At Wood and Beyond, we want your investment in your new wood floor to be a smart one. We want to know that you get the very best quality floor at the best price. We also want to know that you have the widest choice possible, so you’re sure to find something that meets your needs. But more than all that; we want to make sure that your investment lasts and stays looking great for a very, very long time. It’s for this reason that we’ve put together this article to share our Top 10 Wood Flooring Protection Tips that you can do after installation. Here they are:
- Allow your last coat of oil or varnish to dry thoroughly before either walking on the floor or moving your furniture back into the room. This process is called curing. Waiting an extra bit of time might be a bit frustrating, but it’ll pay big dividends later in your floor’s life.
- For at least a week, don’t cover the floor or put chemical products of any sort on it. This means that you should wait this time before putting rugs back in place and before adding any cleaning products to your mopping water. This shouldn’t be an issue because in fact water alone should be sufficient to clean your floor during this time.
- If you have any more work to do in your room, don’t even think about starting it until your floor is completely cured (see Tip number 1) and make sure you cover the floor entirely and carefully to protect it from damage during the additional works.
- Make sure you vacuum your floor regularly to remove any abrasive dust and grime that could at best scratch your floor’s protection and at worst, could cause lasting damage.
- Help reduce the amount of abrasive dust and grime you let into your home by investing in some quality doormats. If your house gives directly on to the outdoors (ie isn’t an apartment in a block for example), you should buy an outdoor mat that takes the worst of the muck and dirt off shoes. Thereafter, ideally you should invest in a scrubbing mat that will take off any residual dirt, and finally an absorbent mat that will remove any remaining moisture. A Top Tip when it comes to doormats is to make them long enough to get a couple of steps on their surface, even if people don’t stop to wipe their feet.
- Mop your floor every few days with a microfiber mop that’s been lightly sprayed with warm water. Spraying your mop with water rather than soaking it in water means you’re sure not to soak your floor too much and potentially cause damage. Unless your floor is heavily soiled you shouldn’t need any cleaning products; water alone should do the trick. If you do get resistant spots, you should spot clean those carefully.
- Only once your floor is cured, if you need a slightly deeper clean, you should use an appropriate detergent, diluted in warm water and a damp mop. If you’re in any doubt about which detergent is best for your floor, your flooring supplier, a good DIY shop or our team at Wood and Beyond can help.
- If you have stubborn stains, your first line of attack should be a concentrated detergent and thereafter if the stains persist, you could sand away the stained area and refinish the floor.
- If your floor becomes dull and lacklustre, there are plenty of polishes that will bring it back to life. Again, your flooring supplier, a good DIY shop or our team at Wood and Beyond can help.
- Our final tip for protecting your floor after installation may sound odd, but we’re perfectly serious. In fact it comes as three separate tips:
- Ban stilettoes.
- Make sure pets have short claws and are dried off before coming into your home.
- If you dare, ask family and friends to remove their shoes at the door (after all, there are plenty countries in the world where people do this naturally without being asked J!)
If you’d like any help keeping your floor in great shape, why not get in touch? At Wood and Beyond we’re here to help.