Caring For Your Wood Floor With The Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Lacquer

With all that money you pumped into the wood floor installation – from picking the right species to dealing with the contractors to ensure that the setup goes smoothly, you want to ensure that the installation is protected. Wood by itself is a highly durable material – in fact so strong that it is one of the most popular flooring options for high traffic environments. However, this does not mean that it can be neglected and left to weather the abrasive effects that it is exposed to. Take the dirt and grit that end up on it for instance. This ranges from the dust particles that slowly settle on the floor, to the soil that is tracked onto the building under people’s shoes. As these particles accumulate, they become a direct threat to the floor. People walking on the surface grind the particles against the wood, slowly wearing it down. Add this to the friction between the soles of the shoes and the floor surface – which even affects floors that are squeaky clean. The effect of the wear is most visible on those sections of the floor that are frequently walked on, where traffic lanes develop. These sections have a faded appearance compared to the rest of the adjacent floor. Even the kind of footwear people use matters. Some like high heels and soccer cleats have been well recognised as being threats to wood floors, causing dents on the surface. Such abrasive effects are not the only reason why treatments like the Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Lacquer are vital.

What about the routine cleaning? First of all, water is one of the main enemies of wood floors. The moisture gradient between the wood and its environment determines how much of the water is absorbed, so it’s in your best interest to increase the resistance to more absorption into the installation. Next is the cleaning agents used. All that scrubbing action with the detergents and cleaning tools will over time wear down the surface. There’s no way around it since the floor will need to be regularly cleaned. Sure, the right kind of cleaning agent will enable you to get the task done with as minimal effect to the floor as possible.

The sunlight bathing the different rooms also affects the wood floor, causing it to fade or darken depending on the particular wood species involved. Pets zipping across the house with their sharp claws all drawn out will dig into the surface, creating scratches. If you look at the floor area around that sofa set that everyone in the house uses, you’ll notice that there are scratches caused by the weight and minuscule movements of the furniture sets. There are lots of issues affecting the floor – so what measures have been put in place to ward off their effects? Finishes like the Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Lacquer are needed to provide a protective barrier and keep the installation from deteriorating. Just what exactly can you expect from this formulation? Let’s delve into this, and how to approach the application to get the most usage out of the lacquer treatment.

Benefits Of The Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Single Component Floor Lacquer

Protect your wood floor

Looking for a product that will enable your floor to withstand high traffic levels, resisting the wear that would have resulted? You get that with the Chimiver Ecostar Single Component Floor Lacquer., This polyurethane finish provides enhanced resistance to the everyday day cases of floor wear and tear, including impacts and rubber heels. Treating your floor with the lacquer enables it to retain its structural integrity for longer.

Enhance the colour of the wood

One of the core reasons of applying a floor lacquer is the aesthetics. Here, you want to work with a formulation that adds to the appeal of the installation – whether it is making the wood’s natural colours and patterns more pronounced, or altering the look to be in line with the rest of the decor. For the Chimiver Ecostar Single Component Floor Lacquer in particular, it intensifies the look of the wood floor. It delivers the look you would get from a solvent-based finish, despite being a water-based lacquer itself. That enables you to get the aesthetic benefits of the former, without the associated health risks that come with solvent-based products.

What level of gloss do you desire? From matt to high-gloss effects, this will directly impact the ambience. Here it’s mostly about personal preference. The highly the gloss level, the more the shiny appearance, and these make the underlying colours rich and vibrant. It brings a bold effect to the room. The space ends up appearing bigger. For the matt, the goal is to have a more subtle, neutral finish. Sunlight landing on these surfaces is diffused, and the natural stone colour will be smoother. This subsequently means that imperfections like scratches will be less visible to the naked eye. You can get the Chimiver Ecostar Single Component Floor Lacquer in 3 variations: SemiGloss, Satin and Matt. This allows you to achieve the desired gloss level. Note that if you apply the Matt finish in a thin layer and rub it, it will get glossy.

In addition to the formulation’s options, since it can be combined with Carver’s water-based seals or even a two-component, solvent-based sealer, you get more options in the final result that will be obtained after treating the floor. That way the final result can be in line with your particular style and decor preferences.

