The key to lasting beauty of
your wood flooring investment is proper maintenance for the life of
your wood floor.
The following are some excellent
guidelines for maintaining today's wood floors. What type of finish do you have?
All Hardwood Floors regardless of
what type of finish, must be maintained properly to keep the beauty
long lasting. Every floor must be
dust mopped, vacuumed or swept with a soft bristle broom daily, or
as often as necessary, to remove grit and dust from the surface.
Walking on dusty or dirty floor is the fastest way to damage a
finish.
Place walk off mats (carpet
runners)
at all exterior entrances. This will capture much of
the harmful dirt before it even reaches the hardwood floor. Shake
out, wash or vacuum mats and area rugs frequently.
Floor protector pads
of soft
felt or similar material should be placed on the bottoms of the legs
of the furniture. Floor protectors must be kept clean of grit and
periodically replaced.
Keep high heels in good repairs.
An unprotected tip will dent any hardwood floor.
Kitchen floors
experience the
most traffic in a home. To prevent premature wear of the floor,
place an area rug in front of the sink and stove area. Shake out or
vacuum the rugs frequently. Recoat with compatible finish as
needed(12-18 months) This process will save you from having to
refinish to bare wood, which could be a major concerns as to down
time and if your engineered floor can be resanded?
Finally, using a humidifier or
dehumidifier in conjunction with a furnace or air conditioning
system to maintain relative humidity in the home at 30-50% will
maintain the moisture in the wood and minimize cracks between the
boards.
Urethane Finishes Routine Cleaning
- Use the finish manufacturer's or the prefinished floor
manufacturer's recommended cleaning system. If the manufacturer is
not known or has no recommendation, use a cleaner that will not
leave a residue that would inhibit bonding and recoating. NEVER wax
a urethane finish. Do not generally wet a wood floor with water.
When using any wood floor cleaner which requires mixing with water,
follow mixing directions precisely. A cloth wetted with water and
squeezed dry may be used to wipe up food stuffs and other spills,
provided the area is buffed dry immediately. Heel or scuff marks and
stubborn stains may be removed by lightly rubbing with a cloth and a
wood floor cleaner. Other maintenance tips for urethane finished
floors:
- Most finish manufacturers DO NOT
suggest wet mopping
- Never use household DUST
TREATMENTS
- Always use manufacturers
recommended cleaning products, if not know use a hardwood floor
cleaner from a local retail outlet/ wood floor contractor.
- NEVER use wax
- Wipe spills immediately with soft
lightly damp cloth, following up with cleaning solution and/or a
dry soft cloth.
- Never use petroleum-based floor
cleaners for waterbased finishes
- For stubborn stains use floor
cleaner on a soft cloth directly on stain, wiping with the
grain.
- When the floor loses its
shine/luster, it's time to recoat. Screening
( light sanding is required) applying a compatible finish of the
desired luster shine level you prefer. High gloss will show wear
area faster, as satin tends to give a waxed look
Cleaning Products
Long-term Maintenance -
Recoating Surface finishes - Urethane finishes eventually will
show wear patterns from surface scratching. When high traffic area
begin to look dull it is time to recoat or restore the finish.
Always follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Screening (light
sanding) and recoating with same finish every 12-18 months will help
maintain your wood floor for years to come. Make sure no oil soaps,
and other "contaminates" have been used on the floor,
intentionally or otherwise. This can create an adhesion problem for
the new finish, causing peeling and flaking. If unknown, always
inform the wood floor contractor, as this improper maintenance can
cause finish failure, making for serious concerns as to the end
results, and who is responsible.
Wax Finishes
Routine Cleaning - Use the finish
manufacturer's or the prefinished floor manufacturer's recommended
cleaning system. Never use a water based cleaner on a wax floor.
Once dirt and dust have been removed, the luster may be restored by
buffing. Apply additional wax only in heavy traffic areas, if
needed. Caution, do not over wax. An application of a solvent based
cleaning product will remove dirt and allow the floor to be buffed
clean. Spills must be wiped up immediately with a lightly water
dampened cloth and then hand buffed dry.
To remove white spots caused by water
spills, use fine steel wool (#000) and a small amount of mineral
spirits, rub gently in a circular motion until spot is gone. Then
apply additional wax to the area and buff.
Long-term Maintenance - Wax floors
that have been neglected may be restored by deep cleaning. An
application of a renovating system with fine steel wool, proper dry
times and a complete re-waxing will clean and reseal the wood as
well as restore color and luster.
Note: Once wax, in any form, has been
applied to a wood floor, only wax may be used as a coating over the
floor. Urethane and other surface finished cannot be applied over an
existing wax finish.
Acrylic Impregnated Floors
Non-Urethane Coated
Routine Cleaning-For general cleaning
always follow the manufacturer's recommendations and use their floor
care products. Long-term Maintenance - An acrylic impregnated floor
that has been neglected or improperly cleaned may need restoration.
Stripping, sanding or screening the floor may be required, always
contact the floor manufacturer for complete instructions.
Urethane Coated
Routine Cleaning - Some acrylic
impregnated floors are coated with urethanes. For general cleaning
of these types of floors, follow the manufacturer's recommendations
and cleaning procedures for surface finishes. Many manufacturers
using a special cleaning solution made for today's urethanes. See
Maintenance Products
What type of finish do you have?
Here are some simple steps to help you determine if
the finish is a wax finish, shellac or varnish finish or a surface
finish. If the floor was installed, or last serviced, before the mid
'60s, you should assume the finish used was varnish or shellac. To
determine this, scratch the surface with a coin or other sharp
object in a corner or other inconspicuous space. If the finish
flakes, it is probably shellac or varnish. Shellac and varnish are
rarely used anymore and require full sanding to remove before
application of a surface finish or wax finish.
Next, check the floor for wax finish. In an inconspicuous area,
corner or behind a door, apply two(2) drops of water. If, within ten
minutes, white spots appear under the drops of water, the floor has
a wax finish. To remove the white spots, gently rub the spots with
#000 steel wool dampened with wax.
If the finish does not flake from scratching with a coin and white
spots do not appear from the drops of water, the floor has a surface
finish and should be
maintained
accordingly.
If in doubt call a professional
wood floor
contractor for a free estimate. It's always good to get two or three
opinions.
Cleaning
Products
Related
Pages:
Types of Wood Floor
Finishes & Stains
Do's & Don'ts for your Wood Floor
F A Q's
