Marchand Test Lab
Stain and water tests on lacquered oak flooring
We take boards from stock and do to them what a busy house eventually will. Every step is photographed, including the cleaner that did not work.
What we found
Vivid, crayon, nail polish and nail polish remover all came off the factory lacquer. A wet mop left standing on the boards for three days left no mark.
- Vivid and crayon, on La Forêt Oak: removed, with a very faint trace of dark Vivid in one open grain line.
- Nail polish and remover, on Blanc Oak: removed, with a very faint trace of polish in the grain.
- Wet mop for three days, on Blanc Oak and Chocolat Oak: no mark on either board.
How we test
The boards are standard Marchand flooring from stock, finished in the factory with nine coats of Treffert UV matt lacquer. We use what is already under the sink in most New Zealand houses, and record the drying time, the products used and the result, in that order. What did not work is recorded alongside what did.
Test 01
Can Vivid and crayon be removed from an oak floor?
Yes. A wood floor cleaner lifted the lighter Vivid and some of the crayon. A cream cleanser took off the dark Vivid and the rest.
The test. Vivid markers and wax crayons drawn straight onto a La Forêt Oak board, a brushed finish with an open grain, then left for ten minutes to dry.
First, Pledge wood floor cleaner. Removed the lighter Vivid colours and some crayon. The dark Vivid stayed.
Then, Jif cream cleanser. Removed the dark Vivid and the remaining crayon. The thicker crayon needed lifting off the surface with a fingernail first.
Test 01, the result
What was left
The La Forêt board after the cream cleanser. A very faint trace of Vivid remains, down in one open grain line rather than on the lacquer. On a brushed board, the grain is the one place pigment can hold.
Wipe over with a damp cloth afterwards so no cleanser is left in the texture.
Test 02
Does nail polish or nail polish remover stain an oak floor?
Neither left a lasting mark. Both came off with a cream cleanser, the polish with more effort.
The test. Deep red nail polish and a pool of nail polish remover spilt onto a Blanc Oak board, then left for an hour and a half to dry.
First, Pledge wood floor cleaner. Made little impression on either.
Then, Jif cream cleanser. Lifted the ring left by the remover quickly, and removed the dried polish with more pressure. A very faint trace of polish remains in the grain.
Test 02
Step by step
The remover ring
Cream cleanser worked over the ring the remover left behind. It cleared in a few passes.
The dried polish
Most of the way off. The red that settled into the grain was the last to shift, and a faint trace of it stays there.
Test 03
Can water sit on an engineered oak floor?
For three days, without leaving a mark. A wet sponge mop was stood across a Blanc Oak board and a Chocolat Oak board from 1.45pm on 7 November to 11am on 10 November 2025. When it was lifted, neither board was marked.
Why it matters. Water is what most often reaches a floor unnoticed: a dripping umbrella, a pot plant, a dog's bowl, a mop left leaning in a corner. The factory lacquer is what keeps it out of the timber.
What it does not mean. This was a test of the surface, on loose boards with no joints. The floor is water resistant, not waterproof. Water left standing at the joints of an installed floor, an unattended leak or a steam mop is a different matter, and steam damage is excluded from the warranty.
A test, not a cleaning routine
Caring for the floor day to day
These tests show what the lacquer can recover from, not how to clean it. A cream cleanser is mildly abrasive and, used routinely, will dull a matt finish. Keep it for the rare mark nothing else will lift, try it somewhere unseen first, work gently along the grain and wipe clean with a damp cloth.
For everyday cleaning, a microfibre pad and a cleaner made for lacquered wood floors, wrung almost dry.
Stains and spills
Questions we are asked
On a lacquered floor, start with a wood floor cleaner on a soft cloth. If dark ink remains, a small amount of cream cleanser worked gently along the grain, then wiped off with a damp cloth, removed it from a brushed La Forêt Oak board in our test. Try it somewhere unseen first and deal with the mark while it is fresh.
In our test, a pool of remover left for an hour and a half left a ring on the surface that came off quickly with a cream cleanser, with no lasting mark. Wipe up any spill straight away rather than leaving it to dry.
Work a little cream cleanser over the mark with a soft cloth and some pressure, then wipe clean with a damp cloth. In our test this removed dried red polish from a Blanc Oak board, leaving only a very faint trace in the grain.
Mop with a damp pad, not a wet one. Our lacquer kept a wet mop left standing for three days from marking the boards, but on an installed floor, water that sits at the joints can swell the edges. The floor should be dry within two or three minutes of mopping.
No timber floor is waterproof. A factory-lacquered engineered oak floor is water resistant at the surface, as our wet mop test shows. Wipe spills up as they happen and deal with any leak immediately.
Test a sample yourself
Every colour, on the board it is milled on. Put one through your own kitchen.
Order samples
The aftercare guide
Weekly cleaning, what to keep off the floor, and how it is refreshed over the years.
Aftercare guide
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