Care & Maintenance

Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring oil treated floors offer a very special finish which ensures a pleasant and natural living environment over a lifetime of use. In order to ensure lasting satisfaction from your oil finished floor, it is important to correctly care for the floor starting immediately after installation. With the right care, the oiled floor will become increasingly easy to clean and more hard wearing over time. This is because the recommended soap used to clean the floor actually coats it with an invisible film, providing additional protection and thus making the floor more resistant to dirt. As well, the floor can be re-oiled as part of a regular maintenance program thus ensuring a lifetime of use and enjoyment.

After-Installation Care

Hunter Lake Tamarack Floors are prefinished with Ultraviolet (UV) curing vegetable oil at the factory supplied by Timberman of Denmark. For information about the UV Oil, see ”About Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring-Timberman UV-Curing Oils”. The product is shipped ”ready for use” both in domestic and commercial applications. While any acid free soap will properly clean the surface without damaging the oil, it is recommended that Timberman Soap Natural be used.

Normal Basic Cleaning

Normal cleaning to remove surface debris is accomplished using a broom or vacuum cleaner. To remove normal stains and non-loose dirt, the floor should be cleaned with water and a hard-wrung, wet cloth. In order to achieve the best cleaning possible, Timberman Soap Natural should be used. This soap is added to the water in a 40:1 solution (1/8 ltr. of Soap into 5 ltr. of luke-warm water). Timberman Soap has two functions: it cleans the floor and at the same time forms an invisible, protective film on the surface of the floor making it even more resistant to damage from dirt. It is very important to use two buckets when cleaning the floor- one with Timberman Soap mixed solution and one with clean water for rinsing the dirty cloth or mop. Immerse the cloth or soft mop in the Timberman Soap solution, then wring out the excess fluid before wiping the floor. Rinse the cloth or mop in the clear water, wring out the excess water, then immerse in the Timberman Soap solution again. Repeat this pattern until the floor is clean. Do not pour the Timberman Soap solution directly on the floor but instead, always use a cloth or mop to apply the solution.

Cleaning Extremely Dirty Floors

If the floor has been neglected and/or becomes very dirty, it should be cleaned using Timberman Intensive Wood Cleaner Natural. The Timberman Cleaner is added to water in a 40:1 ratio (1/8 ltr. of Cleaner into 5 ltr. of luke-warm water). It is very important to use two buckets when cleaning the floor-one with Timberman Internsive Wood Cleaner mixed solution and one with clean water for rinsing the dirty cloth or mop. Immerse the cloth or soft mop in the Timberman Intensive Wood Cleaner solution, then wring out the excess fluid before wiping the floor. Rinse the cloth or mop in the clean water, wring out the excess water, then immerse in the solution again. Repeat this pattern until the floor is clean. Do not pour the Timberman Intensive Wood Cleaner solution directly on the floor but instead, always use a cloth or mop to apply the solution. Immediately after cleaning with Timberman Cleaner, the floor should then be cleaned with Timberman Soap in order to restore the protective soap film.

Spot Remover

Difficult spots can be removed with Timberman Spot Remover. The Spot Remover is sprayed on the spot and left in place until the stain is dissolved. Repeat treatment if necessary. The area is then cleaned and re-oiled with Timberman Maintenance Oil (see below). Should the fluid be too deeply absorbed into the floor to be removed using Timberman Spot Remover, then the floor can be restored to its original finish by sanding with a 400 or higher grit sanding paper and re-oiling the spot with Timberman Maintenance Oil Natural (see below for re-oiling instructions). Any sawdust or debris created by sanding must be removed by vacuuming followed by rubbing with a damp cloth prior to re-oiling.

Maintaining with Maintenance Oil

After a certain period of use, the oiled floor can appear slightly worn and should be maintained using Timberman Maintenance Oil Natural. Before oiling, clean the floor with Timberman Cleaner mixed with water. Leave the floor to thoroughly dry for a minimum of three hours. Do not apply the oil unless the floor is completely dry. Once the floor is dry, spray Timberman Maintenance Oil onto the floor and immediately polish by hand using a white cotton cloth, or with a polishing machine using white polishing pads. Repeat several times if necessary. The floor should look saturated with oil and have a silky, matte appearance. Make sure that all oil residues are polished well into the surface. Repeat polishing more than once if necessary until satisfactory appearance is achieved. Wait a minimum of four to five hours (at 18-20°C) before walking on the floor. Wait a minimum of 24 hours before cleaning again with soap.

Note: in order to prevent spontaneous combustion of the Timberman Maintenance Oil wetted cloths and pads, soak these in water immediately after use, then place in a sealed plastic bag for disposal. Alternatively, the cloths and pads may be burned.

Timberman Cleaning and Maintenance Products

The full line of Timberman Cleaning and Maintenance products referenced in this ”Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring Maintenance Guidelines for Timberman UV-Oil Treated Wood Floors” include:

• Timberman Soap Natural
• Timberman Intensive Cleaner Natural
• Timberman Spot Remover
• Timberman Maintenance Oil Natural

These products are available anywhere that Timberman products or Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring are sold. Alternatively, they can be obtained directly from Hunter Lake Tamarack Flooring. Each package of Timberman product is accompanied by full written instructions for use.