Bizpals- how to maintain wood floors

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Hardwood Floor Maintenance 101

Did you install hardwood floors in 2012? Gleaming hardwood floors not only look beautiful but they may actually add value to your home so it's important to maintain your new floors properly. A little care and attention on a weekly basis can help keep your hardwood floors in good condition for years to come.

Mind the Gaps

During winter when your central heating is turned on, the air can become dry and cause your floorboards to shrink, leaving gaps between the boards. One solution is to use a humidifier when you turn the heat on. Ideally rooms with hardwood floors should be kept at a temperature between 60 and 80 degrees, with humidity levels of between 35 and 55 percent. This will help the wood to maintain consistent moisture levels over the winter and reduce the chance of gaps forming.

Keep It Clean

Keeping your hardwood floors clean is one of the most important steps in preventative maintenance: remove the dirt before it has a chance to get trodden into the wood. Grit and hard particles can cause fine scratches if they are not removed promptly. Sweep the floors regularly with a soft-bristled broom. Using a vacuum can abrade the wood--so if you vacuum, make sure to use an attachment designed to work on a wood floor. Putting a runner or rug inside entry doors will reduce the amount of dirt tracked into the house.
When your hardwood floors get dirty enough that you need to mop them, don't use regular household cleaners. Household cleaners may be too harsh for hardwood floors; they may leave a residue and may even attack the finish if you use them regularly. Be smart and use a cleaner designed for wood floors. When selecting a cleaner be sure to choose one that works with the finish of your floors – which is typically a urethane or wax finish. And always follow the directions on the bottle. When you're mopping, be very sparing with water. Overuse of water will eventually attack the finish of your hardwood floor. Before you start cleaning, wring the mop out so it’s just damp, not wet. Mop in one direction only to trap the dirt as efficiently as possible. Once you're done, turn a fan on to help dry the floors as quickly as possible.

Scratch Prevention

Another cause of damage to hardwood floors is when furniture is slid around on hardwood it can scratch and abrade the wood. One easy way to prevent this is to put glides or felt pads on the legs of all your tables and chairs. You should do this as soon as your hardwood flooring is installed. Also, pets should have their claws clipped so that they don't scratch the floorboards. High heels may leave marks on your floors, so slippers are a better choice inside the house. And if, despite all your care, you do notice scratching, applying walnut oil is a good way to fix shallow scratches.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

Even if you maintain your flooring well, you may reach a point where it’s time to refinish your hardwood floors. You can test the condition of your wood floors by allowing a few drops of water to fall on the floor. If the water is slow to soak into the wood or beads up, then you probably don’t need to refinish just yet. However, if the water soaks into the floor immediately, that's a sign that your hardwood floors may need to be refinished. If you decide to refinish your own floors, remember that you will need to remove all furniture from the room or rooms, cover all electrical outlets, and cover any areas that won't be sanded. Sanding may need to be done more than once to restore your floor to its natural state and open the fibers of the wood to accept the refinishing process. The hardwood flooring is then treated with stain or polyurethane and will usually be given a base coat as well as a finishing coat. During this process it's important to make sure that no one walks on the floor until it's completely dry. This video on the "This Old House" website has some good tips for hardwood floor refinishing: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/video/0,,20238356,00.html.