Sticky Earthen floor after waxing

We built an earthen floor, sealed it with linseed oil (let it dry) and then put on a few coats of wax. All was well until summertime when warm temperatures and high humidity have made the floor very sticky. I assumed I put too much wax on. I can't seem to get the stickiness to go away, despite renting a floor buffer and trying mineral spirits and a vinegar water cleaning solution.

Has anyone else had this issue? Any ideas? I'm at a loss here.

Thanks,

Matt

I don't have a solution, but maybe an idea of what is causing the problem.  Our basement walls and floor are always just a bit damp in hot weather due to condensation from humidity in the hot air meeting the earth-cooled surface. This sort of moisture can make oil-based finishes feel tacky.

I suppose I would try my mother's canning season answer.  When things were running hot and heavy canning mom would sprinkle just enough flour on the mess to stop the sticky and keep canning.  Then clean up at the end of the run rather than the middle of it.  If there is too much wax the flour should absorb some of it and then sweep or lightly scrape off.  Do it in a bit of an out of way place first.  Another possible would be try the same clay as powder you used to make the floor to absorb as it would be a color match.  Then still sweep up or scrape off.

If those don't work I would try running a hair drier on a small area to get it really warm to hot hoping to soak the wax or oil deeper into the pores and away from the surface.  Probably going to need to get the floor 15 to 20 degrees above the melting point of the wax you used and hold it that hot for a bit to carry that much heat deep.

another question is how long did you allow the linseed oil to cure before waxing over it?  

I waited 2-3 weeks before waxing. Also, another friend said he applied the wax the exact same way and had no problems. He did wait 1 month for his linseed oil to cure though

Also, it might be notable that we oiled and waxed the floor before plastering the walls. I put down plastic to protect the floors, but ultimately they got pretty messy from plastering the walls.


I then stripped the floor, added more linseed oil (waited to dry) then waxed.....

Are earthen floors something you can strip and refinish? Is this where I went wrong?