Frequently Asked Questions

Depending on the type of timber, the product used, and the grit that the timber is sanded to, a matte, satin, or semi gloss finish can be achieved. The finish is a result of the scientific blending of natural tree resins and natural plant oils in Livos Hardening Oils such as Ardvos and Kunos. It feels more natural under your feet, unlike the plastic coating feel associated with a varnish.

The natural resins, waxes, and oils in Livos products impregnate the timber and seal it from within. There is no plastic coating on top of the timber to be worn off. A maintenance plan will keep your floor looking great for many years to come.

Rejuvenation is easy if and when required. You don't need to sand the floor (causing dust) or move out of home. There is no hard and fast rule as to how often to rejuvenate. It all depends on the area of the home, your lifestyle, and whether the floors are cleaned and vacuumed regularly.

Timber is a natural product and will scratch if mistreated. However, on a satin or matt finish the scratch marks are less easily visible than on a gloss finish. Oiled floors can be spot repaired if and when required.

With a little sensible care, your timber floor will be a pleasure to live with. The key is to prevent problems before they occur. The amount of care needed will depend on your location and lifestyle.

Initially, vacuuming is the best method of cleaning. After the initial hardening/curing time, you can mop the floor with the Livos TRENA Neutral cleaner that we supply and recommend. This is a concentrate, so very little is required. To add a slight sheen to the floor, GLANOS Liquid Wax Cleaner can be used. Both these products can also be used on other surfaces like tiles and lino.

Yes. Cork is sound insulating and warm to the feet, and when treated optimally with an oiled finish, becomes a resilient, easy to care for floor covering. Maintenance is the same as for timber flooring – vacuuming, and occasional mopping with TRENA Neutral Cleaner.

Yes. If the piece of furniture is already painted or stained, you will need to sand it back to bare timber. The oil cannot impregnate timber that is already treated with another product. To treat the furniture, just apply the oil with a cloth or brush, leave it to saturate and remove the excess. Some oils are also available in different colours or stains. KALDET or KUNOS oils can be used instead of painting to achieve a different look.

At first glance, the prices of some of our products may appear higher than competing products. However, when the coverage rates are compared, Livos Hardening Oils are actually more economical, as the same amount of product covers a larger area. 

You should also take into account the ease of reapplication, and the fact that no toxic fumes are added to your home atmosphere. Compare this to the cost and inconvenience of regularly reapplying a chemical varnish to your floors. Not only that; each time a chemical varnish coating is replaced, re-sanding reduces the thickness of your floorboards. This eventually results in loose floorboards, so the whole surface has to be replaced.

A varnished floor has a plastic coating covering the timber boards. These coatings are generally hard, and edge bond the boards together. That is, the coating does not allow the boards to move, which may cause wide, uneven gaps in some floors. So-called water based coatings and urethane based ‘Tung Oils’ also create a coating, however they generally do not edge bond the boards as the coatings are not as strong.

Once synthetic coatings wear off, re-sanding is required to recoat the floors. Floors oiled with Livos Hardening Oils feel more natural under the feet. The colour and markings of the timber are highlighted and the oil allows the boards to move individually.

Yes. A fresh concrete floor or slab must be clean and thoroughly dry before a suitable hardening oil such as ARDVOS and KUNOS can be applied. KUNOS is available in different colours. Alternatively, you can mix Livos natural oil paint with a transparent oil (1 part paint to 20 parts oil). Livos also makes a natural concrete paint.

Yes we are very fortunate to have a sister floor sanding company Anro Floor Care who operate throughout Melbourne, parts of Victoria ,as well as Tasmania. For their details visit www.anrofloorcare.com.au.  We are also happy to share a list of those we have personally demonstrated techniques to, as well as those whom previous clients have used and been happy with. Please do not hesitate to contact us to see if their is a professional in your area.

For information in regard to cleaning you floors goto our tips and tricks page

A great benefit of using oils on your floors is the ability to easily rejuvenate the area economically and with little disruption. For more details please go to our "Tips and Tricks" pages.

Concrete surfaces can vary enormously due to how they are laid and finished. The process used to lay concrete effects the porosity and therefore which options is most suitable and how much of the product you will need. So it can be very helpful to know if the concrete has been vibrated or helicoptered and the finish of the concrete eg if/how it was ground or polished.

There are two options: it will depend on the look you are after and how porous your concrete actually is.

First option and one I would recommend as the safest if you are not sure of the process used when laying your concrete or if the slab has not been vibrated. This is particularly recommended if the slab has a rough surface finish as the concrete will absorb a lot of oil, particular in the first coat. Would be to prime with the Linus priming oil #260 and then apply two coats of the Kunos natural oil sealer # 244. This leaves a nice lustre to the surface as it has more waxes and resins in the oil. The treated surface would take on a darker (as when the surface is wet) look.  Whist Kunos can be used as a standalone product this would only be recommend on very highly polished concrete.  Kunos is not deep penetrating and therefore can result in patches that are extremely difficult to fix.

