Tag: Hardwood Flooring Basics

Hardwood Flooring Installed

Hardwood Flooring InstalledWe just had hardwood flooring installed. So we thought we would write a post about the best ways to look after your hardwood floor. Keep it looking pristine for many years.

Now how do you take care of it and keep it that way without having to do a lot of work. You have invested a lot of money in your new floor. It will also cause your home to increase in value as well a great deal. If you maintain the floor, it will only continue to enhance your home’s value especially when it comes time to sell it.

Hardwood Flooring Installed

Protect your hardwood floors by taking care of your hardwood floors and also following a few simple rules which we’ve listed below:

Do not wear shoes inside your home, They track in dirt and grit which can scratch your floors and overtime leave a dull finish. This is probably one of the most important tips to remember.

Vacuum often to remove dust and also grit that makes it onto your floors from your clothes, from shoes, dust that is blown in from outside and even dust blowing in through the windows. Keeping your floors very clean will enhance the floors and keep them looking great for years.

Wipe up spills immediately before the liquid can ruin the finish on your floor and also fall between the cracks causing the wood to swell.

Place coasters under furniture feet to avoid pressure points from the feet of the furniture that leave indentations in your floor that cannot be easily removed.

Close blinds to decrease bleaching by the sun. It is truly amazing just how much the sun can bleach the floor leaving a two tone floor, one area where the furniture was and the other area where the furniture was not sitting.

Do not drag furniture across floors to avoid scratching the floor and leaving marks. Lift the furniture and carry it across the floor.

Wash the floors with a damp mop to remove in dirt and grit that may have stuck to the floor. Never allow any liquid to stay on the floor especially when you are mopping the floor with a mop. It should be only damp and not wet. Never use any abrasive material or any soap that could damage the finish on the floor.

Improve & Maintain Your Homes Value

Hardwood floors will last a lot longer if you take some simple precautions. They do not take a great deal of work. Your home will also be worth much more when it comes time to sell it. The hardwood floors should be in good to great condition. Prospective buyers are interested in gleaming and shiny floors that they do not have to have refinished. They want to avoid the work, the expense and the challenge of having floors refinished while trying to move in to their new homes.

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Cheap Hardwood Flooring for Sale

Cheap Hardwood Flooring for SaleHardwood floors really add a lot of value to a home both in monetary terms as well as in the comfort and warmth of a home. More and more people are installing hardwood floors instead of carpeting these days because it is so much easier to keep clean and collects far less dust. If you suffer from allergies investing in a hardwood floor may be the right solution for you to limit the amount of dust in your home. While you are at it install a central vacuum with the exhaust outside. This will ensure that any micro pieces of dust that are exhausted through the vacuum are distributed outdoors in the garage or car port instead of back into your home. regular vacuums just circulate these small particles which can really be difficult for any one who suffers from allergies to dust and mites. Enough on allergies, back to cheap hardwood flooring.

Cheap Hardwood Flooring for Sale

When you are buying hardwood flooring there are many issues to consider. We have listed some of the major ones to give consumers something to think about and act on before they place their order regardless of whether they are installing it themselves or having a professional install the floor for them.

Our List for Hardwood Flooring

  • Material
  • Installation
  • Taxes
  • Save money
  • Do it yourself
  • Look for sales
  • Look for same lot
  • Pre finished
  • Stairs and curved stairs
  • Save on taxes

Consider each of the above items and decide how much money you want to save when you install your hardwood flooring.

Material – purchase high quality material always. It needs to last a long time and you do not want to replace the floor any time soon.

Installation – who will install the floor for you? do they have good reviews? is the installation included in the price?

Taxes – don’t forget to add in the tax to get to the total price when comparing to your planned budget

Save money – by waiting for a sale, doing some or all of the work yourself

Do it yourself – there are training courses offered by many companies which are often free and cover the basics of installing hardwood floors along with Youtube videos.

Look for same lot – always by wood that has the same lot number to make sure that the stain and the finish are exactly the same

Pre finished – hardwood is by far the easiest and least dirty in terms of dust. It is much faster as well. Once the floor is installed, it is ready to be used.

Stairs and curved stairs – are more difficult to install especially curved stairs. Take your time or hire an expert for this portion of the job


Professional Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Professional Hardwood Floor CleaningMany people would prefer not to have to clean their own floors. They would prefer to hire someone to do that work for them whether it is the basement, the kitchen or all of the floors in their home.

