Holloway Shine Floors - Anyone? archived

The key question to ask is does the product contain lemon oil. I see you are supposed to "redo" high-traffic areas every 2 months, which leads me to believe it does. Lemon oil is VERY bad for wood, against popular belief, it does nothing but clog the pores in the wood. I would contact the dealer before using it and ask. When it comes to doing floors, I've always left that to a floor refinishing professional.

I've used Holloway house for years (recommended by my grandmother) and love it! Our floors need to be re-done from all the construction, but using HH makes them look much better than what they are. I've been using it for years and have recommended it on the old MOL as well. I clean the floors thoroughly with warm water and vinegar first to get the dirt out, let dry, and then apply HH. It's awesome stuff.

Thanks DEFCON and kibbegirl.

Kibbegirl,

- will the vinegar and water damage the existing and remaining poly finish or just simply clean it?
- what ratio of water to vinegar do you recommend?
- in your case are you getting 2 months out of it. More or less?
- Is it a nice hard finish?

DEFCON,

If lemon oil is bad for floors why can it be found in the hardwood floor products? I assume they are based on your comment.

Any other comments out there?

Thanks!

"DEFCON,If lemon oil is bad for floors why can it be found in the hardwood floor products? I assume they are based on your comment."

And palm oil and other saturated fats are present in many foods you eat, even though it isn't good for you.

Anyway, I refinished furniture for over 15 years, and have seen what good 'ol lemon oil does to wood over time. It does nothing but clog the pores of the wood, and builds up inside the wood itself. The best and ONLY stuff I would use on wood furniture is furniture wax (my personal favorite is Butcher's wax, 'ol reliable). The wax is only for bringing out a shine in the wood and to add a good layer of protection (instead of silicone and other nasty crap found in all those spray cans). For cleaning wood furniture, I suggest using ONLY Murphy's Oil Soap, another 'ol reliable. Considering the number of 'true antique' furniture I've repaired/refinished over many years, I have found these 2 products to be the best, not only for the shine, but for the protection of the actual wood.

Much of the new furniture out there is made from sub-quality wood or pressed board (YUCK!), and has a plastic laminated coating on it. It doesn't matter what you use on that, but for true wood furniture, stick to the basics, Murphy's to clean, Butcher's to shine. Considering bowling alleys use Butcher's Wax to polish their lanes, you can use it on your floors as well. A bit of elbow grease, but exercize is good for everyone, and it gives that much more of a feeling of accomplishment than pouring something out of a bottle, spreading it around and waiting for it to dry. Not to mention I love the smell of Butcher's wax, it beats the bottle chemical's arome hands down.

Defcon, hardwood floors on our first floor were finished with Tung oil. When we used Murphy's on them it left a haze, so now I vacuum and wipe down with mineral oil. Do you know what the proper way to care for oiled floors is? I love the look so much more than poly.

I understand the dilemma. Tung oil does well with hardwood floors as well as wax, but isn't too forgiving when trying to clean it. Murphy's is a vegetable based oil soap, which would explain the haze you are talking about. Mineral oil or more tung oil is probably the best way to go. I am in total agreeance with you about polyurethane, if I wanted my floors to look like a bar counter I'd use it, however I prefer a more natural look myself.

Another approach may be to wipe down the floor and just use Butcher's wax, there shouldn't be a haze with wax, and it polishes up nicely. Also, from the rubbing of the wax, you're basically cleaning it as well, so there wouldn't be a need for the mineral oil. Plus, Butcher's Wax smells good. :cool:

Keep me informed of your progress....

Well, I have Butcher's Wax and used it when I refinished the newel post and railing in our old house, so I might just try that. Would you recommend using old t-shirt type rags? Or something more specific?

Would probably be a good upper body workout as a bonus.

My vinegar to water ratio is not scientific, unfortunately! I use the vinegar to actually clean the floors. It's natural and leaves no residue. It's funny. When we first moved to SO and were getting estimates to have wood floors done, many floor re-finishers said not to use Murphy's while others said it was good to use. I have used Murphy's in the past and I never am happy with my results. Hazy, kind of sticky feeling left behind. I wish I had the time and commitment to use double products, but since I don't, I still give the thumbs up to Holloway.

"Would you recommend using old t-shirt type rags? Or something more specific?"

Just make sure whatever you are using is 100% cotton. I find sweatshirt material the best. And yes, it's a good upper body workout, and gives the added pleasure of a job well done, as opposed to pouring some toxic, foul-smelling chemical out of a can, stinking up the house, and having to have all the windows in the house open for ventilation when it's 30 degrees out.

I used HH's Quick Shine on my floors (which really need doing, but we have neither the time nor funds to REALLY redo them), and have been very happy with the results. It's not like having them professionally redone, but if you're having company and want your floors to look decent, it does a good job. You WILL need to redo it in a couple of months, but, like I said, for what it is, it's good.

irl,
I just got some HH yesterday, for the same reason as you. Redoing my floors is not an option. Did you apply it with a sponge mop or a cloth?

I used a sponge mop. Because I like shiny, I also put 3 coats on. It took me about 3 hours because I waited for each coat to dry. The good thing was, it dried fairly quickly. Just make sure you vacuum and dust mop first, because all the dog hair (if you have one) and other lint will get caught up in the coating if you don't.

Thanks for the tip, got cats and much cat fur.

Agree on Butchers wax, disagree about Murphy's Oil Soap. Mrs. K used it for years and it to dries out wood, inspite of its name. Tung OIl is great for furniture, but I have my doubts about the durability on floors.

I've never heard of Tung Oil. Where do you buy that?

With Butcher's wax isn't there an issue with traction? That is, a person could bust there !!%%?# when walking around in socks.

I glad the question was asked about wax (Butcher's). I was thinking about that as an option.

Do we have enough folks contributing to rate the best shine and protection option on floors that need a tune up without the surgery? They being:

a. Holloway Shine (or like products)
b. Tung Oil
c. Butcher's wax

I remember using wax products back when I was a kid on my dads floor.

Whre can I find Butcher's Wax? Thanks.

You should be able to find Butcher's Wax at any hardware store. It's a pretty common item.