DIY Flooring Caring for Hardwood Floors

DIY Flooring Caring for Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors represent a substantial investment. But they will reward homeowners with decades of beauty and wear only if they're properly maintained. Fortunately, that requires only a modest effort.

Preventing the gradual erosion of the surface is the most important first step. Dirt and small pieces of rock or sand are the most likely culprits to do the damage. If entranceways aren't provided with outdoor mats and indoor throw rugs, that material is easily tracked into the home.

The resulting grit doesn't just create an unattractive appearance. It acts like sandpaper, causing micro-abrasions in the wood as it gets walked on. Despite all precautions, some will inevitably find its way onto the floor. The only cure is to keep hardwood floors well cleaned.

A broom will take care of the large material, but a soft dust mop is gentler on the surface. The bristle material on the broom doesn't cause any damage to a well-coated hardwood floor, but because a downward force is applied when using one, those small pieces of grit tend to get ground into the surface as they are swept into a pile.

Vacuum cleaner bristles on the rollers have much the same effect. Be sure to set the vacuum cleaner to 'floor' setting before use on a hardwood floor. That way particles get lifted up from the surface rather than dragged across it.

Even after broom and vacuum work are done, dirt will remain on the surface. A quick wet mop will take care of that. But make sure it's only moist, not wet. Water that remains on even a treated surface for a few hours has several disadvantages.

Apart from providing a medium for mildew growth, any dust in the air that falls onto the moisture will tend to coagulate and create miniature mud particles that soon dry out. Those are then ground into the surface, creating the very problem the mopping was supposed to solve. If the floor dries quickly, the problem is minimized.

Stains should be removed as soon as they occur. A good hardwood floor with proper surface treatment will resist coffee, tea and other common kitchen spills well. But hot coffee can easily melt through wax and before long make its way into small grooves where it's nearly impossible to get out. Stronger compounds, like grease and acid-containing tomato juice can be even larger problems. Wipe them up completely and your hardwood floor will last for years.

Avoid scraping furniture over hardwood floors. Make the extra effort to lift it up before moving sideways. Once a scratch is made in the surface of hardwood, the only way to get it out is to sand it out and refinish, or use wood putty and stain to cover it up. Felt on table and couch legs will help eliminate the problem before it can occur.

Excess sunlight will, over time, fade even the best hardwood floors. Keeping curtains closed or having a diffuser curtain will cut down the incident UV that does the damage. Using louvres rather than blinds allows you to direct the sunlight up and away from the floor, bouncing it off the walls and ceiling. That drastically cuts down on any UV radiation reaching the floor.

Treat the floor regularly with a protective compound made especially for hardwood floors. That will help deflect sunlight and provide partial protection against stains and scratches.

Brazilian Walnut or Teak, American Oak and other hardwood floor materials will often be sold with as long as 50-year warranties. But that covers only major defects in the plank. Surface scratches, scuff marks and stains can occur in any wood surfaces so they're not covered. Keep problems at bay as long as possible by the proper care and treatment of your hardwood floors.

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