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Care and Maintenance Of Hardwood Floors
Hardwood flooring care and maintenance is just as important as making
that decision to invest in one. Over the years I've seen some that were
maintained beautifully and it shows. On the
other hand I've also seen
those that were abused and no attention to preservation was considered.
Not only does cleaning play an important role to the longevity of your
investment, but attention to damage prevention as well. Here are several
items to be considered that some salespeople may overlook.
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Place bristle type mats at all exterior door entries. These will
collect larger pieces of grit or small stones.
- Place area rugs at all entry points inside the
home.
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Felt pads are a great idea for placing under furniture legs, but
keeping them free of grit is just as important. Each time the floor
is swept or cleaned check for any grit that may collect under a
chair or furniture leg.
- Place area rugs at all water areas. Kitchens are
most important in this case. One may not be enough and I would
suggest others in front of the refer/ice maker, dishwasher, and
kitchen sink area.
- Speaking of appliances: Any time they are moved
please use some kind of protection to prevent scratches and gouges.
Appliance delivery guys are notorious for not taking the necessary
precautions. My suggestion is to use 1/8" masonite board making sure
the surface and the floor is very clean when we move any appliances.
One small piece of grit will make any efforts worthless.
 NOFMA -
Wood Floors Care Guide
PREVENTION
DIRT and GRIT
Dirt, grit and sand are your hardwood floors worst enemies. They act
like sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling.
Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt and prevent damage
WATER AND OTHER SPILLS
Standing water can warp a poorly finished hardwood floor and can
damage the finish. Simply wipe up all spills as they happen
HARD CLEANERS
Avoid oil soaps. They can build up and create problems when it's
time to put a maintenance coat on the floor. Instead, neutral pH
cleaners made specifically for wood floors are recommended
FURNITURE
Lift the furniture to move it --- avoid dragging. Felt contacts
under the legs will help prevent scratches.
DENTS
Vacuum with a brush attachment -- don't use vacuums with beater bars
SUN
Direct sun can discolor your hardwood floor. Close curtains and
blinds or add sheer drapes to protect from the sun's intense UV
rays.
REGULAR CARE
SWEEP
Brooms with fine, exploded ends trap dust and grit effectively
VACUUM
Canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments are the surest
way to get rid of all the dirt and dust.
DUST MOP
Use a good dust mop --- one with a 12- to 18- inch cotton head ----
and a special dust mop treatment. Spray the treatment onto the mop
head 12 to 24 hours before dust mopping.
Does Your New Hardwood Floor Look Old?
Perhaps your hardwood floors were installed just a few years ago,
but you haven't taken care of them and now they look old. What can you
do? Before you do anything, check the condition of the finish and the
wood to see whether they need special cleaning or more involved repair.
What condition is your floor in?
Follow these steps to evaluate the condition of your hardwood floor and
its finish
Finish Condition
Has the finish been worn off or is it just dirty? See if the finish is
dull, chipped, scraped or gouged. To test if the finish has worn off,
begin in a high-traffic area and pour one to two tablespoons of water
onto the floor. If the water soaks in immediately and leaves a darkened
spot, the finish is worn and water can damage the wood. If the water
soaks in after a few minutes and darkens the wood only slightly, the
finish is partially worn. If the water beads on top, the surface is
properly sealed. Repeat this test in low- and medium-traffic areas.
Wood Condition
It the finish is worn, the wood may have been damaged. Are there stains,
burns, cuts, gouges, holes, cracks or warped boards? If the wood is
damaged, repair or replacement may be required before you deep clean
your floor or apply a maintenance coat.
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Who Let The Dogs Out? |
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"If I have a dog, should I have hardwood
floors?"
The answer is yes!
Many people have asked the question: "If I
have a dog, should I have wood floors?" The answer is YES!
Dogs (cats & ferrets too) can coexist with wood floors perfectly
fine, as long as a little extra care is taken for both the floor
& the dog.
First off is cleaning the floor. Most dogs
will bring in extra dirt on their paws & shed hair; so sweeping
should be a regular duty or the homeowner. If the extra dirt is
not swept up, it will act like sandpaper & scratch the floor.
Frequency of sweeping is dependent on traffic, but the more you
sweep the less wear your floor will have. The same goes for
mopping. Using Basic Coatings Squeaky Cleaner will help
maintain the floor without a cleaner buildup. Remember to not
just swish the mop around the floor, but use a damp mop & rinse
thoroughly a few times while cleaning the floor. Otherwise all
that is being done is moving the dirt around the floor, not
picking it up.
Now that the easy part has been taken care
of, you start to notice scratches from dog nails. Many times
when dogs scratch floors, they are not necessarily scratching
the coating, but indenting the wood & causing harm to the wood.
Softer woods like pine are not recommended for floors when dogs
are present, as the wood easily scratches. The finish looks
bad, because the wood is dented. Keeping the dogs nails short &
not pointy is good preventative maintenance. Many nail clippers
leave very sharp edges to the nails that are not good for the
dog or floor. If the nails can be rounded it helps. Many vets
now recommend using a DREMEL
MiniMite tool or similar type device to sand & shape the
nails instead of using clippers. It is easier on the dog & the
nail edges can be rounded. The main point is keeping the nails
short.
When scratching does occur, recoating will
help. The TyKote system can
normally be used, as the floor will not be worn through & an
extra coat of finish will help fill in the scratches. Also,
using a catalyzed product like Street
Shoe® will help. Catalyzed products are more scratch
resistant & will last much longer than other products. Remember
gloss finish will show more problems, so using a semi-gloss or
satin finish will help hide any scratches which may occur.
Street Shoe finish is 80% cured in one day (so waiting 1 day to
let your dog back on the floor after a recoat should be
sufficient), & will continue to cure for two weeks. Just be
careful the first few days & not let your dog run & play on the
newly recoated floor. Give it time to get hard & you will have
a long lasting, beautiful floor.
Dogs
(cats & ferrets too) can coexist with wood floors perfectly
fine, as long as a little extra care is taken for both the floor
& the dog.
Now that you
have taken all the necessary precautions to keep your floor in
good shape, you add a puppy to the family. And with puppies
come training accidents. Dog feces can easily be cleaned-up,
just remove the "accident" & clean the area well with a mild
soap. If pet urine is involved, a little more care is needed.
First, wipe up all you can, next, mix 1 part vinegar to 20 parts
water & clean the area well. This will get rid of any urine
smell. If any urine gets between the cracks of the boards
repeat the process as necessary. Do not recoat floors for 2
weeks after a urine accident, because any water that is in the
cracks needs time to dry out before recoating. If staining of
the floor occurs because accidents were not cleaned up
immediately , contact sandandrefinishusa.com
instructions. The more cleaners / chemicals
used on the stain, the worse it may become. Once the floor is
stained, sanding may be the only alternative. Do not use bleach
or any other strong cleaners, as they may damage the wood floor.
Overall, dogs & wood floors can both be
great additions to your household. (Proper care of them both
will make you enjoy both for a long time.)
www.sandandrefinishusa.com
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