Why Odie’s Oil Is a Great Choice for Older Hardwood Floors

We recently refinished an older hardwood floor in Salt Lake City using Odie’s Oil, and this project is a great example of why we like penetrating oil finishes for older floors.

These particular hardwood floors are only 1/2” thick. That’s thinner than the 3/4” solid hardwood commonly installed today, which means preserving the remaining wood is especially important.

Why Thickness Matters When Refinishing Hardwood

Hardwood floors can be refinished multiple times, but they can’t be sanded forever.

Every time a floor is professionally sanded, a small amount of wood is removed. Eventually, the floor can become too thin above the tongue and groove to safely sand again.

This is especially important with older 1/2” hardwood floors or floors that have already been refinished several times. The goal shouldn’t just be making them look good today. We also want to preserve as much of the original hardwood as possible for the future.

Why We Chose Odie’s Oil

Odie’s Oil is a penetrating oil and wax finish. Rather than creating a traditional film over the top of the hardwood like polyurethane, it penetrates into the wood and protects the surface while maintaining a very natural look and feel.

One of the biggest advantages is how the floor can be maintained down the road.

With a traditional polyurethane floor, significant wear or damage can eventually require screening and recoating or another full sanding and refinishing. Each full sanding removes more of that valuable wear layer.

An Odie’s Oil floor can often be cleaned, refreshed, and spot repaired without completely sanding the floor back to bare wood. For an older floor with limited material remaining, that can be a huge benefit.

A Natural Look Without the Plastic Feel

Another reason we love Odie’s is the appearance.

Instead of putting a noticeable layer of finish over the hardwood, Odie’s allows the natural grain, texture, and character of the wood to remain the focus. The result is a warm, low-sheen appearance that still looks and feels like real wood.

It’s especially beautiful on older hardwood where we want to preserve the character that has developed over decades.

Odie’s also has very low odor and is made without toxic chemicals, solvents, or VOCs, making it an appealing option for homeowners who are concerned about indoor air quality.

Preserving Older Hardwood Instead of Replacing It

Old hardwood floors are worth saving whenever possible.

Even when they’re scratched, worn, discolored, or covered by an outdated finish, there can still be a beautiful floor underneath. The key is choosing a refinishing process and finish system that makes sense for the condition and remaining thickness of the wood.

For this Salt Lake City project, Odie’s Oil gave us exactly what we were looking for: a beautiful natural finish while giving the homeowner a maintenance option that can help reduce the need for aggressive sanding in the future.

If you have an older hardwood floor in Salt Lake City or Utah County and you’re wondering whether it can be refinished, we’d be happy to take a look.

In the Groove Hardwood Floors
Hardwood floor installation, refinishing, and repair in Salt Lake and Utah Counties.