Safe application

A major reason behind the shift from solvent-based treatments to water-based formulations is the impact on the indoor air quality. Solvent-based products have high quantities of VOCs that are released into the air, and fumes that are generated immediately after the application can take days to dissipate. You don’t have to worry about that with water-based lacquers like the Chimiver Ecostar Single Component Floor Lacquer under review here. This makes the application safe for the occupants of the building. The product is free from N-Ethylpyrrolidone and N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone as well.

Value for money

Building maintenance can be a costly endeavour, which is why prudent decisions need to be made – from the regular cleaning to the routine renovation, to take action that will protect the floor while reducing the strain on your budget. With the Chimiver Ecostar Single Component Floor Lacquer, you get more bang for your buck. This starts right at the onset, with the pocket-friendly pricing on the product. Next, it has a wide coverage rate. Each litre on average gets to be used on 10-12m² of floor area. Add this to the benefits that come with the high wear resistance, since it prolongs the period in between consecutive floor sanding and refinishing tasks. This reduces the costs that go into the floor maintenance process, bringing you more savings in the long run. Increasing the lifespan of your wood floor gives you more usage of the installation – and the savings made here can be channelled to other aspects of suspects caring for the building.

A Brand You Can Count On

When going for floor treatments, a key consideration is the brand itself. The market is flooded with numerous water-based and oil-based treatments from different companies. Dealing with products from reputable firms will go a long way in giving you more value, especially since floor care is a heavy investment. When looking at the different companies and their products, aspects such as how long the company has been in the industry are important, since it is a pointer to their capacity and quality consistency. Given how competitive the industry is, a company needs to be reliable to be able to survive and thrive in this environment. Going over their product reviews, whether it’s on social media business directory listings, or online stores retailing the products, will enable you to gauge the performance of the products. So who is behind the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer?

Craver – the brand – is owned by Banchon Group, that has a solid track record in wood floor care. Being in operation for more than 6 decades, having a presence in 55 countries around the world, and a dedicated team of over 500 employees, the company has grown to become an industry power-house, providing products that are used by both home and business owners. Professional contractors, parqueters, repair crew – they all work with the different formulations of the brand to meet their particular needs. Heavy investments into R&D, coupled with optimised production cycles and distribution systems have enabled the company to deliver quality products at affordable rates.

The success of the floor treatment product is also tied to how it is used. This includes everything from the surface care to the solutions and products it is mixed with, to the sanding and drying processes. Let’s go into how you get quality results from the lacquer.

How To Use The Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer

Let’s break this down into stages:

Preparing the floor

Start by sanding the floor and giving it a thorough clean. Any wax, oil or other kind of finish that is on the surface will interfere with the functionality of the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer. Sand through to the bare wood, and smoothen the surface. Note that your goal is not to end up with an ultra-smooth surface here. The final sanding can be done with a grit of 100-120. Vacuum away the sanding dust that has been generated.

Imperfections such as gaps on the floor should be dealt with during this stage. Here, a filler product is used, mixing it with the sanding dust and placed in the gaps.

With the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer strongly deepening the colouration so the wood, you want to be careful not to oversand the surface. This also applies to the light sanding that is to be applied after the first coat has been spread on the floor. This is to help ensure that you end up with a uniform tone.

Note: The wood floor being treated should have been allowed to acclimate to the end-use environment. This is in particular for the new installations, since you don’t want massive fluctuations during the seasonal temperature changes. Speaking of which, the optimal application conditions are between 15°C and 35°C for the temperature, and 35% to 75% for the relative humidity.

The treatment process

Follow these steps:

Shake the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer in its canister. This dissolves the sediment that could have formed at the bottom of the bottle. Give it around 10 to 15 minutes for the foam formed as you were shaking the product to dissolve as well.
Apply the formulation generously on the surface. This coat should be evenly distributed over the floor. It’s recommended to use a MONACO or POSEIDONE roller for the application. While the popular tools for this are rollers, you can also take the spray application route using a curtain coater.
Allow the coat to dry, lightly sanding the surface before adding the next coat. This is the general rule. Due to the different ways of using the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer, in combination with other formulations from primers to sealers, the particulars will change depending on the kind of combination used. We’ll cover more on this shortly.

