Electrical & Electric

Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Restoring Hardwood Floors

 Introduction:

Hardwood flooring has become the norm in most home construction today because of its rich character and elegance. The choices and styles of hardwood floors seem to be unlimited.  Oak hardwood floors was the only choice in hardwood flooring in the early days but today you have a chose from a dozen different types of wood, both solid wood and laminated wood.

Hardwood floors are easy to maintain and will last for decades with periodic maintenance but they must be protected from destructive elements such as water, dirt, grime, and heavy foot traffic to maintain their natural beauty and insure longevity.

Protecting your hardwood floors is as important as cleaning them properly. Area carpets and runners should be used in high traffic areas such as entryways and halls to protect the floor finish. Heavy foot traffic and grime will quickly destroy most floor finishes. Spillage of water must be removed immediately to prevent water marks and stains. Most hardwood flooring turns dark or black from water and other liquid spillage and is very difficult to remove.

Today hardwood floors are usually finished with water based polyurethane varnish or an acrylic finish. If the finish is an oil base finish it also has a final coat of wax. They may be left natural with only a polyurethane varnish finish or stained prior to applying the polyurethane varnish. In either case the finish is hard and durable and will last for many years before refinishing is necessary, if ever.

How to clean hardwood floors:

·       Sweep or vacuum floors often. Use a soft bristle broom for sweeping to avoid scratching.

·       Remove all traces of liquid spillage immediately with a soft towel and dry thoroughly.

·       Use a damp string or sponge mop, not excessively wet, to mop polyurethane and oil finished wood floors.   

·       Shake out and vacuum area rugs and runners so dirt doesn’t filter down through the weave and scratch the wood floor underneath.

·       Treat a dulled or scratched area by applying a coat of liquid or paste wax and buffed.

Wood floor tips:

·       Do not wear heavy shoes or high heels on hardwood floors that may cause dents.

·       Never drag furniture or other objects across wood floors. Use gliding furniture pads underneath furniture legs to aid moving across the floor.

·       Install floor mats or area carpets at each entrance from outside so you don’t track in dirt from the bottoms of shoes.

·       Be careful when using furniture wax or sprays. If the overspray dries on the wood floor it will become extremely slippery.

·       Remove stains and water marks by light sanding and reapply finish and wax.

·       Do not use oil soaps, ammonia cleaners, alkaline products, or abrasive cleaners on wood floors.

·       If severely damaged by water, stains or scratches, consider refinishing the entire floor. If the floor is a laminated wood floor use care to prevent damaging the top layer.

 Wood floors are beautiful and add a lot of character to the home. To insure years of use they must be maintained and cleaned periodically.  

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