Usually people will hire professional companies to come and clean all their floors and wash all of the rugs. It saves them a lot of time and they do not need to do the work that is involved in shampooing floors. It really is just that they do not want to make the effort to do some work and save themselves a bit of money.

What About Rugs?

As with rugs, special precautions should be taken to ensure that the detergent that is being used will not harm your rug or discolor the rug. Usually people remove all of the furniture to make sure that the rug is not stained in any way from the feet of the furniture sitting on a wet rug. Allow your right to dry before placing any furniture on it or using the rug or walking on it.

Professional Hardwood Floor Cleaning

When it comes to hardwood floors, special precautions should be taken to ensure that a mild soap detergent is used and that no water or liquid is left on the floor. Any excess liquid can harm your floor and cause the floor to buckle after it swells from absorbing the moisture. In addition, depending on the liquid, it may also stain the floor.

Immediately wipe up any liquid that spills on the floor. Don’t forget droplets that may be left over after washing the hardwood floor. Before washing the floor whether it is a hardwood floor or a rug, be sure to vacuum the floor. Remove all loose dirt and grit that maybe on the floor. This will ensure that your cleaning will do a much better job on both kinds of flooring. Your floors will last much longer than they would otherwise. In the end this saves a great deal of money.

If you really do not want to have to clean or refinish your flooring often, remove all shoes at the front door. Vacuum often to remove all grit that may be brought into the house. This grit can act like sand paper and remove the shine from your floor. Over time your floor will have a dull looking finish. It may require a complete re-sanding and refinishing to regain that shiny new look. Your floors will last much longer if you take care of them. They will look better and the cost of refinishing your floors will be deferred well into the future. Take care of your floors regardless of whether they are carpet,  linoleum or hardwood. This will reduce your annual maintenance costs.


Hardwood Flooring Installers

Hardwood Flooring InstallersGood hardwood flooring installers sometimes can be hard to find. Home owners who are looking for hardwood flooring installers should know a little about the installation process so that they can evaluate the installers that they may be hiring. Otherwise you are simply hiring someone that the store may have recommended or who has installed a floor for a friend of yours. He may do a fine job and then again he might not. By knowing something about the process, and assessing what approach the installer will take with your floor, you can increase the odds of a fantastic job that you will be satisfied with for many years.

Hardwood Flooring Installers – Summary

The following are a summary of the steps that an installer would follow to ensure a quality job that everyone will be proud of:

  • Hardwood Floor Preparation
  • Considerations for Wood Floor Installation
  • Getting Started
  • Layout and preparation of Your Hardwood Floor
  • Cutting and Fastening Your Wood Floor
  • Install the Baseboards

Hardwood Floor Preparation – always ensure that the sub floor is clean, smooth and structurally sound. Either screw nail the existing sub floor to the joists underneath or add a 5/8 sheet of plywood to the floor and screw nail it to the existing sub floor to avoid any possibilities of a squeaking floor when someone walks across it. Adding an additional subfloor will add some sound proofing, but will also raise the floor by 5/8 inches, which will have to be adjusted for when it meets other types of flooring. You may also have to shave 5/8 inches off the bottom of doors as well at entry points. Concrete floors should be handled in a different manner.

Considerations for Wood Floor Installation – hardwood floors come in different varieties such as engineered or solid wood flooring. Engineered flooring will not warp or twist, however there is only a solid wood veneer on the flooring over layers of wood. Solid wood flooring should be acclimatized to the home before being laid and it can be sanded many times to renew the perfect look you want after many years of high traffic use. If there is a crawl space underneath, protect the flooring by installing a vapor barrier and also ensure that the crawl space is properly vented.

Getting Started

Planning is everything and do it yourselfers need to investigate and plan how they will start.  Determine the direction of the floor joists and install the wood floor planking perpendicular to them. Begin with the longest and most visible straight wall. Most walls in homes and rooms for that matter are not perfectly straight nor are the rooms square. Starting with the most visible and longest will ensure that your rooms floor aligns with the most visible portion. If you need to install a vapor barrier, install it first, and stable it to the floor to hold it in place. Using a chalk line mark a line that is ½ inch from the wall. This is the location of the first board that will be put in place. Mark the locations of the joists so that you will nail this first board at all joist locations.

