In WO 97/41175 it is disclosed that a wax material which is modified to assume an unusual hardness and high melting point can provide many advantageous possibilities of applica- tion. With the present invention it has been found that the material is suitable for mixing with mineral or vegetable oil, and that there is hereby also a basis for applications with considerable advantages.

The invention thus concerns an oil-based treating or im- pregnation agent, respectively items treated or impregnated with this agent, and depending on the purpose for which it is used, different mixture ratios can be involved for the said wax in the oil used, ranging from up to 5% wax in a free- flowing fluid e. g. for maintenance purposes, to up to 75% or more for paste-like masses.

A starting point for the invention has been the treatment and aftercare of floor covering elements and floor surfaces of wood, marble and linoleum. It is commonly known that for the conservation and holding clean of said floor surfaces, it is advantageous to treat these with various oil products based on mineral or vegetable oil, with or without additives.

It is also known, however, that oil-treated wood can"sweat" with oil as a result of exudation, which is not desirable un- der any circumstances.

Another known wood-treating agent is natural or synthetic wax, which is effective against dring-out of the surface, and it is already known to work with a wax-containing oil which has good penetration characteristics, and which in the surface itself forms a wax layer which has a restrictive in- fluence on said exudation of oil. The resulting surface, how- ever, will not be particularly attractive, the reason being that it will typically assume a waxy character, i. e. it will

appear"greasy"and partly dirt absorbing, although also partly dirt rejecting.

With the present invention it has been found that a dis- tinct advantage can be achieved when in the base-oil there appears an amount of the newly-disclosed type of wax cf. WO 97/41175, which wax is characterised by having a high soften- ing temperature and a high degree of firmness and durability at normal temperatures of use. While new and advantageous ap- plications of the wax are typically based on the heating of the wax to melting point and fluidity at the place of use, so that it is activated by a subsequent cooling, surprisingly it has proved that the special characteristics of the wax with regard to firmness and wearing quality etc. will manifest themselves in a wood surface which has been impregnated by simple coating with or spraying on of a wax-enriched oil in the cold state, without the surface having to be heated.

Here it shall be noted that the said special wax materi- als distinguish themselves by appearing with a relatively great hardness given at a low penetration factor of below 6, measured in accordance with the ASTM D 1321 standard, and a relatively high melting point of above 70°, preferably even above 100°C. The pronounced hardness involves that the sur- face of the material appears with a non-waxy character, i. e. without appearing greasy in any way, and to this can be added that the same surface is distinctly hard-wearing.

It shall be mentioned that a preferred wax for the pur- pose is a hydrocarbon wax modified with EVA (ethyl vinyl ace- tate) copolymer with a relatively high content of vinyl ace- tate (VA). Typical data can be a melting point of 125°C, a viscosity of 400 mPas at 130°C, and hardness (penetration) 2 cf. ASTM D 1321.

With admixture percentages of the wax in the oil of up to approx. 20%, e. g. paraffin oil, the mixture can be homoge-

nised mechanically. An admixture of 5% gives an end product in the form of a milk-white fluid liquid with a viscosity of approx. 10 mPas at 50°C, a boiling point higher than 200°C and a flame-point higher than 190°C. The product is stable under storage and does not display any sedimentation over longer periods. The product is superior to other products with regard to its barrier characteristics, appearance and wearing quality, and it is also totally neutral environmen- tally.

With a wax admixture of 15%, the product remains fluid with a viscosity of 35 mPas at 50°C, while an admixture of 30% results in a cream-like paste with a viscosity of 75 mPas at 50°C. This product is suitable for the surface treat- ment or impregnation of e. g. metal, leather and wood, with superior barrier effect and durability.

The treatment agent is produced simply by melting of the firm wax in hot oil, e. g. at 150°C, in that the wax e. g. in granulated form is dosed until the desired concentration is achieved. Depending on the purpose for which it is to be used, different concentration can be involved, e. g. beginning with 5% for free-flowing liquid for maintenance purposes. At higher concentrations, the wax content will function as a thickening agent, i. e. up towards a paste-like consistency at 75%.

Especially in the first-time treatment of coarser floor surfaces, use can be made of an oil with 10-20% wax, typi- cally 15%. The liquid is sufficiently viscous to penetrate into the wood for the reinforcement of its structure from the inside. After such a"preliminary"impregnation, which can possibly be finalised with a heat treatment of the surface. e. g. merely by the frictional heat from a polishing machine, there can subsequently be effected an after-treatment with a

5% liquid which is applied from time to time in cold state and without subsequent heating.

The wood will hereby be effectively conserved for exten- sion of the lifetime of the wood product. The surface of the wood will appear with a hard, durable and silk-matt finish which does not appear"greasy"in any way. No separating-out of the oil occurs, and the surface wax will have a preventive effect against exudation of the oil from the wood. The treat- ment will ensure a certain elasticity in the surface struc- ture, which makes it robust and resistant to scratches and cracks. The surface is sealed against the ingress of water, but still allows the wood to breathe. The resistance to wear is considerably increased.

The widespread presence of the wax material in the sur- face itself renders it water-repellent and not easily suscep- tible to dirt retention. With cleaning trials which have been effected, it has been ascertained that the consumption of wa- ter necessary for an effective cleaning can be around eight times less than with a corresponding floor which has not been treated with the agent.

The admixture agent can be dyed, and it finds excellent application for purposes other than floors, namely for the protection of wood in the wider sense. With semi-porous sur- faces-also of other materials-an overlapping area can arise with regard to the application of wax either by heat application of the wax as such or hot or cold application of the oil-based treating agent.

In principle there is nothing to prevent additional con- servation agents being added to the treatment agent, but the agent will be a purely natural product particularly when use is made of vegetable oil, in that the wax involved is food- stuff-approved, and it can be preferred to avoid any additive which is not completely nature friendly.

In the treatment of wood or other porous surfaces, the structural density of the material must be taken into ac- count, in that the more open the structure, the greater must be the viscosity of the treatment agent. The oil is utilised as transport agent for the wax, which is filtered out gradu- ally as the mixture penetrates forward to finer structural parts, which in part can be formed by the wax in itself. In this way, a good impregnation ingress of the oil is permit- ted, while at the same time the wax sets itself as an effec- tive barrier in and directly under the surface. Depending on the structural density of the wood, work can thus be effected with an optimised wax admixture of e. g. 2-15%. The barrier layer will not only counteract the exudation of the oil, but also the penetration of water and dirt from the outside.

In connection with the invention, an additional and very wide area of application for the special impregnation agent has been ascertained, namely for effective impregnation of various fibrous products such as textile rain clothing, sails, rope etc. It is well-known to use wax for such pur- poses, but it is also known that the results are not particu- larly durable or contact friendly. With the invention, advan- tage can be taken of the fact that a very effective impregna- tion can be achieved with only a moderate use of wax, also including against the influence of UV light, without the im- pregnated articles assuming a character which is precisely that of"wax impregnation".

In connection with textiles, a wax admixture of approx.

20% will normally be suitable, and this impregnation agent will display a suitable application viscosity by being heated to only approx. 40°C. In general, with the invention it is ensured that benefit can be derived from the special advan- tages of the said wax, including its high melting point, without a heating having to be effected to a correspondingly wide extent.