Installing wood floors can personalise a home. But there many things that you should know when it comes to the maintenance of hardwood floors.
Usage of water
Water shouldn’t be the sole cleaning agent that you’re going to use. As a matter of fact, water should be used very little when it comes to cleaning hardwood floors, especially when they’re unfinished. Once the floor is finished with a urethane sealant, you’re free to use water to clean the floor.
Furniture Legs
Make use of felt protectors on the furniture legs so that the floor remains free from scratches. But do keep in mind, felt protectors need to be replaced from time to time as they wear out pretty fast thereby becoming ineffective.
No shoes inside!
It’d be wise to not let anyone with shoes inside, heels especially, as this can cause considerable damage to the floor. But even if you do let people with their shoes on inside, have a rug just outside the door. This would act both as decoration and as a protector.
Keep the windows open
If you use water to clean the floor or not, make sure to leave the windows open so that the moisture present on the floor can dry faster.
Vacuum the floor
Regularly vacuuming the floor can help keep out pieces of dirt from shoes that could possibly damage the hardwood floor. It’s also wise to vacuum before moping the floor as moping without vacuuming can cause the dirt on the floor to scratch the surface.
Look out for cracks
If you spot crack on the floor during the dry seasons, make sure to see to it that they fall back in place during the wet seasons. Make use of humidifiers in the dry seasons to compensate for the lack of humidity. If this isn’t the care, then it’s best to consult an expert.
Future proofing
It’s important to add a fresh coat of finish every 3 to 5 years to preserve the wooden floors. Clean the floor when it’s uncoated as well. Keep in mind, the same type of finish needs to be reapplied so make sure you do not forget. While maintenance, avoid dragging the furniture across the floor.
Sand Finish
Make sure to sand finish the floor every few decades so that the floor looks new again. A typical hardwood floor can be re-sanded 5-10 times. Hence, make sure to not over-sand the floor as this can result in the floor looking weary and unkempt.