Frequently Asked Questions

We are often asked these questions. Feel free to talk to us if these answers don’t tell you what you want to know.

Ordering Online

No you don’t. You can order as a guest, the account function has been added for frequent customers so they don’t have to enter their details on every order.

No we don’t. Having an account is optional and the details of your address are kept securely.

You can either log on using the form in the sidebar at the left of every page, or wait until you are at the checkout and log in then.

You can call us on our toll free number 0800 11 20 30, or contact us with your phone number on our contact form and we will get back to you.

Products

Yes, pretty much … if you can use a roller and paint brush you will likely enjoy the process, many of our customers choose to do it themselves, from teenagers to grandmothers!

It’s probably best to get a professional to sand your floor and then roll the oil on yourself. Most floor sanders are happy to ‘sand only’ and you will save a considerable amount of the cost. A 50sqm floor will take around 1 hour per coat and it’s very easy!

Not really … oiling is a very forgiving and simple process, even if you are a person ‘who acts first and reads instructions later’, it is most unlikely you will do anything which can’t be rectified. Naturally we don’t recommend this approach!

All Natural House Company’s floor and joinery finishes are made from nature’s finest plant oils and tree resins. Once they are cured they will withstand extreme wear and best of all are simple to maintain and spot repair. They are commercially rated and waterproof.

Polyurethane will never look better than the day it is finished! An oiled floor will continue to improve as the years pass and the patina gains richness.

We have been providing natural floor, joinery and exterior oils to New Zealand homes and businesses for almost 30 years. There are thousands of customers, commercial and residential enjoying our finishes.

 

Our ‘Java’, ‘Java High Solid’, ‘Interior’, ‘Exterior’ and ‘Outdoor Furniture’ oils all provide a waterproof finish when fully cured. To provide a robust, resilient finish, the timber grain must be filled with oil to the surface, this can sometimes take 3 or more coats. Any water spotting will usually indicate that the timber requires a further application or that the oil has not fully cured (hardened), which can take up to 4 weeks.

Appearance has to be the first reason to choose our finishes. There is nothing quite like the look and feel of beautifully oiled floors and joinery. Durability and ease of repair are high on the list, as are health and environmental benefits.

In normal conditions the average re-coat time is around 8-10 hours. Factors which can prolong this are extreme damp or cold weather conditions and resinous timbers such as Matai and Totora. The oils remain vapour permeable (breatheable), so as long as you can walk on them in socks without any tackiness you can apply the next coat. They will fully harden over time.

If there is one truth in life it is this … ‘good things take time!’ Plant chemistry hardens by it’s exposure to air rather than by chemical reaction, but when fully cured a natural finish is harder than a chemically cured finish. An oiled floor is usually dry and able to be walked on around 10 hours after the final coat. Use and enjoy as it continues to cure over the ensuing weeks. Any surface scratching or possible water marks evident during the early curing time are simple to rectify. Apply a little oil worked in with a green (supermarket) pot scourer, and then cloth back.

Oiled finishes, particularly floors, improve with age. Always use natural detergents and our MicroWax for your maintenance regime. Most time incurred areas showing wear can be easily rejuvenated.

‘Java’ is a traditional oil designed to penetrate and strengthen from within the grain. The aim is to apply sufficient oil to fill the timber grain (normally 3 coats). Apply with brush or microfibre roller but you don’t need to be so careful about fine coating as you do with Osmo. Any excess, visible as shiny areas after 20 minutes should be wiped back. The goal is to apply as many coats (10 hours apart) as it takes to make the whole area shiny after 20 minutes, and then cloth back.

We are here to help … so put the coffee on and enjoy !!