The finish decides more about daily life with your floor than the species does. It sets how the wood looks, how it resists, how you clean it and — crucially — whether you can repair a mark without redoing the whole room.
Two philosophies
Lacquer lays a continuous film on the surface. The film takes the wear; the wood underneath never touches anything.
Oil soaks into the wood instead of covering it. There is no film — the timber itself is saturated and made water-repellent.
Everything else follows from that difference.
Lacquer, in practice
- Look — slightly “sealed”. Matt versions today are very convincing; gloss shows every scratch.
- Resistance — excellent against liquids and stains. Wine, coffee, oil wipe off.
- Upkeep — the simplest. Vacuum, damp mop, neutral cleaner. Nothing else.
- The weak point — repair. A deep scratch cuts through the film, and you cannot patch one board invisibly. You sand and re-lacquer a whole area.
- Lifespan — 10 to 20 years in a home before it needs redoing.
Oil, in practice
- Look — the best there is. Oil deepens the grain and leaves the wood looking and feeling like wood.
- Resistance — lower against liquids. A greasy stain left overnight can mark.
- Upkeep — real and ongoing. A maintenance oil once or twice a year in busy areas.
- The strong point — repair. A marked patch is cleaned, re-oiled locally, and disappears. No other finish allows this.
- Lifespan — indefinite if maintained, because you are constantly renewing it.
Raw wood
Unfinished boards let you choose your own finish on site, and are cheapest to buy. Two warnings: finishing on site costs more than the saving, and a factory finish cured under controlled conditions is more durable than anything applied in a dusty building. Raw makes sense when you want a very specific colour, not to save money.
Choosing by household
| Your situation | Finish |
|---|---|
| Young children, spills likely | Lacquer |
| Dog or cat | Oil — for local repair |
| You want the most beautiful floor | Oil |
| You want the least work | Lacquer |
| Rental property | Lacquer |
| Kitchen | Either — see the trade-off above |
The honest cost comparison
Over twenty years, oil costs more in products and attention but less in renovation, because it is repaired progressively. Lacquer costs almost nothing to maintain and then a full sanding at once. Neither is clearly cheaper — they spread the cost differently.
The rule to remember
Choose lacquer if a mark would annoy you and you would rather never think about it. Choose oil if you accept a living floor and want to be able to mend it yourself.