Drying times that should be observed include:

A maximum wait time of 24 hours in between two consecutive coats, if the recoating is being carried out without the surface being sanded.
A maximum of 5 days wait time if there will be sanding before the recoating. If this interval is exceeded, then the floor still needs to be sanded and then washed with the IDROCLEANER formulation to which 5% of the brand’s DILUENTE GRIP has been added.

Are you working on a particularly hot day? You can delay the particular drying by topping up 5-10% water to the treatment. Alternatively, add 2% of the DILUENTE GRIP. However, it is generally recommended to avoid treating the floor during the hot hours of the day.

You can open up the floor to light foot traffic in 24 hours after the final coats have been applied. The finish will have completely cured and achieved the optimal mechanical resistance within 10-12 days.

Note that the floor should always be vacuumed thoroughly after any round of sanding. This is because you don’t want those sanding dust particles getting trapped under the wet coats of lacquer that are to be applied.

Flexibility of the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer

The final result you get using this lacquer will be determined by the combination you use – whether you work with the lacquer alone, or with accompanying primers or sealers. Different treatment cycles can be used, depending on your particular needs. These include:

A rapid water cycle

Here, the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer is used together with the FAST water-based primer.

High-performance water cycle

Only the Chimiver Ecostar Lacquer is needed here. 2 or 3 coats are applied. Remember to sand in between the subsequent coats, after allowing the recommended drying time. However, between the first two coats you don’t have to sand the surface – but you should at least wait for the drying time to pass.

Note: If you notice slight colour variations in different sections of the floor, it’s recommended that you apply a second coat of the lacquer directly on the area. This should be done within 24 hours, without any sanding. The goal is to ensure that you wind up with an even colour tone.

Aiming for a finish effect on the wood like using a solvent-based varnish

In this case, the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer is used with the RAFFAELLO, which is also a water-based primer. RAFFAELLO is a two-component formulation, whose role here is deepening the colour of the wood, and is particularly ideal for ipè lapacho and tropical woods. Like the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer, it doesn’t have NMP (N-methylpyrrolidone) and NEP (N-ethylpyrrolidone) agents, and has a high coverage rate.

Herre, in order to speed up the drying time of the initial RAFFAELLO that is applied, you can dilute it with 5% of ACQUA BLU.

In this cycle, you can take three kinds of approaches.

Start with 2 coats of RAFFAELLO, followed by 1 coat of Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer – with abrasion between all the coats.
If you’re working on woods that aren’t fibre-raising, then you can apply 2 coats without the mid-abrasion between them, allow drying time, slightly sand the surface, then top up the lacquer coat.
Appy one RAFFAELLO coat lightly abrade the surface, then add 2 coats of Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer.

Note that the sanding before applying the lacquer layer should be done with 150-180 grit abrasives, after which a thorough vacuuming should be carried out.

Obtain a colour toning result that resembles the conventional solvent-based finishing cycle

Start by applying the FONDO K2’07. This is a solvent-based sealer which comes with a high solid content to give it a strong build. It will give the wood floor a warmer tone, and is safe for all wood species. Working with 4-mm-hair rollers will enable you to achieve an optimal coverage rate.

Give the FONDO K2’07 layer at least 6 hours to dry (maximum 48 hours waiting time) before sanding the surface using 180-220 grit sandpaper. Take particular care not to sand through the sealer. Once this drying time passes, spread one finish coat of the Chimiver Ecostar Lacquer onto the surface.

If you want to add another layer of the layer, sand the surface (taking care not to break through to the underlying wood) then pass a mop that has been soaked with the IDROCLEANER over the floor before you proceed onto the second lacquer coat.

As always, when it comes to wood floor treatments, you want to be certain about the compatibility of the product with the particular floor in question. As such, it is recommended that you carry out a pre-test on a hidden area before proceeding with the rest of the application. This is especially with the tropical woods species and dark woods, where you want to assess the final colour change before you apply the lacquer coats on the rest of the floor.

Maintaining Surfaces Treated With The Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer

The dirt and grime that the floor is exposed to on a daily basis will be a threat to the beauty and longevity of the finish treatment that it has been applied to, so you should be keen on the routine care and maintenance.

Vacuum away the dust regularly, or use antistatic cloths to lift the particles off the different surfaces.
When it comes to the cleaning, simply use the DETER PARQUET solution to wipe the surface with a soft cloth. This is a concentrated detergent that relies on a combination of surface-active agents and natural soaps to deliver its cleaning and degreasing action.

