Solid Wood After Care

With the correct care, your floors will stay beautiful for many years to come. Common sense and a few preventative steps can lengthen the life of your floors. A regular wood floor cleaning routine will simplify your floor care. Good preventative maintenance lengthens the time between major renovations, such as re-waxing, re-coating and refinishing. Everyday dust and dirt are your floors worst enemy, dust mop, vacuum or sweep regularly.

To keep your floors as beautiful as the day they were installed or refinished, simply follow these easy steps and always use the manufacturers' recommended cleaning product:

• Wood and water DON'T mix! Excessive amounts of water can cause your wood floor to swell and cup. Use a slightly damp mop (we suggest the Poly-Care Range) to clean your hardwood surfaces.
• Vacuum beater bars can cause damage to your floors' surface. If possible, turn off the beater bar, or use the hose or wand attachment with a soft upholstery nozzle, for your hardwood surface.
• Never use household dust treatments or furniture polish on hardwood or highly polished floors, as this may cause your floor to become slick or dull the finish.
• Never place potted plants directly in contact with your flooring, even if they are placed in waterproof saucers. Condensation can develop under these saucers and damage your flooring. To avoid this, place your plants on trivets or stands, so that air can circulate underneath.
• Dog and cat nails can scratch and dent your floor's surface. Keep nails trimmed regularly. Immediately clean up pet urine, as it will damage the floor's finish if allowed to dry.
• Use dirt-trapping walk-off mats at all exterior doors to prevent dirt and sand (which can act like sandpaper) from entering the building. Vacuum, sweep or dust mop as needed to remove dirt and grit before cleaning your floors.
• Use area rugs on high traffic pathways and pivot areas: at ends of steps, near doorways, etc. All rugs should allow floors to breathe. Avoid rubber-backed or non-ventilated rugs.
• Wipe up food or other spills immediately, using the manufacturers' recommended cleaner and a soft cloth. Use a vacuum or broom for dry spills and abrasives.
• Keep high heels in good repair. Heels that have worn down or lost their protective cap, exposing the steel support rod, will dent and pit wood. A person in stiletto heels, weighing 125 lbs. exerts approx. 2000 lbs. of pressure per square inch.
  Certain chemicals in wood oxidize in strong light causing the floor to change colour. To avoid any uneven appearance, move area rugs occasionally and drape or shade large sun-facing windows.
• Always put felt protective pads (for sale on our site) on the legs of your furniture, this allows the furniture to be moved easily without scratching or denting your floors finish. This also provides a sound-deadening barrier but remember to replace your felt pads often, as dirt and grit can become embedded in them or as they become worn.

In conclusion:

There are many types of finishes on hard surface floors today. Sometimes, different finishes are used in different rooms, so the type of care required may vary. It is important to know how your floors were finished so that you can apply the proper floor care product.

When choosing the proper product, you must first determine if your floor has a urethane, acrylic or wax finish. The care for a wax floor finish is very different from that of a urethane finish. Therefore, it cannot be emphasized enough, that you know the finish your floor has!