Wood Flooring Maintenance Guide

Wood Flooring Maintenance Guide

Having natural wood in your home is once way to give a house a sense of peace and calm. On top of this wood flooring is usually durable and will last for years as long as you look after it.

Cleaning Wooden Floors

The simplest and best way of keeping your wooden floors in good condition is to clean them on a daily basis. While most of us won’t have time to brush and then mop our home every day those that do will be able to maintain the brilliance of the wood flooring for years. Cleaning as often as possible is the best way to maintain any hardwood floor. Keeping your house as a shoe-free zone past the entrance point can be a good way of stopping any dust, dirt or grit harming your floor.

Wood Treatment

Applying waxes and conditioners to your floor on a monthly basis will keep the wood in top condition. Applying two or so coats with a soft cloth or rag evenly is usually a good way to assure the quality of the finish. If the area takes more traffic than others you may need to apply extra coats or apply them more often.

Adding sealer once a year will make sure any damage done to your floor by stray grit and dust is minimized. The sealer should be applied in circular motions for the best finish. If you assure the sealer has a dye in it which will retain the natural colour of the wood

Other Methods

To minimize damage to your flooring you should use floor protectors on the bottom of chair and furniture legs – moving and scarping furniture is one of the main causes of damage to hardwood floors. Water spillage can result in a ugly mark on your wood flooring, having areas which could have water splashed on them covered with rugs or mats is a great way to stop any damage occurring.

Refinishing

However much care you pour into your floor-care you have to face the fact that scratches and dents are a fact of living with wooden floors. It is a good idea to refinish hardwood floors every five years or so. This depends on the amount of abuse you have subjected it to between having it finished before. While it is nice to be able to care for most things around the home yourself it is advised to get a professional in to do refinishing – it is a complicated and technical job which may beyond most of us!

Wooden flooring is supposed to last a lifetime - with loving care and attention, and a minimising of the abuse; your floor might even outlast you!