Hardwood Flooring Care and Maintenance

Tips | What NOT to do | Surfaces and Finishes

WOOD FLOOR CARE TIPS

You should vacuum, sweep or dust-mop your floor once a week or more, if needed. The vacuum head must be brush or felt, and a wand attachment is preferable. Do not use vacuums with beater bars or hard heads. Your flooring specialty retailer has a selection of cleaning products specifically designed for your hardwood floor.

The Top 10 Things NOT TO DO with your wood floor

1. Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause wood to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
2. Do not keep wood floors vulnerable in high-traffic areas. Use throw rugs both inside and outside doorways to help prevent grit, dirt and other debris from being tracked onto your wood floors. This will prevent scratching.
3. Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue.
4. Do not let spills linger. Wipe them up immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
5. Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax buildup under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
6. Do not let naked furniture legs stand on your wood floors. Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
7. Do not slide heavy furniture on wood flooring. It is best to pick up the furniture completely to protect the wood flooring.
8. Do not (if you can help it) walk with heels, cleats or anything with a pointy heel on your wood floor. According to the National Wood Flooring Association, a 125-pound woman walking in high heels has an impact of 2,000 pounds per square inch, and an exposed heel nail can exert up to 8,000 pounds per square inch, denting any floor surface.
9. For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink.
10. Do not let it get too dry in a room that has wood flooring. Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to keep wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum.

Source: NWFA

Types of Hardwood Surface and Finishes

Oil-modified urethane is easy to apply. It is a solvent-base polyurethane that dries in about eight hours. This type of finish ambers.

Moisture-cured urethane is solvent-base polyurethane that is more durable and more moisture resistant than other surface finishes. Moisture-cure urethane comes in non-yellowing and in ambering types and is generally available in satin or gloss. These finishes are extremely difficult to apply, have a strong odor and are best left to the professional.

Conversion varnish dries clear to slight amber and is durable. These finishes have an extremely strong odor and should be applied by the highly skilled flooring professional.

Water-based urethane finishes are clear and non-yellowing. They have a milder odor and dry in about two to three hours.

Penetrating stain and wax: This finish soaks into the pores of the wood and hardens to form a protective penetrating seal. The wax gives a low-gloss satin sheen. It is generally maintained with solvent-based (never water-based) waxes, buffing pastes or cleaning liquids (specifically made for wax-finished wood floors and an additional thin application of wax as needed).

Source: woodfloors.org

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