Natural Oil finishes have been popular for quite some time. This is because they offer numerous advantages. Penetrating oil sealers come in two basic varieties, natural oil, and hard wax oil. Both are great products and will add value to your home. The specific kinds of oils used and their proportions are what differentiate one brand from another. Most use linseed oil, tung oil, or a combination of the two, as a base, but soy, sunflower, china wood, safflower, hemp, and other oils are also used. Moreover, some formulas include resins or waxes from carnauba or bees to enhance the durability. One of the outstanding qualities of natural oil is its ability to enhance the beauty of your wood floors with the natural glow it creates. Rather than resting on top of the wood and forming a protective barrier, oil finishes soak into the wood and bond with it at a molecular level, making the wood itself stronger, but leaving its texture and color unobstructed. Over time, they produce a patina which ages with the wood, so that it never acquires the dull, worn out look that can occur with surface finishes. Natural Oil finishes are surprisingly durable. Scratches, even those made by your dog’s nails, tend to blend in with the texture of the wood because there is no surface layer to contrast with. Moreover, any serious damage to the finish can almost invariably be spot repaired relatively easily, providing a huge advantage over surface finishes. With a properly maintained oil finish, you should never need to sand your floors.