Layout and preparation of Your Hardwood Floor

Once you have the chalk line in place, pre-drill holes in the first board close to the edge that will be against the wall. Nail your first board along the chalk line and counter sink the nails. The holes will be filled with wood putty later to cover the holes. Complete the first board and then step back and check for alignment to the wall, straightness of the first board and confirm that this critical first step has been done correctly.

Cutting and Fastening Your Wood Floor

The next rows can now be installed. Cut boards in such a manner that the joints do not line up with joints in previous rows. This will add strength to the floor and also  add texture and beauty to the floor. Begin installing the remaining rows using a hardwood floor nailer, making sure that all boards are securely in place before nailing.

Continue laying the rest of the hardwood floor using the nailer until you reach the other wall. These boards will need to be hand nailed using the predrilled approach and wood putty to seal the holes.

Install the Baseboards

The last bit of wood to be put in place are the baseboards. You left a ½ inch space between the hardwood floor and the wall for expansion. The base boards will cover this space nicely. Many people will paint the baseboards first before installing them. Fill nail holes with wood putty and then touch up with paint to finish the overall look.

Junctions with doors and other floors should also be considered, however this is the subject of another post.

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Hardwood floor Vacuums – Ergorapido Ultra

Hardwood floor VacuumWe recently purchased a Hardwood floor Vacuum Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra cordless 2 in 1 stick and hand vacuum from Costco. The price was right and the lowest we had found in any of the shops that sell these types of hardwood floor vacuums. We paid $69 US for this vacuum which comes with a removable hand vacuum to get at small locations or if you just need to clean up a small spill of some kind. What a great little machine!

This particular vacuum appealed to us specifically because of the two in one package. You can use it as a stick or wand style vacuum or you can remove the had vacuum portion to get at small harder to get at locations. It also appealed to us because you can use it on hardwood floors as well which is what we have throughout our home. This was an important criterion since we are very concerned about the floors being scratched. For anyone with hardwood flooring, this requirement is critical since the last thing you want to do when you are vacuuming is to scratch your floor.

Hardwood floor Vacuums – Rechargeable

It is rechargeable and so you do not need to drag around a chord and find a place to plug it in every time you want to use it. This is a big advantage for many people who want to do a quick cleaning before the guests show up or to clean up a small mess without having to drag out the big vacuum.

We have read reports that some consumers find that the battery does not retain a charge very long and over time the battery lasts for a shorter and shorter time. This is a problem for any rechargeable tool. Following the manufacturer’s recommendations for initial charging and ongoing charging cycles will ensure that you get maximum use out of the battery.  Most recommend that you fully charge the battery before using it for the first time. Secondly, always drain the battery completely before recharging it. This way you will avoid the battery taking on what many people call the memory effect.

Consumer Reviews

After reading a number of customer reviews on a few web sites, we can summarize the following as their general comments:

  • Lightweight vacuum
  • Slim, lightweight, and QUIET.
  • The vac functions very well on all the floors and rugs in the kitchen and hallway.
  • The charge lasts for about 20 minutes at full power,
  • It takes @ 14 hours to fully recharge, which is rather long,
  • It is very maneuverable,
  • The powerhead swivels almost like a Dyson ball vac.
  • It is a hand vac as well.
  • The vacuum comes with a little brush and a crevice tool for use with the hand vac.
  • The charging stand is small and very easy to use. Emptying the cup is easy.
  • It is slim and elegant

The biggest complaint is that the battery does not last long enough. However, it really is not meant for covering a large area. This is for quick mess cleanup on rugs as well as hardwood floors and small rooms. We have found you can vacuum several rooms before it needs to be recharged.

If you have this particular vacuum please leave us your comments. Also if you have another model let us know what you think regarding its application on hardwood floors.

 


Secrets to Selecting Perfect Flooring

Selecting Perfect FlooringWhether you install the hardwood floor yourself or have someone do it for you is not the most critical issue for consumers.  Selecting perfect flooring can be a challenge for many people. The most important is to make the right choices in selecting floor coverings in the first place regardless of whether it is hardwood flooring or something else. We happen to think that hardwood and tile are by far the best things to use for your floors, but then we are bit biased.

Selecting Perfect Flooring

Here are a few of the issues we thing are important that you should take  into account when you are trying to decide on the hardwood floor you will purchase.

