Helpful Tips

Floor Tips:

11 tips to keep your floors looking new for years to come.

Daily use takes a toll on wooden floors. Dirt, grime, and other abrasive particles build up and can ruin your floors over time. To keep your floors looking new for year to come, follow these 11 tips:

1. Leave a mat by all exterior door to capture a lot of the dirt that might be tracked onto your floors. During the winter months add an area to remove boots, so avoid water and salt damage.
2. Avoid wearing outside shoes on the floors. This will help keep large stones and other debris that may scratch or gauge the floors off them. A no-shoe policy or slippers only will go a long way in protecting the floors.
3. Make sure to buy the right care products for the right floors to prevent unintentional wood damage. Read the label or ask a professional to help you choose the right product for your finish, polyurethane, oil, or wax.
4. Consider buying a rug. It acts as both a wooden floor protector and a nice decorative touch.
5. Any furniture that sits directly on the wood should have felt protectors on all legs. This will protect the floors from scratches. Replace these as needed. For furniture that slides often, such as chairs, keep an eye on the felt protectors as they need to be replaced more often.
6. Do not slide furniture across the floor. Even with felt protectors on the legs heavy furniture can leave an unsightly scratch. Get someone to help you pick up and move the furniture or hire a professional.
7. Clean your floors often. When you do clean them make sure to dry clean them first, then wet clean. Dry cleaning, such as dusting or broom sweeping, will pick up any large and course pieces of dirt that may scratch your floor when you wet clean with a mop.
8. Inspect your floors regularly for discoloration. If you find discoloration, consider re-applying a fresh topcoat to keep the floor shining. A little preventative cost here and there can save you lots of money, if you can the floor must be entirely refinished.
9. Occasional gaps between boards during the winter dry season are normal, the wood shrinks and expands as the air humidity changes. The floors should expand back into place during the more humid summer season. If the wood does not expand, call your hardwood flooring professional for advice. To minimize floor shrinkage and haps during the winter, you can use a humidifier to counter the low air humidity.
10. Every three to five years your floors will need a fresh coat of finish as it naturally wears down from daily use. Remember the type of finish you have as you will need to reapply the same kind, polyurethane, oil, or wax.
11. Every few decades the floors will need to be refinished to make the wood look new again. Solid wood floors can be refinished between five to ten times during their lifespan. To get the greatest number of refinishes always hire a professional. They will take off the least amount of top layer required to refinish and rejuvenate the floor.

Wooden floors can last well over a hundred years if taken care of properly.