The application here is straightforward, where you simply start by vacuuming the floor to remove the loose debris and particles, then use a diluted solution of the DETER PARQUET to mop the floor. Remember to properly wring out the mop. With this approach, you won’t need to rinse the surface after the mopping. Note that you should only dilute it with water. In addition, working with two separate buckets, where one holds the detergent solution and the other holds the clean water that will be used to regularly rinse the cloth or mop, will make the task easier.

Remember that when it comes to wood floor care – even installations treated with the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer, you don’t drench the surface with lots of liquid. This is due to the hygroscopic nature of the wood, where excess liquid on the surface causes more moisture to be absorbed into the structure of the wood, increasing the risks of water damage.

In case you’re dealing with a surface that is exposed to high levels of traffic, additional maintenance can be done after the cleaning, where a treatment of the POLISH PARQUET is applied. This formulation is also used for the routine maintenance, to preserve the aesthetics and durability of the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer treatment.

POLISH PARQUET comes ready to use, and it has a neutral pH, making it safe for wood floors, including those treated with the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer. This self-polishing detergent restores the treated surface, removing the dirt and leaving behind a light protective layer. This contributes to slowing the deterioration. Note that it will achieve this without altering the original finish you had obtained after applying the Chimiver Ecostar Floor Lacquer on the floor, including the Matt version of the product.

Note that the POLISH PARQUET should only be diluted using water. For the regular cleaning, using 5-10 caps of the product with 1 litre of water will suffice. For those special renovations tasks where extra touch up is needed, then you can dilute it 1:1 with water. After the dilution, apply the product evenly on the surface with a damp cloth. This cloth should be rinsed regularly in clean water to remove the dirt it will have picked up. Allow the treat floor to dry completely before letting people walk on it. If you find that the floor has ended up with an uneven appearance, you can proceed to further buff the surface using a soft felt.

Taking Care Of Your Wood Floor

Treating your installation with the Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Lacquer is one part of the floor care. The protective attributes it brings will prolong the life of your installation, and extra measures still need to be taken to ensure that you get optimal value of the treatment. These include:

Allow the required drying time before letting traffic back onto the space

The last thing you want is permanent footprints being made in the freshly finished floor. Give the treated surface time to dry. Fortunately, with water-based formulations such as the Chimiver Ecostar Lacquer, the drying time is reduced, in this case all it takes is a day.

For the week following the treatment, avoid covering the floor, or using more chemical products on it. This means holding out before restoring rugs or carpets back in place, or washing the floor with detergents.

Reduce the dirt getting into the building

The grit that gets tracked into the premises under people’s shoes accelerates the wearing down, especially in high-traffic environments. Here, placing doormats at the entrance of the building, where the mats capture most of the soiling, will be of great help to the rest of the floor.

In homes, where you have more control over the kind of footwear that can be worn indoors, you can go right ahead and ban outdoor shoes from being worn in the house. Having pairs of indoor sandals or flip-flops positioned at the entrance of the house will encourage family members and guests coming in to make the switch.

With mats and rugs, it is also recommended that you place them on the areas that see more traffic within the household. These are the likes of under the dinner table, and in the living room. It helps reduce the ear effects on the underlying floor. Rugs at the kitchen sink to catch the spills are also beneficial.

Warding off scratches

Here, different factors come into consideration. Do you have pets? The sharp claws of cats and dogs can easily scratch the floor, which is why ensuring that you get them trimmed regularly is vital. For the furniture, getting felt pads and placing them at the bottom of the legs – especially those heavy sets, will also help in minimising cases of scratches.

Make the cleaning regular

Dirt and grit will always be one of the major threats to your wood floor. Allowing them to accumulate on the installation will exacerbate the wear that is witnessed, degrading the floor. So, the vacuuming should be frequent, removing the particulate matter, and ensuring you follow a routine cleaning program where the floor is mopped to get rid of the grime adhering to the surface. This preserves the beauty of the installation giving you more usage of your floor.

Spills in particular should be handled as soon as possible. Sure, the protective finish achieved with the Chimiver Ecostar Water Based Lacquer increases the resistance to staining, but this is not a free pass to let spills remain on the floor for hours. Blot up the spills, and for those stains that form ensure that you use cleaning agents that are suitable for wood floors.