  • Overview
  • Design Styles
  • Situational Factors
  • Floor Traffic Expectations
  • Sub flooring
  • Humidity and Temperature
  • Installation
  • Warranty

Overview

Creating great looking hardwood floors in your home requires several important functional and design considerations to get it right. Whether you are considering natural hardwood floors,bamboo, or even laminate flooring – paying close attention to these7 tips will help you make sure that your home is just the way  you want it.

Design Styles

There are thousands of colors and styles to select from today. As a result  it can seem like a daunting task to make the right flooring choice. Narrowing the field down  is recommended to you select a flooring style that complements your home and your overall interior design style. Nothing will look worse that a glaring clash of styles,so make sure your new flooring complements your existing (or planned) interior design. Formulate a complete design style for your home and then select styles that will fit into this design.

Situational Factors

Almost every installation will have physical or functional requirements that may further narrow down the scope and selection of an appropriate hardwood or laminate flooring systems.

Floor Traffic Expectations

The quantity and type of traffic you expect on your floors will impact the flooring material you can choose. Laminates offer high durability, as well as wood species that have high”hardness rankings” on the Janka scale. Softer woods are generally not a good selection for high traffic areas. Take into account were you plan to place throw rugs as well to help with the traffic issues and look and feel of your home.

Sub Flooring

The quality of any new hardwood flooring installation can only be as good as the sub floor underneath. For the best outcomes,the sub floor should be dry, stable, and level.You may need to add a layer of plywood to provide extra support. At the minimum, screw nail any areas that may move or cause squeaks before installing your hardwood floor.

Concrete sub floors generally are only acceptable for laminate installations, but you should be mindful of installing a quality underlay that provides an appropriate moisture barrier as well as good sound installation.

Humidity and Temperature

To prevent warping and cupping of floors make sure there is adequate ventilation and regulated temperatures thought the year. Avoid any possibility of water on the floor or under the floor from leaks or from high humidity. Laminates work best in areas that experience higher humidity levels.

Installation

The time and cost of installation is an often overlooked factor in floor selection decisions. Obtain a separate quote for installation. This will help you decide if you will do the installation your self or hire a professional.

Glue less click-style floating laminate floor systems can be a weekend project for experienced do-it-yourselfers, and can save a lot of installation labor. Other flooring installation methods are generally more complex. They may  require professional installation in most cases.

Warranty

Making a successful claim under a flooring warranty often requires that you can demonstrate the product was installed exactly as per the manufactures recommendations. And that the damage is not a product of wear and tear or poor workmanship. Hiring a professional installer. Deal with a large brand name product that has an established track record is your best protection.

For more information about hardwood floor selection, click here.

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5 Basic Tips When Choosing Hardwood Flooring

Choosing Hardwood FlooringMore and more people are choosing hardwood flooring over carpet and other finishes. Timeless beauty, clean lines, strength and durability as well as the ease of cleaning and the classic look make hardwood flooring the perfect choice for your home. Hardwood flooring delivers another benefit as well that allergy sufferers appreciate. Lint and dust cannot build up on your hardwood floor the way it can on rugs. Install a central vac with the exhaust outside and you have the best situation for allergy sufferers. Choosing Hardwood Flooring can be very personal.

No matter what your personal style is, there is a flooring choice for you because of the unlimited selection of colors, stains, board widths and styles available. But before you rush out shopping for your hardwood flooring, there are a number of tips to keep in mind. These are basic tips, but may save you a lot of money as well as ensure that you will be satisfied with the final installation.

Choosing Hardwood Flooring – Budget

Always set a budget for yourself. Having a wide variety of flooring to choose from is great, but the downside is that it is easy spend more and to get overwhelmed quickly. This can mean that you end up overspending past your budget if you are not careful. Remember to balance style with quality with your budget when you make your final choice. Select something that enhances the sales value of your home as well. If you are unsure about what is or is not the right choice from this perspective, enlist the help of a real estate agent.

Match the Room with Your Choice of Flooring

You will be wise to match the room with your choice of flooring, whether hardwood or otherwise. For example, do not try to put hardwood flooring in a bathroom or a kitchen, due to the high levels of moisture a bathroom receives or food being dropped on the floor in a kitchen.

