Refinishing Hardwood Floors: OSMO Polyx Oil

Of all the projects we have done thus far to our house, this might be my absolute favorite. It's all the more sweet because refinishing our floors was so far down on the list of things we needed to do I didn't see it happening anytime in the near future. I'm not gonna lie, I've done several happy dances and Micheal and I can be seen just wandering by the room and admiring the floor.

We also love the OSMO products. Once we got a method down both the Wood Wax and the Polyx Oil (the finishing coat) were pretty easy to use. I think I'll have Micheal do a separate post on OSMO, what it is and why we used it.

If you haven't seen the other posts in this series make sure to check out:

Refinishing Hardwood Floors: Sanding with a Square Sander
Refinishing Hardwood Floors: OSMO Wood Wax Finish

This final product is your finishing and protecting coat. Here is the official application instructions from the OSMO website. We purchased the Polyx Oil in a gallon can, again runs about $100.

And the video from their website:



The only thing we did differently than the instructions and the video was we wiped the excess off with a clean cloth after we brushed it in. We chose to do this because we kept reading that the biggest mistake people made was leaving too much product on the wood and then it drying to a sticky finish.

Our method:

We cleaned the applicator brush the night before with odorless mineral spirits and rinsed it out with water and then let it dry overnight.

We started in the back of the room and again applied to about 4-5 rows of flooring at a time. This was actually pretty tough to keep track of because you really cannot see exactly where you stopped, particularly after you have wiped off the excess!


We tried to mark our progress by putting a little piece of tape on the trim to denote where we stopped.

So...just brush it on...and then wipe off the excess. We didn't really allow it to sit.


Now, the trick to this is to make sure you get it all and that you don't leave any smudgies. This can very easily happen when using a rag. It generally happens at the end of your "wipe" as it were. Micheal and I each looked at each section from multiple vantage points before we moved onto the next section. Even with this, after the first coat we had a few shiny spots from these smudgies. But the best part?!?! All we had to do was use a Scotch Brite pad with some of the wax and scrub it in and...the shiny spot was GONE!! That was IT! Oh, the wonders. So we let it set over night (10-12 hours) and did the same thing again the next morning.

It was actually ridiculously hard to photograph to accurately represent the look of the floors! Here's my best shot.



Here is my attempt at a comparison photo to show you the difference in the finish. The far wood is the bedroom and the near wood is the poly finish in the hallway. With the OSMO it is definitely a satin finish, not shiny at all like poly. Which I prefer - I think it enhances the beauty of the wood, but it might not be for everyone.


We'll keep you updated on how it wears!