From the moment I moved into my new home, I knew I wanted to redo the timber floors. Beneath the old carpets, I discovered a hidden history—one room had been japanned (covered with a hard, black varnish) likely applied when the house was built, and the other had been sanded and coated with polyurethane at some point. Here are the original floors.

The floorboards are original to the house, built in the 1930s. I learned from a sander that the timber is either Victorian Ash or Tasmanian Oak, both commonly used for flooring in that era.

I had been warned by painters and sanders about the extreme and lingering toxic smell of oil or solvent-based polyurethane coatings—yet these were the only products most of them recommended. One sander even boasted about using a highly toxic product banned in Europe. I figured if it’s banned in Europe, there’s probably a good reason.

I also checked out a heritage floor finished with water-based polyurethane. It looked, felt, and sounded like the timber was coated in plastic—which, essentially, it was.

Finding a sander in my area willing to use a natural hardwax product was a challenge. Eventually, I called a supply store in the city, and, by chance, a local sander was standing near their front counter when I made my inquiry. Despite having limited experience with hardwax oil, he was open to using it and had no trouble applying it.

The floors were professionally sanded, and then three coats of Evolution Hardwax Oil (Satin) were applied. The first coat completely disappeared into the grain as it dried.

Here are my floors after about 40 hours of drying time. I couldn’t be happier with the results. It was worth doing an extra cut back and applying a third coat myself to achieve this beautiful finish.

It’s hard to put into words what I love about the look and feel of these floors. They breathe, and they emit a rich, soft light that’s just stunning. I understand they require care and aren’t bulletproof, but that’s part of embracing eco-friendly materials and prioritizing environmental sustainability.

Giles and Karel have been incredibly helpful and generous with their customer service. I’m going to be promoting Evolution Hardwax Oil and Whittle Waxes wherever I can. I’ve already sent photos to the Haymes store in Warragul, the only stockist in this region. They receive inquiries daily, and my photos will help them show other customers the beautiful results they can achieve. Even the initially hesitant professional sander, who had little experience with the product, said he would now recommend it to anyone looking for a more natural, non-toxic finish for their floors.

- Sue C.