Match the Type of Wood to the Room

Different areas of the house demand different types of wood. For example, wood floors that have very light or very dark finishes typically do not fare well in the kitchen. You really should not mix and match different colors of flooring, unless the rooms that are being covered with hardwood flooring are physically separated. Rooms that run into each other, should really have the same flooring.

Select Hardwoods with a Strong Finish for High Traffic Areas

Choose a hardwood flooring that has an appropriate finish to match your lifestyle and the traffic in that room. A sitting room that is seldom used will let you get away with a lighter finish. However a hallway or living room will get continual traffic and requires a choice that offers a tougher finish that can stand up to a lot of wear and tear. Alternatively placing area rugs along high traffic areas will preserve your floors and offer contrast as well.

Choosing Hardwood Flooring – DIY  – Do It Your Self?

Consider installation – doing it yourself to save money or having a professional installer do a high quality job  for you? Many people successfully install their own flooring, but only after they have done their homework. It is often easier to hire a professional, however the cost will more than double in many cases.  Do your due diligence when selecting a hardwood flooring installer, talk to friends, ask for references and even visit homes were the installer has performed the work. You will want to be absolutely sure that it will be installed correctly.

Avoid Fad Styles That become Unpopular

Choosing the color and style of the floor can be the fun part for you and spouse. Choose a hardwood that matches your personal taste and your lifestyle without breaking the bank. The comparatively high cost of the flooring and installation demands choosing a wood that will not go out of style quickly. After all you do not want to replace the floor in a few years.

Comments are welcome about these tips and others. For more information about hardwood floor selection, click here.

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Hardwood Flooring Basics

Hardwood Flooring BasicsHardwood flooring adds warmth and beauty to your home. Real estate agents will tell you that houses with hardwood flooring will sell for more easily and will sell faster than houses without hardwood floors. They always say that you never get out of your house what you invest in it in terms of additions and upgrades. However hardwood floors could be the one exception. Most people today would prefer hardwood flooring in their homes for many reasons. We will cover some of the the Hardwood Flooring Basics in this post.

Hardwood Flooring Basics – Low Maintenance

Hardwood floors are not high maintenance. In fact they are less maintenance than rug floors and do not get near as dirty. If you have allergies, switching to a hardwood floor will make a huge difference for you, especially if you install a central vacuum system that has the exhaust outside of the home. The finishes are tough and of course like everything in your home, you need to take care of your floors. They will last for many years!

Regarding the environment, wood is actually much better than using rugs for your floors.  Wood is also a good choice for allergy sufferers since its surface doesn’t collect dust, dander and other allergens. Would can be regrown in the forest and it lasts for many years with proper care.

Types and Styles of Hardwood Floors

There are many types and styles of wood floors and many types of wood can be used in them. The most common styles are:

  • Strip – A floor made up of wood strips averaging 2″ in width. Strip flooring is ideal for small rooms as it makes the room seem larger than it actually is. Place the strips with the grain running lengthwise to make small rooms look even larger.
  • Plank – Plank flooring uses larger wood boards ranging from 3″to 6″ in width. Same thing applies in terms of direction to run the planks.
  • Parquet – This popular style is made up of wooden pieces that combine to create an attractive pattern. The simplest parquet pattern is a 6″ x 6″ checkerboard design, but there is really no limit to how complex a parquet floor pattern can become.

Wood floors can be protected by a transparent varnish that lets the wood’s natural tint show through or they can be stained any color you like to compliment any decor scheme. Over 50 different species of woods are used in wood flooring, including familiar domestic woods such as Pine, Oak, and Maple as well as more exotic woods like Bamboo, Mesquite and Teak. All of these woods vary in hardness and wear resistance, so consider the traffic patterns where they will be installed.

With all the flooring options available for the homeowner to consider, wood flooring remains a very popular choice. They’re more affordable than you might think.  with the increasing cost of oil and other materials, wall to wall rugs are coming close to the same costs as hardwood flooring. They maintain their beauty and value as time goes by. As the expression goes, “It’s the wood that makes it good!”

Maintaining Your Hardwood Floor

A hardwood floor will last many years if maintained properly. Always remove your outdoor shoes before walking on your floor. Leave them at the entrance to your home and have a mat to step on when you come in from outside. This mat will trap all kinds of loose particles and grit that could scratch your flooring.

