10 Expert Tips to Care for Wood Floors
When you walk on a wooden floor with dirty shoes, you end up leaving lots of sand and dirt behind. These abrasive particles can ruin your wood floors. Position mats both outside and inside exterior doors to lessen tracked-in dirt. In snowy or rainy weather, include a boot removal area to avoid damage from water and de-icers. Here are 10 tips that can help you maintain your wooden floors.
- Always remember to read the label before you buy to make sure it is suitable for the surface. If you want a foolproof way to prevent damaging wood, opt for a professional that will help you choose the best product for floors that have different finishes (polyurethane, oil, or wax). You can also do an online research to know more about what you want.
- Add felt protectors to furniture legs to help pick up debris and protect floors from scratches. Replace them as needed, as they’ll wear down and become less effective over time. For furniture that slides around often (kitchen and dining chairs, for example), replace the protectors every month.
- Buying a rug is a huge benefit. It has a dual use for wooden floors indianpharmall.com. It will perform double duty as a decorating piece and floor protector.
- You should leave stilettos and tap shoes at the door to avoid puncturing the wood. Also, it would be quite beneficial enforcing a no-shoe policy for all types of footwear to keep things extra clean.
- Follow the procedure of drying first, wetting second. Dry-cleaning is essential to prevent dirt from scratching the floor as you wet mop. If you don’t clean up that debris first, it’s essentially like dragging sandpaper across the floor.
- Remember to inspect floors once a month, including under the rug. If you see that there’s any discoloration, you must re-apply a fresh topcoat to keep it shining.
- In case some gaps develop between boards during dry seasons, if the wood doesn’t shrink back into place during humid seasons, i.e. during the months of July and August, you should bring in a certified wood flooring professional. You can also use a humidifier to offset the environment during dry seasons.
- Remember to keep your floors deep cleaned. Add a fresh coat of finish every three to five years. Make sure you know what type of finish your floors already have (oil, wax, urethane) because you’ll need to re-apply that same kind.
- Whatever you do, resist sliding furniture. Sliding the furniture can leave marks on your wooden flooring. Instead, seek help either from a professional or from a friend or a family member to avoid harsh sliding.
- One of the most important long-term factor is to sand and refinish wood floors to make them look new again. This should be done every few decades. Typically, solid, wood floors can be re-sanded five to ten times during the expected lifespan. The best part about wood flooring is its that it is capable of becoming like new with a fresh finishing coat and a deep cleaning.
