Floor Maintenance, Care, and Cleaning

When life gets messy, you need a floor that's easy to clean.With kids around, it can seem as though floors are a magnet for spilled food and drinks. Rest assured that wood floor maintenance is quick and easy. Proper maintenance is essential to keep wood floors looking beautiful and performing well for the lifetime of the floor. It will enhance the performance of the floor, will prolong the lifetime of the floor, will promote long-term sustainability of raw materials, and ultimately, will protect your investment.Routine cleaning involves sweeping, dust mopping, or vacuuming using the bare floor setting to remove dust and dirt. Clean spills immediately with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Don't use wet mops or steam mops, which will damage the finish and the wood over long periods of time.It's best to use a cleaner made specifically for the finish on the floor, which is something your flooring professional can provide or recommend to you when the job is completed.Over time, when your wood floors start to look a little dull, they can be renewed through recoating. This involves applying a new coat of wood floor finish. To keep wood floors looking and performing well for generations, follow our recommended guidelines. Individual maintenance schedules will vary depending on use, wear and tear, and lifestyle.

Wood is an organic material that reacts to its environment. In humid environments, wood gains moisture and can swell. In dry environments, wood loses moisture and can shrink. If the environment in which your wood floors are installed changes drastically, it can cause changes in your floors and the way they perform.If your floors gain moisture, they can cup. Cupping occurs across the width of the floorboard, with edges that are raised on each board and centers that are lower than the edges. If your floors lose moisture, they can gap or split. This can occur between floorboards or on the face of the boards. Gaps and splits can vary in size and are considered to be normal if they appear and disappear during normal seasonal changes. If the gaps in your floors are large or do not close during more-humid months, it's time to call a professional.Both of these issues can be minimized by keeping your home between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and between 40-60 percent humidity, year-round.

Touch-up markers, stain pens, and furniture repair kits come in handy when touching up minor surface scratches. A professional can help with bigger repairs.To avoid scratches, use floor protector pads on the bottoms of the legs of any furniture that comes in direct contact with your floors. Avoid walking on floors with sports cleats or high-heeled shoes. But even if, despite your best efforts, the floor becomes a toy car racetrack or tap dance floor, minor damages can be repaired.