Lecol Lobadur WS Viva Wood Floor Lacquer Review
© Copyright Author Gary Hughes/Woodfloor-Renovations
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Lobadur WS Viva
It’s a simplified choice of two lacquers in this new range: LOBADUR® Viva and LOBADUR®Fusion 2K. Both lacquers can be used on the vast majority of known wood species (just like the LOBADUR® WS EasyPrime) and make the choice simple.
The main difference between this lacquer range and the competition is the durability. LOBADUR® Viva is suitable for all standard applications; LOBADUR® Fusion 2K is especially designed for floors with a very high load usage as it has an extremely high resistant final finish. Both LOBADUR® Viva and LOBADUR® Fusion 2K
LOBA® SYSTEM
the most important product features are:
• Excellent flow properties
• Primer with a film coating It is a good filling primer that forms a film coat. It also enables excellent results on absorbent wooden floors.
• 100% free of roller marks. The visibility of roller marks is reduced due to high flow properties and the long open time.
• Beautiful deep natural colour
• Low solvent and free of NMP
• Great elasticity
• Reduces the working of edge binding e.g. in case of floating floors
• High durability
The above text is the standard Lecol/Lobadur product information for this system, which i'm delighted to say we used today [29-4-2011] for the first time, and I have to say the results were tremendous.
For the first coat on our freshly prepared Columbian Pine parquet block floor we used Lobadur WS Easyprimer, which can be properly reviewed HERE
Using any product for the first time always leaves you with a doubt or two, even as a seasoned professional, but thankfully any qualms we had about this product went out of the window about 2 seconds after we poured the WS Viva onto the floor to start cutting in, the flow of the product was really nice, and as soon as we started working the Viva we knew pretty much straight away that we were dealing with an excellent product.
The WS Easyprimer had already given the floor a lovely rich natural colourization, and when we had added the first of the subsequent 2 coats of WS Viva the floor really did look superb. When poured out on the parquet the product sat nicely, and rolled easily without having to work it too hard, there were absolutely no roller marks whatsoever after the WS Viva had dried properly, the lacquer had a crisp, clear appearance which allowed the grain of the wood to literally shine through, and as an added bonus, the floor was virtually as smooth as glass, no grain raise = absolutely no need at all to cut back - BONUS
After the 2nd and final coat of WS Viva had been applied the results were genuinely superb, the floor looked magnificent and the room had been completely transformed. If there are any DIY ers looking at this product review and are wondering whether to take the plunge and try this system, the only thing i'll say is GO FOR IT, Don't hesitate.
To see the Columbian Pine Parquet Floor the WS Easyprime & the WS Viva were applied to click HERE
Overall this is an easy system to apply, looks fabulous, and dries quickly to boot, we applied 3 coats of product in just under 4 hrs. The weather was nice and the house warm, but for any lacquer/system on the market to dry in this timeframe is very good indeed.
For this project we applied the WS Viva with a 15" Medium pile Roller, and cut in with a 4" foam roller, Hope this helps you - Gary
*NB* Our thanks go to Duncan Conlan, Lecol Uk Sales Director for his considerable technical help and valuable assistance on this project - Thanks Duncan
WS Viva comes delivered in a 5 litre can and is available in 2 different sheen levels which are:- Silk Matt & Gloss The coverage rate was approx 10m2 per litre of WS Viva
Both these finishes will look superb when properly applied and it would of course depend on the choice of the end user as to what aesthetic sheen level best suits the particular area/room that the product is being applied into.
APPLICATION
We are often asked 'How many coats of lacquer do i need' - the simple answer is as many as you like, but this always relates to cost & the timeframe involved in the project. As a general rule of thumb a Professional Floor Sanding company will specify 3 Coats of Lacquer or 2 coats of Oil as standard for a domestic situation, extra coats of lacquer will be at an extra cost, anything between £4 - £6 per coat per m2 eg. For a 20m2 lounge to be given a 4th coat of lacquer should cost between £80 - £120
If in doubt just ask your Floor Sanding Professional.
Lobabur WS Viva can be applied to a wood floor in a number of ways, a floor sanding professional will use a variety of application methods depending on the size of project, but if you are looking to apply lacquer to for example a 20m2 lounge, Oak strip, a 9" roller would be perfectly acceptable, the roller refill you need should be a 'medium pile' with the pile length being approx 8mm, a decent quality roller will have that information on the packet, use an inch and three quarter roller and cage, these are more robust and just better than the cheaper inch and a half alternatives.
- Look out for a light blue line around the roller refill, this designates that the pile has been thermo fused onto the actual roller sleeve and is highly unlikely to shed hair/pile into the lacquer.
For cutting in we would recommend using a 4" Mini Paint Roller with a foam refill, these products are cheap but do the job extremely well. You don't always have to buy the manufacturers recommended products, which are normally twice the price of perfectly suitable alternatives.
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of Woodfloor-Renovations through our experiences with the numerous Floor Sanding & Sealing projects that we have undertaken.
** No guarantee whatsoever is offered with this advice **
REMEMBER - ALWAYS follow the manufacturers instructions and read them carefully.
If you are not sure about any aspect of this article consult a Professional.
The links below are Product Technical information sheets from the Manufacturers and should be of use. They are all PDF Files and clicking on the links will open your computers PDF reading program.
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