You've had new oak doors or skirting boards fitted and you've already noticed some dark areas appearing around the door handles from dirty hands. In this article we will look at the process to oil your doors and protect them so they are looking great for years to come.
Door Preparation
Before we look at which oil to use let's look at the preparation as this is key to getting a perfect finish. Firstly lightly sand the doors with 120 grit sand paper. Pay particular attention to the edges of the doors to remove the sharp corner and lightly go over the whole door until it feels smooth to the touch.
Skirting Boards Preparation
Now for the skirting boards. Fill any nail or screw holes. What is key is to use a filler which is similar colour to your skirting boards. If not the holes will be visible through the oil. Once the filler is applied, let it full dry for a few hours before sanding. Ensure the surface is sanded completely smooth and blends in well with the skirting board. Also do NOT add any caulking at this point. We will do this later.
Oiling Oak Doors and Skirting
The process for oiling oak doors and skirting is the same. Firstly the product. We recommend Osmo Oil in a transparent colour. You can get different colour tones but the transparent is usually requested by the majority of our customers.
Now you have the oil we can look at the process. Step 1 is to ensure the surfaces are completely clean and free of dust. Step 2 is to brush on a thin layer of oil. Be careful not to add too much. Once you've finished coating the door or a section of the skirting board, then take a rag and wipe off any excess. This will also make sure an even coverage of the oil. Step 3 is to wait 24 hours before applying a 2nd coat. The second coat will be thinner as the oil will be absorbed into the door from the first coat but again brush on a thin coat and then again wipe off the excess with a rag.
Caulking Skirting Boards
The doors are now finished but there is one more step for the skirting boards. Now we need to caulk the gap between the skirting board and the wall. Be careful here as you can ruin all your hard work.
Step 1, Apply Frogtape to the top of the skirting board leaving a 3mm gap to the edge of the skirting board which meets the wall. Step 2, once the tape is in place, apply the caulk. Ensure a thin even layer of caulk and smooth with your finger or a caulking tool. Step 3, This is the important but. After 20 minutes before the caulk is fully dry, add a thick layer of paint, gentle applied with a paint brush. Be careful, the caulk will still be wet so be gentle with those brush stroke. Now as soon as the paint has been applied, gentle remove the tape. It will feel like you're remove the tape tool early but you need to do this within 5 minutes of applying the paint or the paint and caulk will start to dry.
So to conclude, ensure your doors are smooth, use Osmo Oil to protect and finish your doors, so they stay looking great and also be careful when caulking those skirting boards.
If you need help or assistance with your oak products then contact us and we will be happy to help.
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