Hardwood Floor Care Guide
Hardwood floor care - Which cleaning products for wood floor to use and which cleaning products to avoid.
Keep your new wood floors looking great, by learning the proper ways, cleaning wood floors, and hardwood floor care. With so many products and techniques for cleaning wood floors.
Which one do you use or follow?
Well let's put some scenarios together and learn the do's and don'ts of cleaning wood floors.
Wood Floor Care During Construction or Remodeling
1.. Make a small investment by purchasing 1/8 hardboard, cover your floors wall to wall and tape the seams. This will protect your floors from any tools or material that may get dropped on the surface, that can cause damage.Hardwood floor care tips: Vacuum regularly to help reduce dirt build up.
Drop cloths, rosin paper, plastic, isn't enough.
These are good to prevent paint spills, but, they always tear and move, although at a low cost, they won't protect you from the real damages, like dropped paint cans, a tipped ladder, and tool boxes or containers.
A typical 200 sq. ft. room will cost you under $50.00 to protect with hardboard. It will cost you or the contractor's more than that to have them refinished.
Do not use any tape or adhesive product that may damage your floors, when you remove them. On a properly done floor, the finish will not pull off.
Let's not use any hard to remove adhesive, that can cause a problem for us.
Hardwood Floor Care, During And After Painting
2.. If you chose to use rosin paper or drop cloths to cover your floor, during painting. Some things to do, during and after, this process.Let's say you're painting a bedroom. You've completely protected your bedroom wood floors with wall to wall rosin paper or drop cloths, as your hardwood floor care technique. You've made frequent trips to the store, bathrooms, outside, etc.
Before you leave the room, wipe your feet clean, before entering the other part of the house.
Even if, it wasn't a large paint spill. You most likely stepped on some paint specs or drops.
Avoid tracking it through the rest of the house. Clean or remove your shoes before entering other areas. This will help you reduce time on cleaning your hardwood floor.
Even, professional painters sometimes make this same mistake.
When your painting baseboards and wood trims.
For latex paint, A simple hardwood floor care tip, Keep a rag soaked in water nearby for clean up. There are always micro specs getting on the floor, especially around corners. Specs that are smaller than the tip of a pencil.
You don't want to spend hours picking these out. To prevent wasting unnecessary time on hardwood floor care.
Wipe the wood flooring with a damp rag, after you've finished painting in these areas. It takes less than a minute to do and will save you hours of frustration.
If, you accidently track paint on an unprotected wood flooring. Use a rag, damped in water to clean up latex paint and use a rag, damped in mineral spirit to clean oil paints.
Avoid using any harsh chemicals that can dull or damage your wood floor finish.
Don't make the mistake by waiting until the end of the job. A little now is a lot later.
Spend less time on dealing with your hardwood floor care and more time on enjoying them.
If, you're dealing with dry paint, use a plastic putty knife to scrape it away, scrape with the grain of the wood.
As long as the paint is on the top surface of your wood floor finish, you should be able to do this. Becareful not to damage your wood finish.
Hardwood Floor Care, During and After Moving
3.. Your newly refinished or installed hardwood floors should be protected with movers drop cloths. That's the thick, stuff.You're dealing with heavy furnitures. And heavy furniture gets put down hard sometimes. So the extra cushion will help.
Allow 14-21 days for your wood floor finish to acclimate to UV rays before putting down any area rugs or floor mats, to avoid unwanted tanning outline. More time can be allowed, if, necessary depending on cure time.
Exotic hardwood floors should be longer. This includes prefinished wood flooring - avoid tan lines.
Avoid dragging any piece of furniture, they should always be carried.
If, you need to move furnitures such as armoires or china cabinets, use a furniture dolly.
Check the wheels, make sure there is nothing that will mark or damage your floor.
Hardwood Care Tips: Purchase a 4 x 8 sheet of hardboard ($6), have it cut to three equal pieces. Use this to protect your floors from the dolly. Have one person move them as needed as another person wheels the furniture.
