Taking care of a museum can be an endless cycle of maintenance, especially when many of the artifacts and a great deal of the components of our building itself are made from various types of wood. Wood, when cared for properly, can last for generations, even centuries, but it is critical that it be cared for well.
One of the most frequent questions we get from visitors who come to our historic site, is what we do to keep our antique wooden furniture and flooring looking good. For furniture, it’s simple. Generally, we treat it monthly with Milsek Orange Oil. This is an excellent preservative for wood and does not leave an oily residue. It brings color back to the wood, and “feeds” it, and prevents it from drying out.
Floors on the other hand are a different story. Nearly all the hardwood floors in our building are unfinished, and do not have a varnish or polyurethane finish on them. Most older floors wouldn’t have had any such treatment, and in many older buildings they still do not. It’s important to keep these types of floors protected and it can be done easily. Floors that are unfinished, especially in areas that are exposed to a lot of natural light, tend to dry out and that can cause splinters, cracks, and a whole litany of problems.
Many of our floors had been covered with large area rugs for countless years and had dried out and were looking very worn and, well, used. The first step we took was to clean the floors very thoroughly. Vacuuming all the dust and dirt came first, and it’s important to make sure everything is clear from the joints between boards.
After all the loose debris had been cleaned up, the floors were scrubbed with a vinegar and water mixture to get rid of any mildew that may have been growing on the surface. The last step is to apply an oil coating, or in the case of our very dry floors, several oil coatings.
To initially prep the floors after they were thoroughly cleaned, we applied several coats of Milsek Oil, allowed it to soak into the wood and dry thoroughly. Afterwards, a heavy coat of Danish Oil was applied and allowed to dry thoroughly. Both the Danish Oil and Milsek Oil were applied with a dustmop, with oil poured onto the pad.
Now, with a good base layer of oil applied, and allowed to dry (generally 24 hours between applications) it’s time for the final finish. Tung oil is an excellent choice. It leaves a somewhat glossy finish and protects the wood well from damage, water and general wear and tear. Anywhere between two and six coats could be necessary, depending on how dry the flooring is. For the most part our floors required four coats of tung oil. The tung oil was applied in the same fashion, with a dust mop, making sure to apply it by hand with a rag around the perimeter of the room. The oil needs to be dry to the touch before further coats can be applied. Depending on temperature and humidity, this can take anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Once the final coat of oil is applied you should wait 24 hours before moving furniture back in the room and walking over the surface of the floor.
Once this treatment has been completed, maintenance is very easy, as needed, just mop on another coat of oil and let it dry; you should only have to do this once a year or once every couple years.