Hardwood Floor Care Tips To Help Maintain The Shine And Elegance Of These Floors Over Years

Hardwood floors are quite expensive to install and need extensive care and maintenance to look elegant and stylish year after year. In addition to following a regular cleaning and vacuuming routine, it is important for home owners to use the most appropriate hardwood floor care products to enhance the life of their wooden floors. However, in order to choose the best products it is important for these individuals to be aware of not only the type of wood used in their flooring but also the type of treatment used on them.

There are generally following three main types of finishes and treatments that are used on floors made from wood.

Surface Sealed Floors: These floors are sealed with a layer of urethane, polyurethane or polyacrylic and are designed to provide resistance from stains and water damage. They are generally amongst the easiest to clean and care for.

Penetrating Seal Treated And Oil Treated Floors: As the name indicates, this type of flooring is treated with a penetrating seal or oil finish, which soaks into the wood grains and becomes hard. They generally need great pampering and care to retain their shiny finish for long.

Lacquered, Varnished, Shellacked And Untreated Floors: These surface treatments do not offer much resistance to damage caused by moisture, spills and wear and tear as compared to the other types of floors. They also need to be taken care of in the same manner as the seal and oil treated floors to enhance their life and elegance.

Having learnt about the different types of treatments that wooden flooring can have, it becomes easier to understand the following do’s and don’ts of cleaning and caring for them.

For Surface Sealed Floors

• Using oils, waxes or furniture sprays for cleaning these surfaces should be totally avoided as these products can leave residue, make the surface slippery and create hindrances in smooth re-coating of the surface.

• Using products that contain large amounts of ammonia or alkaline as well as using abrasive products for cleaning surface sealed floors should be avoided at all costs and they can make the surface look dull or even cause scratches.

• Rather than using just water or a solution of water mixed with vinegar, use a mixture of water and mild soap to clean dirt buildups without making the floors look dingy.

• It is highly advisable to use a floor cleaning product that has been recommended by the professionals who have done the treatment in the first place. In fact the home owners should ask these professionals to provide them with the names of 2-3 such products so that they can buy an alternate in case one of them is not available.

For Surfaces With All Other Treatments

• One of the most common mistakes homeowners commit in terms of hardwood floor care Vienna is to scrub the floors with a stripper to remove any wax build up. This method of removing wax almost always caused scratches on the surface making it look dull and untidy.

• It is also advisable for the homeowners to avoid using acrylic or water based waxes, furniture waxes or one-step waxes. These products not only reduce the shiny look of the floors but also tend to trap a greater amount of dirt.

• Homeowners can use liquid wax designed for wooden floors or even paste wax both of which are relatively easier to use. However, paste wax leaves a thinner coating which does not make the surface as protective as paste wax.

• The best method of ensuring proper floor care is by using the products recommended by their manufacturers. In most cases these products are easily available at a good hardware store and not only keep the floors looking bright and new but also enhance its life.

Apart from using the right products, it is also important to ensure that any common problems that tend to crop up with wooden floors should be taken care of on an immediate basis. In addition, homeowners who tend to use vacuum cleaners extensively to clean such floors, should ensure that the device they choose is designed to work well on these surfaces without causing any lasting damage. Keeping these small pointers in mind can go a long way in enhancing the life and elegance of the wooden flooring.

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