Hardwood Care Tips: Always check the bottom of your furnitures for any sharp objects, like nails, screws, and staples.
These should be removed if, possible, otherwise cover them up with felt stick on paddings.
You should place stick-on felt padding to all your furnitures. This will prevent damage to your wood floors, incase you ever have to move them, just a nudge. They're easy to change compared to the nail-on types.
Use stick-on felt padding for any type of furnitures that will need to move or slide, such as chairs and
tables, replace them as needed, when then wear down or harden.
For large sofas, chairs, and love seats, which remain stationery. Hardwood Care Tips: I recommend cutting a piece of soft mesh, non-slip area rug padding.
Place them under the legs or footing. These will help keep your furniture stationery, from when you get up or sit, which can cause movement.
As for beds, place large felt pad disc under the bed frame footings. If, you have wheels be sure to lock them.
You can place a large area rug under the base of your bed to prevent movement. Click on the Natural Home Rugs links on this site, to find one that fits your interior style.
Allow 14-21 days for your wood floor finish to acclimate to UV rays before putting down any area rugs or floor mats.
Exotic hardwood floors should be longer, this includes prefinished wood flooring.
Hardwood Floor Care, Everyday Use
4.. Use floor mats for entry areas, and wet areas.Use floor mats rated for wood flooring, along with a soft non-slip mesh padding. So, that your hardwood floors do not get scratched, from the rug backing.
Do not use paddings that has adhesives on them, or types that will bond to the wood floor surface over time. You'll have to sand them, to remove them.
Allow 14-21 days for your wood floor finish to acclimate to UV rays before putting down any area rugs or floor mats.
Exotic hardwood floors should be longer this includes prefinished wood flooring.
When performing hardwood floor care use a microfiber dust mop with a swivel head, for your everyday sweeping.
If using a vacuum, be sure it has the proper attachment to use on wood floors, felt padded floor attachment and soft wheels if possible.
Find the proper vacuum attachment at AllBrands.com, You can find links throughout this site.
Wipe up spills with a damp rag. Avoid using excessive water when cleaning wood floors, water causes expanding and contracting which results in gaps. Dust and dirt trapped in gaps are difficult to vacuum out, they can cause allergy.
Use only cleaners specified for wood floors, do not use a cleaning product that you must dilute in water or any other substance, the cleaning product will leave a residue or cause damage.
Use only direct spray-on and wipe-off cleaners (Bona Hardwood floor care or Polycare).
Avoid using products containing, bleach, ammonia, and wax. These will damage your floors and cause issues with re-coating.
Beading is a common problem with re-coating, which is an adhesion problem caused from a residue or film created by using the wrong type of cleaners.
Help prevent issues like these and save money by avoiding having to refinish your floor. Use the proper type of hardwood floor cleaners, when you perform your hardwood floor care.
Avoid using Products like or simular to Rejuvenate. These products are similar to a wipe-on polyurethane finish. They can cause adhesion problems when re-coating and also, they make your hardwood floors shinier with every coat you apply.
If, your preference is a Satin wood finish, avoid using this cleaning product for wood floors.
If, you have an oil-base polyurethane finish, re-coat only with another oil-base wood floor finish. If, you used water based wood finish, the same should be done here. If, possible use the same name brand, to prevent problems.
Some manufactures products are not compatible with others. That's why they always void warranties. So try and use the same previous product, if, possible.
When choosing a wood floor finish, choose one that is durable to resist scuffs and scratches, UV resistant to prevent sun damage, and can resist damages from chemical and water from cleaning.
Do the same, when choosing prefinished wood flooring. This will minimize hardwood floor care, time. You'll have more peace of mind.
If, you need or are looking for special hardwood floor surface attachments or parts for your vacuum. I recommend visiting AllBrands.com They carry parts for all makes and models, including commercial vacuums.
G and S woodfloors Lynn,Ma.
