and for this use a unit with a red or beige pad.

In case the floor being worked on has numerous or large gaps, then the oil+hardener mixture can be prepared in a tray, then applied from it using a roller.

Use these steps for the application:

1. Spread a thin coat of the Bona Craft Oil 2k mixture onto the floor. 

2. Give the wood floor 15-30 minutes for it to absorb the oil, then use the buffing machine to buff out the surface. 

3. Apply another coat, using more oil if needed. The goal is to saturate the wood floor, and you should pay particular attention to the sections that are highly absorbent. 

4. Give the floor an extra 15-30 minutes for the oil to be absorbed. 

5. Fit the buffing machine with cotton cloths and run it over the floor to remove the surplus oil.

6. Buff the floor, this time using a Wool Pad.

In case you’re after a more intense colouration, you can go the water popping route. Here, the floor is water popped before the Bona Craft Oil 2k treatment is applied. This basically entails applying a thin layer of water on the floor, be it with a short-haired roller or even a sponge. The surface is then allowed to dry overnight, then the normal treatment steps above are taken.

• Drying

With the fast-drying nature of this formulation, light traffic can be allowed onto the treated area 8 hours after the final coat has been applied. Furniture can be restored after 12-24 hours. 

Ensure that the room has adequate ventilation for the drying to carry on well. Wait for at least 1 or 2 days before carrying out any wet cleaning, and 1 week before placing carpets or other kinds of floor coverings on the surface.

Alternative Applications

• Overcoating with any of the Bona Traffic lacquers

This is usually for the areas where the wood floor is exposed to heavy wear, to increase the level of protection, and reduce the frequency with which the floor maintenance is carried out. The surface treated with the Bona Craft Oil 2k is overcoated with two more layers of the preferred lacquer from the Bona Traffic line. This overcoating is also recommended for cases when working on coloured surfaces – though remember that the Bona Craft Oil 2k is only overcoated when it is used as it is, and not being mixed with Mixcolour formulation or the Bona Tones. 

Follow these steps for the application:

1. Spread one coat of the Mixcolour or the Bona Craft Oil 2k using the standard procedure above, right to using cloths to remove the surplus material. In case you’re dealing with a porous wood floor or highly absorbent species, then a second coat can be applied, and afterwards the surplus material removed. 

2. Allow the 8 hours drying time (12 hours if you’re using a coloured variation of the Bona Craft Oil 2k). 

Ensure that the surface is dry before proceeding. It can take longer when temperatures are lower, and when you’re treating tropical wood species. To confirm the state of the floor, run a section of the surface using a paper or cotton cloth. If the cloth gets pigments, then the surface hadn’t dried yet. 

3. Vacuum the floor to remove any particles that are on the surface. 

4. Prepare the Bona Traffic or Traffic HD formulation that will be used by mixing it with hardener. 

5. Spread two coats of the Traffic/Traffic HD lacquer onto the floor. Remember to lightly abrade the surface in between the coats, as this is key for removing the grain raise – you can work with a Bona Scrad Pad for this. 

• Overcoating with Hardwax Oil

In this case, also start with applying one coat of the Bona Craft Oil 2k and allowing it to dry. Once done, vacuum the floor, and add the next two coats of the Bona Hardwax Oil. For the intermediate sanding in between these coats, use a grit 150 abrasive or finer with the Bona Scrad System. 

• Cleaning & Maintenance

For the routine cleaning, vacuuming will be required to remove those dust particles that settle on the surface, coupled with damp mopping using Bona Oil Soap that’s mixed with the cleaning water. The vegetable oil-based detergent is used for frequent cleaning tasks for the oiled floors, while leaving behind a thin film that you can buff to increase the shine of the floor. 

Follow these steps:

1. Start by vacuuming or sweeping the floor. This is to remove the loose dirt and grit particles from the surface. 

2. Shake the Bona Oil Soap well in its container. 

3. Dilute the soap in water, where 100ml of product is mixed with 5L of water. 

4. Clean the floor surface, working along the grain. You can use a Bona floor mop or a well-wring out cloth that’s preferably lint-free. For very soiled floors, working with a buffing machine onto which a green pad has been fixed can yield faster results. Just remember that you should not soak the floor. For instance, with the mop wring it out until it is just damp before proceeding to work on the area. 

5. Allow the floor to dry. 

• If you want a glossier result, dry buff the surface. For instance, you can use a buffing machine set at 300 revs/minute that has a red or white pad

When the surface becomes dull and loses its lustre due to the years of use, you can refresh it without having to sand through to the bare wood. To touch up the surface and restore that fresh new look, use Bona Oil Care. This will be determined by the level of traffic handled by the premises. For instance, in domestic environments, this process can be carried out once every three years. The Bona Oil Care will nourish the oiled floor, while enabling you to remove the dirt, leaving the floor clean and refreshed. You can use it for manual mopping or machine cleaning. It’s a fast-drying maintenance oil, that ensures enhanced penetration ability, replenishing the wood tissue and restoring that charm of the floor treated with Bona Craft Oil 2K.

Before you go ahead and use the Bona Oil C