SHOW YOU CARE

Your new wooden floor is installed and looks fantastic – the first question must be “how do I keep it looking like this ?” A few basic rules on wood floor maintenance apply to ALL types of wooden floor, whether you have a laminate, veneer, engineered or solid wood floor.

These simple rules take cognisance of two issues – wooden floors do not like water as it causes the wood fibre to expand, or in the case of laminate floors, they will swell when exposed to excess moisture. The second issue to be aware of is that sand, stone, grit or dirt acts like a form of sandpaper if not regularly removed from the floor – this results in scratching or loss of luster if a gloss finish.

The following simple steps will ensure that your floor always looks great:

RULE 1:                 Sweep or vacuum the floor daily in order to remove any dirt, sand or residue which can damage it.

RULE 2: Wipe up any spills on the floor as quickly as possible

RULE 3:                 At each entry point onto the wooden floor from outside, place a dirt trapping mat to try and catch as much dirt as possible. I many parts of the world, shoes are removed and left at the entry point to the wooden floor – you must just ensure there is enough slip-ons for visitors !

RULE 4:                 Place rugs or mats in high traffic or high wear points – these are often found in work areas such as kitchens so this is not always practical

RULE 5:                 Ensure that all furniture legs or bases are fitted with felt floor protectors to prevent surface wear and scratching when they are moved – especially dining tables and chairs

RULE 6:                 Never wet-mop or allow excess moisture on the floor. When cleaning, use the hottest water available from the tap, add a proprietary cleaner suited to the floor type and use a well wrung out mop or cloth to wipe the floor. The purpose of using hot water is to encourage rapid evaporation of water off the floor’s surface.

RULE 7:                 Oiled floors should be cleaned with appropriate floor soap as these help to protect the oiled wood by leaving a wax residue on the floor. Oiled floors will also “dry out” in our harsher climatic areas and will require wiping over with maintenance oil from time to time to rejuvenate them.

WARNING – never place the oil rag in a plastic bag for disposal – it may self – ignite !!

RULE 8:                 Keep pets claws and nails trimmed – they can cause considerable damage, especially to veneers if they lose traction on a new floor. !

RULE 9:                 When moving in, protect the floor if heavy furniture is being moved – we are often called back on moving day to quote and repair damage from the furniture move.

RULE 10:               Either keep all stilettos well maintained by regularly replacing heels or remove them

RULE 11:               To reduce the effects of UV oxidation, move rugs, carpets and furniture around on wood floors