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Help with woodcare Repair and upkeep
A wooden floor is cared for with a pH-neutral cleaner and never standing water; the rest depends on its finish. Floor Cleaner, low-foaming, with a wrung-out mop or a machine, suits every wooden floor. An oiled floor is revived with a thin coat of Hard Wax Oil when it dulls, and a scratch is repaired locally with a light sand and a dab of oil. A varnished floor is kept clean, re-coated with Mylac after de-nibbing with 220 when it wears, and gets Shellac Barrier Seal if the old floor is contaminated.
Page updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France woodcare specialists
Two finishes, two logics
A floor oiled with hard wax oil and a floor varnished with Mylac age differently. Oil is in the wood: it wears in places, feeds it, repairs board by board without a join, and asks for a thin coat now and then. Varnish is on the wood: a clear film that is never fed, is kept clean, and is made new again with a fresh coat over the whole room once it has worn.
What they share is the cleaning. Floor Cleaner, a low-foaming cleaner for all wooden floors, by mop or by machine, washes without damaging the finish or leaving a dulling residue. A neutral pH, a wrung-out mop, never standing water: that is the whole rule, for both. The rest of this page says what to do when the floor dulls, scratches or wears.
Four moves
01
Vacuum or soft broom, then diluted Floor Cleaner, on a well wrung-out flat mop or a machine, along the boards. The floor dries in minutes; if it stays wet, the mop was carrying too much. Between washes, a damp cloth is enough on a mark.
02
In front of the sofa, under the table, the oil layer eventually wears and the wood looks dry. Floor washed and dry, a thin coat of Hard Wax Oil Natural by brush or cloth, along the grain, all excess wiped off at once. Touch-dry in 6 to 8 hours, light traffic after 24 hours.
03
The strength of oil: local repair. Lightly sand the scratched area along the grain, dust off, dab on a little fresh Hard Wax Oil with a cloth, wipe off the excess. The next day the repair no longer shows. No join, no sanding of the whole room.
04
When the Mylac film goes pale along the walkways, do not wait for bare wood: Floor Cleaner, de-nib with 220, dust off, one coat of Mylac in a cool dry room; light use after 24 hours, hardness in 7 days. On an old floor re-sanded or contaminated with oil or wax, Shellac Barrier Seal first.
Symptom by symptom
| Symptom | Oiled floor (Hard Wax Oil) | Varnished floor (Mylac) |
|---|---|---|
| Dull, no depth | Floor Cleaner, then a thin coat of Hard Wax Oil | Floor Cleaner; if still dull, Floor Refresher, or a coat of Mylac after de-nibbing |
| Fine scratch | Light local sand, a dab of fresh oil | The film is not cut through: Floor Refresher blends it into the whole |
| Deep scratch, down to the wood | The same, second dab after 24 hours | De-nib with 220 and a coat of Mylac over the whole room |
| Splash, water ring | Wipe up at once: the finish is spill proof | Wipe up at once: the film resists spills |
| Grey zone on the walkways (door, sink) | Wash, light sand, thin local coat | De-nib, a coat of Mylac; Shellac Barrier Seal if the old floor is contaminated |
| Grime, old wax | Wax and Polish Remover, then a coat of oil | Wax and Polish Remover, which does not affect most hard finishes, then a coat of Mylac |
Scratches, white rings and marks, finish by finish: Repairing wood. When it all has to come off: Removing old wax and varnish.
The rhythm
A vacuum with a soft brush, or a broom. Sand and grit under shoe soles are what scratch a floor, oiled or varnished: a doormat on both sides of the door does more than any product.
Floor Cleaner on a wrung-out mop. Use the moment to check the felt pads under chairs and table legs.
A drop of water on the walkways. On an oiled floor, if it spreads instead of beading, the oil has worn: a thin coat. On a varnished floor, look for the zones that are going pale.
Oiled floor: a thin coat of Hard Wax Oil over the whole room or over the worn zones. Varnished floor: Floor Refresher, a water-based maintenance coating, or a coat of Mylac after de-nibbing.
A full sand and a new finish: How to oil a wooden floor or How to varnish a wooden floor, with Shellac Barrier Seal on an old floor under the Mylac.
To avoid
Frequently asked
No. Steam gets into the joints, swells the wood and turns a varnish white; on an oiled floor, it washes out the oil layer. Floor Cleaner on a wrung-out mop, and a floor dry in minutes.
A varnished floor has a smooth, often slightly glossy film that a fingernail does not mark and on which water stays on the surface; an oiled floor is matt, you feel the grain under your hand, and a drop of water eventually spreads where the oil has worn. The other clues: recognising the old finish.
No: Mylands does not recommend wax on wooden floors. To revive a dulled Mylac film, Floor Refresher or a fresh coat of Mylac after de-nibbing with 220; to lower or raise the sheen, you choose Mylac Matt, Satin or Gloss for the next coat.
Hard Wax Oil: touch-dry in 6 to 8 hours, no heavy traffic for 24 hours, full cure in 7 to 10 days. Mylac: light use after 24 hours, full hardness in 7 days. Rugs and heavy furniture come back after those times.
Not necessarily. If the film is still bonded, Floor Cleaner, de-nibbing with 220 and a coat of Mylac make it new again. If it is flaking, or if the floor once had oil or wax, a full sand, then Shellac Barrier Seal, which blocks that contamination under the Mylac.
See also
“A floor does not wear out all at once: it wears where you have stopped looking.”
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