Hardwood Flooring Maintenance Tips

Important information on caring for your wood floors

Please note: We sell wood floor cleaner, flooring pads, and mop/dust kits.

Special care must be taken the first month after installation. Avoid severe wear, and over-cleaning your wood floors during this period.  It is recommended that all the furniture be equipped with self-sticking felt pads under the supports to protect against scratches. (We have a large supply of high quality felt pads in variable sizes available for purchase.)

Wipe up spills with a dry or slightly damp cloth.  Only use professionally recommended floor cleaners, never use oil or wax type cleaners... for safety (no slipping) and to ensure we are able to add an extra coat of finish in 8-10 years if needed/desired. 

Adding an extra coat of wood floor finish (re-coating) every 8-10 years will keep your floors renewed and looking good for a lifetime.  Once the finish has worn through to the wood then the floors need to be completely refinished again...meaning a full sanding and adding 3 new coats of finish...so remember to get a re-coat of finish over the years to avoid this full scale wood flooring refinish!

It's also a good idea to occasionally move large area rugs to minimize sharp age lines in the flooring.

MINIMIZE large swings in temperature and more importantly, humidity. 

Too much heat in the winter, without some moisture, will cause severe movement in the flooring. If you heat with a wood stove this is particularly important!!!

Invest in a small thermo-hygrometer to monitor humidity levels in the home.

(please see the NWFA consumer site, or online at NWFA.org for more information.)

All the wood in your home will contract or expand according to the moisture in the air.  Doors and windows may swell and stick during a rainy season.  In dry, cold weather, cracks and fine lines of separation may appear in walls, cabinets and furniture. 

The same reaction to humidity, or the lack of it, is happening constantly in your wood floors.  Tiny cracks between edges of boards may appear when unusually dry conditions are produced by your heating system or lack of overall humidity.  In the warmer, more humid summer months, your floor may expand somewhat making those same cracks less noticeable.  In addition, if your home is newly completed, the inside climate may change to a dryer one as many of the building materials are slow to dry.  These are characteristics of wood because wood is a product of nature, and its natural quality is what makes it desirable.

If you have any questions at all about maintaining long-lasting and radiant hardwood flooring, don’t hesitate to give us a call for more advise and expertise!