If you’re standing in front of a timber floor wondering whether to buy an oiled-floor cleaner or a lacquered-floor cleaner, you’re in the right place. Three short tests will give you the answer in about a minute – no special equipment required, just a small drop of water and your hand.
This matters because using the wrong cleaner gradually damages a floor. Oiled-floor cleaners strip lacquer; lacquered-floor cleaners dry out oiled finishes; vinegar etches both; almost everything damages wax. So before buying anything, identify what’s on top of your timber.
The 60-second three-test method
Do all three tests on the same small spot – somewhere out of the way like a corner of the room, behind furniture, or inside a wardrobe.
Test 1: The water drop test
This is the most reliable single test.
- Drop a small amount of water – about half a teaspoon – onto the floor in your test spot.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Watch what happens.
Reading the result:
- Water beads up and sits on the surface like a dome → Lacquered (polyurethane). The lacquer seals the wood; water can’t penetrate. This is the most common modern finish, especially on factory-finished engineered timber.
- Water is partially absorbed in 30 seconds – sits as a flat puddle, shapes around the wood grain → Oiled. The oil is in the wood, not on top of it. You’ll see a slightly darker spot for a few minutes after wiping.
- Water is absorbed almost immediately → Waxed, very worn finish, or untreated. If the water vanishes within 5-10 seconds, the floor either has minimal protection or is unfinished.
Wipe the spot dry with a clean cloth as soon as you’ve read the result. Don’t leave water sitting on any timber floor.
Test 2: The touch test
Run your hand flat across the surface in two directions: with the grain, and across the grain.
- Slick, glossy, smooth – feels like glass or hard plastic → Lacquered.
- Smooth but with a soft, slightly warm feel – you can feel the wood grain through the finish → Oiled.
- Smooth-ish with a slight drag – sometimes feels as though the floor is “soft” under firm pressure → Waxed.
Test 3: The sheen test (raking light)
Get down low and look across the floor with light coming from a low angle – early morning sun, a lamp placed on the floor, or a phone torch laid flat with the beam grazing the surface.
- Continuous reflective sheen, with a clear bright reflection of the light source → Lacquered. Even a “matt” lacquer reflects light fairly evenly because the lacquer fills the micro-grain of the timber.
- Soft, deeper sheen that varies with the wood grain – the highlight breaks up across the boards → Oiled.
- Patchy, lower sheen with visible micro-scratches that catch the light → Waxed or worn.
Confirmed lacquered
Browse our lacquered floor care range. Standard daily cleaning uses a neutral-pH cleaner – Bona Wood Floor Cleaner, Ciranova Hard Floor Cleaner, or the Bona Spray Mop kit are all solid choices.
Confirmed oiled
Browse our oiled floor care range. Use a soap-based cleaner – FirstFloor Wood Floor Cleaner Concentrate, Ciranova Floor Soap, or Bona Oiled Wood Floor Cleaner.
Confirmed waxed
Browse our waxed floor care range – but read the page first. Waxed floors are uncommon in modern NZ homes and the wrong product can ruin the finish in a single application. If you’re not 100% certain, contact us with a photo before buying.
Still not sure?
Email us via our contact page with: a photo of the floor under low-angle light, a short note on how water behaved in Test 1 (beaded / pooled / absorbed), and the approximate age of the floor if you know it. We’ll reply within one working day with a specific recommendation. There’s no charge.
Common edge cases
“Both oiled and lacquered”?
Some modern engineered floors use hardwax oil – a hybrid that behaves more like lacquer than oil. Water beads, but the surface has a softer feel and a slightly muted sheen. Treat as oiled for cleaning purposes unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise.
Old floors (pre-1990s, original solid timber)
Original solid timber floors in older NZ houses are often shellacked or wax-on-shellac. The water-drop test will show fast absorption (5-10 seconds). These floors need careful, low-moisture cleaning – talk to us before buying anything.
Recently sanded and refinished
If your floor was sanded and refinished within the last 12 months, the installer’s invoice usually states the finish. Check first – it saves the test.
Engineered floors with a “natural” or “raw” look
Most “natural” engineered timber floors have a thin clear hardwax-oil or matt-lacquer applied at the factory. The water-drop test is your friend here.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is the water-drop test?
About 95% reliable on its own. Combining all three tests makes the identification close to 100% accurate.
Will the test damage the floor?
No, as long as you wipe the water off within a minute. Standing water for hours can mark any timber finish; thirty seconds for a test does no harm.
My floor looks “matt” – does that mean lacquered or oiled?
Both lacquer and oil come in matt finishes. The water-drop test is the only reliable way to tell from appearance alone. Matt lacquer beads water; matt oil absorbs it.
What if I have different finishes in different rooms?
Common – test each room separately and use the matching product per room.
Next steps
- Lacquered floors → Browse the lacquered floor care range →
- Oiled floors → Browse the oiled floor care range →
- Mixed or unsure → Contact us with a photo →