Second option would be Adrvos #266. The Ardvos leaves a natural matt finish which will be darker than the untreated surface, similar to that of the look it gets when wet. Tints can be added to introduce a hint of color, white is a popular choice as it reduces the dark grey coloring. The color choices are from the Vindo range and vary from bright blues and reds to umbers and black. The color chart can be found here and in our gallery is number of finished floors treated with the white and also a green.

The amount of oil need will vary enormously depending on how dense the concrete is and how highly polished it is. The LINUS required for the first coat may vary from 20L / 100m² for very porous concrete down to 5L / 100m² for dense highly polished concrete. The KUNOS required for the second plus third coats will be significantly less because the porosity will be reduced by the priming oil. However this may still vary anywhere between 10L / 100m² (2 coats) for porous concrete down to 2.5L / 100 m² (2 coats) for dense highly polished concrete.

We strongly recommend a test patch to ensure the final finish is what you are after and gauge how porous the surface is. 

http://www.livos.com.au/stockistslist our suppliers, alternatively, we have a webshop.

 All the oils are penetrating and once they have cured ( about 4 to 6 weeks) they are easily cleaned and maintained, with and mishaps able to be easily spot repaired and rejuvenated this is very quick and easy, usually a matter of wiping over the area with the original oil waiting 10-20 minutes then wiping off and leaving overnight. Application and care and maintenance sheets are available to download on our website.

Yes. Our fence and decking stain is an oil that impregnates the timber and seals it from within. There is no coating on the surface to crack, peel, or blister in the sun. To rejuvenate, no sanding back is required. Simply ensure the surface is clean and dry, then reapply.

These are natural products and do require maintenance. To maintain, simply add a thin coat to a clean surface (no sanding required). Rejuvenation will be required every 12-24 months, depending on wear and tear and which side the area is facing,.

The finish is water-repellent, weather resistant, open-pored, and permeable to water vapour. It also adheres to thin coatings of conventional stains.

There are different stains available to suit different timbers and climate conditions.

Application is easy, whether you're doing the initial oiling or regular rejuvenation. The oil can be applied with a cloth or brush, or by dipping or spraying in dry weather conditions.

The Livos DUBRON paint is extremely porous and therefore permeable to water vapour. Mould does not build up as walls can ‘breathe.’ The paints are safe to use and to recycle. They have excellent coverage and provide a beautiful colour.

If you're using the DUBRON 400 Wall and Ceiling Paint, you'll need to prime the surface with GRAVA Primer (undercoat). However, the DUBRON 414 already has primer mixed into the paint.

The 17 main colours are: Sunny Yellow, Golden Yellow, Ochre, Red Ochre, English Red, Persian Red, Cream, Natural Umber, Burnt Umber, Linden Green, May Green, Green, Mint Turquoise, Black, Ultramarine Blue, Capri Blue, and Blue Violet.

These tints are non-fading and are mixable in any ratio to achieve different colour shades. 

Yes. The VINDO High Gloss and CANTO Natural Oil paints are suitable for interior (VINDO also suitable for exterior) timber and metal surfaces. Suitable priming should be carried out beforehand.

No. The TRENA Neutral Cleaner is suitable for oiled timber floors as well as for waxed, stained, painted, or varnished surfaces. It can also be used on kitchen benches, lino, tiles, and so on.

Livos cleaners are very gentle and help maintain the surface. Only a small amount is required, as the cleaners are concentrates.

You may use either BIVOS Oil Wax or GLEIVO Liquid Beeswax to restore the look of your floor.

You can use SALIS Natural Finger Paints on any absorbent material, such as wood, stone, unglazed clay, cardboard, or paper.  They come in a box of 6 glass containers.

Colours: Yellow, Red, Black, Green, Blue, and White.

VIDA Natural Make-up is produced from natural raw materials without preservatives.

It comes in a set of 12 colours, with a brush and cotton face cloth.

Colours: Ochre, Red ochre, English red, Persian red, Dark brown, Light brown, Black, Green, Dark blue, Light blue, Violet, and White.

All ingredients on all Livos products are openly declared and printed on the tins. This allows you to make an informed decision. Livos products are all plant based, and oils used are food grade (not industrial grade).

However, some people are sensitive to minute quantities of essential oils. For this reason, Livos also have a large range of products that are specially made for people with these types of sensitivities. These products contain no essential oils.

• After living in Europe and using these premium products nothings else has been comparable. 
• Livos take a holistic approach in the manufacture of all their products. It is not enough to stand being labels and green wash. All ingredients are fully declared allowing the consumer to make an informed choice.
• The gas emissions for the manufacture and shipping of these natural products to Australia is very low and often lower than when compared to the manufacture of similar purpose synthetic products made and shipped within Australia.

LIVOS products are manufactured from a majority of natural raw materials, and require low energy during processing. Linseed oil, used in a significant portion of the range, is derived from flax seed grown local to the point of manufacturing, resulting in reduced transportation energy and GHG emissions.

GHG intensities for container shipping the product is– 0.54 kgCO_2e / 2.5 L container    .