Hardwood Floor Care & Maintenance-Cleaning Hardwood Floors

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> Care for ALL Hardwood Floors

> Specific Finishes

• Hardwoods are a lifetime investment, and decisions concerning them should not be taken lightly
• Routine maintenance should include protecting the surface finish from moisture and heavy wear which creates scratches. This maintenance requires more than sweeping  and vacuuming. 
• Always clean your hardwood floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by a wood flooring professional and/or the manufacturer of your particular hardwood floor product. Not doing so may void any warranty or guarantee on the product.

Consumer Expectations:

• Hardwood floors are NOT impervious to the day to day grit, food, spills, and water

• Preventive maintenance like area rugs, floor protectors (on ALL furniture on your hardwood floors), and routine maintenance with proper hardwood floor cleaner should always be exercised (improper products can contribute to additional wear, may VOID your warranty, and cause failure when recoating.

  Care for ALL Hardwood Floors ( the Do's & Don'ts)

• Do: Place Protector pads on ALL furniture legs on hardwood floor
• Do: Place walk off mats and area rugs in high traffic areas (make sure they stay dry and are cleaned underneath often)
• Do: Perform routine maintenance as recommended by manufacturer, this should include sweeping, vacuuming and/or dust mopping to remove dirt and grit. Keep this as a regularly scheduled event, and stick to it. Always perform this process before and after a major event that involves a high volume of traffic on the floor.
• Do: Keep high heel shoes in good repairs , as well as keeping your pets nails trimmed on a regular bases
• Do Not: Use WET mops
• Do Not: Use ammonia
• Do Not: Use dust cleaners
• Do Not: Track dirt, clean immediately
• Do Not: Use other floor cleaning products
• Do Not: Wax a urethane  finish- NEVER !

Purchase Wood Floor Maintenance Products: Floor Doctor
(click to see a wide variety of products)

 

Specific Types of Finishes            Learn More >  Types of Hardwood Floor Finishes

Acrylic-Impregnated ( 2 types: WITH and WITHOUT urethane coatings)

• Non-urethane: Low speed buffing with proper cleaning products and pad as recommended by manufacturer

• Use proper dust mop treatments

• White products require special procedures, making sure never to use water or petroleum based products

• Screening (light sanding) in addition to above procedures may be required

• Always follow manufacturers recommendations, and if in doubt, check with a local professional wood floor contractor

 Surface Finishes-(includes conversion varnish, moisture-cured urethane, oil-modified polyurethane, and water-based urethane)

• Follow of complete program of proper maintence procedures (see above)

• Always follow and use manufacturers suggest products and procedures

• Warranties by most manufacturers are VOIDED if oil soap cleaners are used

• Wipe and clean immediately all spills, and dirt tracking. Stubborn stains should be cleaned with proper cleaning solution as recommended by manufacturer, using a soft dampened cloth

• NEVER use a wax over surface finishes. 
  NOTE: This can be a VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION 

Wax Finish

• Always immediately wipe spills with a soft dry cloth, buffing may be necessary

• White spots from water can be rubbed out with a fine steel wood and a small amount of mineral spirits, re-wax and buff as needed to match

• Buffing areas of heavy traffic will return luster, if not re-waxing may need to occur for that area, with buffing the blend

• Cleaners, and manufacturers conditioners can be used over waxed floors, always paying careful attention to manufactures directions and procedures

• NEVER use a wax finish over surface finishes. 
  NOTE: This can be a VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION 

NOTE: Hardwood floors that have been waxed over and over through the years, may be a serious concern if refinishing (to bare wood). Surface finishes may not and more than most, will NOT adhere properly (a sure sign is prolonged drying time), and/or if it does adhere , failure is almost certain as wear will become excessive early on.

 

 

Recoating  

Fast Facts > Buffing, Recoating, Screening and Resanding a hardwood floor should be performed by an experienced hardwood floor professional. Some Hardwood floors can not be successfully recoated, as those with different light exposure that have caused discoloration under area carpets, or those improperly cleaned with oil soaps, other cleaning solutions, all contaminating the floor which will cause guaranteed failure.

• Worn areas (through the finish and/or stain)  to bare wood can not be recoated to give desired results, refinishing must occur

• Oil soaps, improper cleaning products, and other unknown contaminates can cause assured recoat failure

• Screening (light sanding with proper grit screen/paper) will ensure proper adhesion of the new finish

• Prefinished or factory finished floors can be screened and recoated following manufacturers direction, using the proper/compatible finish

Learn More: >  Types of Hardwood Floor Finishes

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