Things you should know about repair and cleaning hardwood floors

October 6, 2008 on 10:30 pm | By | In bluefreesky.com | Things you should know about repair and cleaning hardwood floors
For many families who have solid hardwood floors in their homes, construct a substantial lifetime investment, and balance some care with a life span of advantage. When you first glimpse a solid hardwood floor, you sense richness, warmth and organic beauty. Evenly, you adapt its distinct singularity – visible harmonies, the elements of history in the woodlands and in your home .

Things to observe and appreciate :

Color and pattern of the floor’s strips, planks or parquetry.

Evaluate the grains. Oak- is bold in texture; Maple or cherry-are tempered .

Inspect the shape of the unexposed wood and the finish that defends it.

Inspect the signs of neglect. Is there a surface that demands just a delicate touch to care for it?

The phenomena of the natural materials gives you an ability to develop fine looks with one-of-a-kind textures, colors, patterns and styles of real hardwood flooring .

How do you protect your solid asset

The first step of guarding your hardwood floors is just simply sustaining them clean. To guard your solid hardwood floors’ warmth and character, apply the daily simple cleaning techniques.

Here are some highlights on how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors:

Stay away from having dirt, grit and sand on your hardwood floors. These elements are detrimental to your hardwood floors. They act like abrasive material on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Place floor mats at entrances to catch dirt and prevent damage.

Stay away from water and other spills. Standing water can deform insufficiently finished hardwood floor and can ruin the finish. Easily dry the surface with the cloth all spills as they happen.

Rough Cleaning solutions. Stay away from oil soaps. They can cause a build up and initiate the problems when your floor is expected to have a maintenance coating . Consider the recommended neutral pH cleaners made specifically for wood floors.

Furniture. Stay away from having your furniture drawn with force along the hardwood floors . Make sure to pick up the furniture to move it. Mount self-adhesive sliders under the furniture legs; it will help to prevent scratches.

Dents. In order to prevent cracks use the vacuum with a brush attachment. Stay away from the use of vacuums with beater bars.

Sun light . Direct sun can discolor your hardwood floor. Keep you window treatments and shades closed. Or add special sun block shades to protect from the sun’s intense UV rays.

Everyday care for your hardwood floors:

Sweeping. Use the brooms with fine, exploded ends to capture all the dust and grit effectively.

Vacuuming. Use the specially made canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments. They are the most appropriate way remove all the dirt and dust.

Dusting Mop. Use a efficient dust mop. The dust mop should have 12” to 18” inch cotton head and a special dust mop application. Drizzle the treatment onto the mop head 12 to 24 hours before dust mopping.

What types of hardwood floors are there?

Oak and maple are the most popular hardwoods used in flooring.

Ash, beech,birch, cherry, hickory and walnut are elaborate hardwoods that are used for floors and decorative accents.

Follow these steps to evaluate the condition of your hardwood floor and its finish

Finish Condition. Check closely if the finish been deteriorated or is it just unclean. Check if the finish is dull, cracked off, scraped or gouged. In order to inspect if the finish has worn off, begin in a high-traffic area and pour one to two tablespoons of water onto the floor. If the water soaks in immediately and leaves a darkened spot, the finish is obsolete and water can damage the wood. If the water soaks in after a few minutes and darkens the wood only slightly, the finish is partially worn. If the water blobs on top, the surface is densed. Repeat this test in low- and medium-traffic areas.

Wood Condition. Check to see if the finish is obsolete, the wood may have been busted. Check the areas for stains, burns, cuts, gouges, holes, cracks or deflected boards. If the wood is busted repair or replacement may be required.

What type of finish does your floor have?What to know about the finishes of your hardwood floor?

Similar care and maintenance techniques are needed for all finishes in good condition, however when it comes to removing stains or restoring the finish, methods alter. If you don't know the type of finish your floor has, check with your contractor or real estate specialist.

There are also incomplex tests available for your convenience:

Surface Finishes----pre-finished floors, polyurethane, water-based urethane and catalyzed. Nearly all floors installed today have surface finishes, commonly it is a polyurethane. They are generally glossy and may look like a layer of clear plastic on top of the wood. A small amount of paint remover in an inconspicuous area of the floor will hence the surface finish to bubble (unless it is a water-based urethane, in which case there will be no reaction). Surface finishes armor the floors from any harm by shaping a protective a layer on the top of the wood.

Penetrating Seals: acrylics, oils and waxes.

Oils and waxes commonly have a satin or matte finish. To recognize the penetrating seal, run your hands across the surface of the hardwood floor; If you can observe the wood grain it's most likely a penetrating seal. Usage of the paint remover will have no effect on a penetrating seal; however wax stripper or ammonia will cushion and blanch the surface. Oils and waxes penetrate the surface of the floor protecting the wood from within.