Hardwood Flooring Care Guide

Hardwood Flooring Care & Maintenance

You've made the investment and installed your beautiful hardwood flooring. You're proud of the choice you made and of the transformation it has provided to your home. So now you're probably wondering about how to care for the hard wood now that it's in place. Hardwood floors are inherently very resilient and durable. However, there are a few things to remember that will help your flooring keep its natural luster and brilliance for many years to come.

This hardwood flooring care guide provides the basic dos and don'ts for the general care and preservation of any type of wood flooring. Additionally, you should always read the information you received when you bought your flooring for specific instructions on caring for the type of wood that you chose.

Simple Care Tactics

The finish of your hardwood flooring will dictate how you keep it clean and shining. There are basically two types of finishes that modern manufacturers use for hardwoods:

Surface finishes - includes polyurethane, water-based urethane and catalyzed.

Penetrating seals - includes oils, waxes and acrylics.

Most wood flooring today has common maintenance techniques for both types of finishes, but if you have a more stubborn problem such as removing a stain, consult your manufacturer or contractor.

Below are a few definite "dos" and "don'ts" when caring for your hardwood flooring.

• Wipe up spills as quickly as possible
• Sweep or vacuum once or twice a week (using soft bristles)
• Use a dry mop
• Use towels or pads on the floor to move heavy furniture
• Use rug runners for high traffic areas
• Never use a cleaning product that is not specifically made for hardwoods
• Avoid cleaners that can produce build-up, such as oil soap
• Always use a neutral pH wood cleaner and water to mop the wood unless the manufacturer recommends a specific product
• Use plastic protectors for the bottom edges of sharp furniture
• Never wax a wood floor that has a urethane finish
• Remove scuffmarks by gently rubbing with a dry cloth and wood cleaning product.

The most valuable piece of information you can know is that moisture is a dangerous enemy to wood floors. Learn the best ways to keep your flooring dry by consulting the manufacturer's instructions.

Always be sure that your home is properly acclimatized to maintain the stability of hardwood flooring. If your floor is subjected to extremely dry conditions, it will contract because of lack of moisture. In high humidity, the flooring will expand.

If you live in an area that is extremely dry, you may want to consider installing a humidifier to ensure that your home is receiving a balanced amount of moisture. It's also much healthier for your family.

A polyurethane-finished floor can be kept free from stains by simply wiping up spills as soon as they happen. If you have a waxed wood floor, you should also wipe up the spills when they occur and re-wax the wood to help it keep its luster.

Associations such as the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and wood flooring trade organizations can provide you with valuable information on restoring or maintaining hardwood flooring.

Properly chosen and maintained, your hardwood floors will give you many hours of pleasure and a durable area in which to walk and live.