Scandinavian Soap Finish

Soap finishes for wood a.k.a Scandinavian soap finishing or Danish Soap finishes are an age-old technique found throughout Scandinavia and northern Europe. These types of finishes have been around for 100's of years and are still quite popular today. The longevity of this finishing practice is attributed to its natural properties, ease of application, forgiving maintenance procedure, beautiful matte appearance and a finished texture that is soft and durable.

Scandinavia, Denmark in particular has a rich wood working history, making it a hub for some of the great wood furniture designers, wood care product manufacturers and interior design styles. This hub of woodcare knowledge is where WOCA got its start, and it is no surprise that our products draw upon past wood care practices while also innovating for the future. With that said here is all you need to know about achieving a Scandinavian Soap Finish using WOCA products:

Products used:

WOCA Intensive Wood Cleaner

WOCA Oil Refreshing Soap

WOCA Natural Soap

WOCA Wood Lye (optional)

Steps:

1.  Before the application of soap is done, make sure that the surface is freshly sanded with fine grit paper (180-220). Damp mop the surface with WOCA Intensive Wood Cleaner, dilute 3 oz to 1 gallon of water and let dry at least 2 hours.
2. WOCA Oil Refresher Soap is ready to use.  Do not mix it with water. Shake well before use.
3. Pour Oil Refresher Soap into a plastic  bucket.
4. Make sure that the WOCA Oil Refresher Soap is applied in an even, uniform amount on the surface using a sponge or a short haired paint roller.
5. Immediately after, polish it wet with white floor polishing pad until the surface appears saturated. If necessary, repeat application to ensure full saturation.
6. Immediately after polishing, remove any excess soap with cotton cloths. Keep polishing until the surface feels soft & smooth.
7. Leave the surface to dry for approx. 24 hours.
8. After 24 hours, clean the surface with WOCA Natural Soap White diluted 6 ounces of Natural Soap to 1 gallon of water.
9. After drying the surface is ready to use.
   

note: To minimize the natural yellowing that can occur with Pine and Oak and create a “whitewash” look, treat the wood with WOCA Wood Lye in White prior to applying the WOCA Oil Refresher Soap. Applications are only suitable for soild wood.

Maintenance:

After the initial Soap application, the woodwork, furniture, or flooring requires weekly soaping of WOCA Natural Soap to “build” the soap finish into the floor. It takes about 3 months of this weekly maintenance to achieve an adequate soap finish. The floor should then be soaped as needed or every other week at least. During the 3-month window of building the finish, the floor is vulnerable to spills and stains.

1. Regular weekly cleaning is done with WOCA Natural Soap white mixed 6 ounces to 1 gallon of water.

If a "soap" finish is not quite what you are looking for, check out our oil finish solutions here: WOCA Oil Finishes.

For all your wood care questions please reach out to us online at wocadirect.ca, on any of our socials @wocadirectcanada, or by email info@wocadirect.ca