Our new house had floating floorboards made of some blondish-coloured wood veneer. They looked cheap and brought about a vehemence rarely seen in my mild-mannered Cheap Geek–’I hate these floors’, was pretty much the first thing he said when we first inspected the house. So while keeping the floating floorboards was the most economical and environmental option, they had to go.

According to Randy Florke, author of Restore. Recycle. Repurpose. (Create A Beautiful Home), reclaimed wood, bamboo, cork, linoleum, marmoleum, recycled rubber, or a lick of paint are all green flooring alternatives. We chose to work with what was underneath the floating floorboards as it was cost-effective, environmentally sound* as well as the the most aesthetically pleasing. During the pre-purchase inspections, my dad had a look under the house and spotted the hardwood floors. When we pulled up the underlay, we were rewarded with this:

We used Livos Kunos natural oil sealer with a walnut stain to protect the floor and bring out the grain of the wood. Livos uses food-grade natural oils and claims that their products are ‘biologically degradable, sustainable…and harmless, even in direct contact with humans, animals and plants’. Hopefully, this translates to better indoor air quality, something that may be important later on when our improvements make the house ‘less leaky’.

Livos Kunos natural oil sealer also don’t require re-sanding on reapplication, which is an added bonus. No need to waste more time/money/energy on sanding: a few drops of Livos and a buff with a rag is all that is required.

Our sand and polisher was reluctant to use Livos as she was not familiar with the brand, so we ended up doing much of the application and buffing ourselves**.

The DIY process is fairly easy, requiring mostly elbow grease and some basic tools. Three coats are needed and each coat takes 24-48 hours to dry. The smell of the drying sealer reminds me of pine tar or menthol; it’s much more bearable than some of the varnishes and sealers I’ve used in the past.

Three coats have resulted in beautifully stained floors. There is a slight sheen on the surface but unlike polyurethane, oil sealers like Livos do not leave a shiny film on the floor. The floor feels silky to touch: smooth with a touch of resistance.

The floors take 4 to 6 weeks to cure but we’ve already moved in, giving them just a little bit more TLC than usual.

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* ‘Before I tear up any old flooring, though, I try to make the best of what’s already there. If a hardwood floor can be refinished, stained, or even painted, that’s far preferable to tearing it up and adding refuse to the nearest landfill.’ (Randy Florke, via Restore. Recycle. Repurpose. (Create a Beautiful Home))

**The sand and polisher ended up giving us a discount for doing some of the work for her.