What Everybody Ought To Know About Osmo And Fiddes Hard Wax Oils

Both Osmo and Fiddes hard wax oils provide superb protection for any wood surfaces such as flooring or cabinets, but does one outshine the other?

As many homeowners look to renovate, not relocate, the popularity of natural wood flooring and kitchen surfaces has increased.A tired room can be completely transformed by a shiny wooden floor or new kitchen cabinets made of natural wood, providing a warmth and style that no synthetic materials could match.

You Need To Protect Your Wood!

Although natural wood surfaces require a bit more attention and special care, it doesn’t have to be a chore.A professional’s touch isn’t even required to maintain the wood’s natural beauty. Several products currently on the market make it easy for the average do-it-yourself enthusiast to keep those natural surfaces looking top-notch.

Of course, for high-traffic areas a hard-wearing and easily maintainable finish is needed.The finish will also need to be non-toxic if small children will be crawling and playing on the floors. Many types of wood oils are available, but general consensus says that a quality hard wax oil is just the ticket.

Why Hard Wax Oil?

Hardwax oil is one of the most versatile and easy-to-use products around. Not only is it suitable for use on most interior wooden surfaces including wooden flooring, kitchen worktops, cupboards, skirting, spindles, doors and furniture, but even unsealed terracotta tiles and quarry tiles will benefit due to their porous, wood-like properties.

Matt, satin and satin gloss finishes are available, so it’s perfect for almost any job.Application is a breeze, too: just use a good quality cloth, floor applicator, or paintbrush…basically, use whatever best-suits the job to be done. There’s hardly any smell, and it penetrates the wood to provide a finish that is tough and resistant to wear and liquids.

If Price Is A Factor

The first and most obvious difference is price. On average, the cost-conscious consumer can expect to save around £13-£14 (based on a 2.5 litre container) by opting for the Fiddes hardwax oil.Of course, buying a larger size results in even bigger savings. But saving money is no good if you get inferior results, so how do Fiddes Hard Wax Oil and Osmo Polyx Oil match up performance-wise?

Drying Time

Both Fiddes and Osmo wax oil provide a water-repellent seal and are easy to maintain; however, Osmo’s Polyx Oil takes about twice as long to dry at approximately 8 hours per thin coat. Osmo provide a rapid-dry version, but it costs more.

Colours

Fiddes comes in 9 satin colours including the popular walnut, whiskey, American and white, and the clear version comes in matt, satin and gloss finishes.

Osmo have clear versions on offer, in addition to the four colours in their foundation wood finish range: light oak, mid oak, dark oak and white.

Colours can be intermixed to create new ones, which helps with colour matching, and both Fiddes and Osmo hard wax oil are non-yellowing.

Ingredients

Osmo Polyx Oil contains natural ingredients only.

Fiddes Hard Wax Oil is probably 98% similar to the make-up of Osmo.

Safety

Both hard wax oils are approved by the EN71 Toy Safety Compliancy Test, making them suitable for application onto children’s toys.

History

The original hard wax oil, Osmo Polyx Oil was invented six years ago by the maker of the same name.

Within recent years Fiddes developed their own version, which has become a popular choice for both hobbyists and professionals alike.

Ask Your Shop For A Sample

Of course, most retailers will allow you to purchase a sample of any product you’re thinking about using.Using the sample to test a small area of the surface you’ll be covering is a must to help ensure you’ll get the finish you want. In addition, you should keep in mind that using a coloured hard wax oil is going to give you a different look depending on the type of wood on which it’s applied – another reason to make sure you test it out before committing a large area to one particular finish.

If you would like to get an idea how a particular type of wood will look once it’s been finished with a clear wax oil, simply use a little water to wet a section, wipe off the excess, then let it dry for about 10 seconds.The shade of the wood will be a fairly accurate representation of the finish you’ll get.

Summary

For more colours and to save some money, use Fiddes Hard Wax Oil.
For 100% natural ingredients and a slightly more durable finish, use Osmo Polyx Oil.

Hard wax oil’s flexibility and ease-of-use is apparent, so the choice of brand is not really a major factor.When a long-lasting, hard wearing finish is needed for hardwood floors, cabinets, work surfaces or even children’s toys, hard wax oil is a must-have.