Vacuum often, at least once a week to remove all dirt and grit that could scratch your floor. If you feel that a lot of grit is being tracked into your home from outside, vacuum these areas more often. Pets can bring a lot of dander, pollen and dirt into the home if they are outside a lot.

Install a central vacuum with the exhaust outside to remove all dust particles, even the fine  ones to reduce the dust in your home and also to reduce the impact on allergies if someone in your family suffers from allergies.

With proper care your flooring will last many years without the need to refinish your hardwood floors.

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Brazilian Cherry Hardwood Floors

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood FloorsBrazilian Cherry Hardwood flooring not only will set the tone for the style of your home but it will also add many years of value and enjoyment. Buyers are looking for hardwood floors that are in excellent condition. No one wants carpeting any longer when they purchase a home. This is a trend that has been going on for some time and if you are going to spend money on your home, spend it on hardwood floors. Today the trend is to have hardwood floors installed in new homes and to replace wall to wall rugs with hardwood flooring. There are lots of choices for the consumer and many do it yourself stores as well as venders that specialize in hardwood flooring can help you with selecting flooring that meets your lifestyle and needs.

Upgrading to Hardwood Floors from Carpeting

Many consumers are also moving to hardwood floors for another reason. Carpets inherently collect dust and over the years become quite dirty even with frequent vacuuming and cleaning. Hardwood floors on the other hand can be kept much cleaners since there is really no where for the dust to collect. Hardwood floors add value to your home and will ensure that you are able to obtain full price for your home whenever you plan to sell it. If you are dealing with allergies, a hardwood floor is much preferred with a central vacuum that exhausts outside of your home to reduce the dust and pollen that enters your home every day.

Brazilian Cherry Hardwood

No hardwood floor material is as stunning and rich as a Brazilian cherry hardwood floor. This material has such a great look it is often used for other applications such as exposed beams. Also door frames, furniture and anywhere else that its beauty will be enjoyed. If you are interested in installing new hardwood flooring here is some information about Brazilian cherry hardwood floor that will open your eyes to this great wood.

Brazilian cherry hardwood floor is the most widely imported hardwood flooring from Brazil to the US. This popularity is no coincidence. This species of wood is well known not only for its unique and dark color. But for its hardness and ability to withstand use. This exotic species is over 2 times as strong as red oak. The color of the wood will begin as a tan or lighter brown color. But darkens with age to become very deep reddish brown.

If you are considering hardwood flooring, and are uncertain about what to purchase there are tools available to assist you with your decision. Readers can develop a chart that lists the variables that are important to them in their decision choice.

Variety of Grades

You will find variations in grade within this species of wood. However overall this is an exceptional wood to use for flooring. As a guide, clear grade will have less character than other grades and consists mainly of heartwood. Select grades of Brazilian cherry hardwood floor have more character such as color variation as well as knots. There are also common grades 1 and 2. Common 2 will show more character than 1.

If you are looking for flooring that will stand out and also be very functional then Brazilian cherry hardwood floor is right for you. This species of wood is durable, colorful and has its own unique style. When you look at installing a new hardwood floor, be sure to take a good look at Brazilian cherry. Be different and use a hardwood that many consumers avoid just because it is different.

Floor Installation

Consumers can have hardwood flooring installed in their homes by professionals. They can complete the job in less than a week depending on the size of the home and how many rooms are being completed. This is a job that most consumers would rather leave to the professionals. The job is done correctly and completed within a short period of time.

Visit our site map for other interesting articles on hardwood floors. For more information on Hardwood floor selection, click here.

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Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips

Five Steps To Protecting Your Hardwood Floor From Disaster
Common knowledge states that hardwood floors are a great investment for a Hardwood Floor Cleanershomeowner, both for personal enjoyment as well as adding value to your home when you decide to sell your home. They add a certain charm and character to a home that can’t be replicated by laminates, carpeting, or any other type of flooring.

However, the investment does not stop with the decision to purchase hardwood for your flooring. To retain the value, the hardwood must be properly cared for and maintained just like any other flooring. Fortunately, with a few simple, easy, inexpensive steps, your hardwood flooring will always remain in perfect shape. In the longer term you may have to sand your flooring and apply stain, however this really depends on how well you care for your floor as well as how much foot traffic it receives.

Hardwood Floor Cleaning Tips

Do not use Murphy’s Oil Soap.

Murphy’s works great on wooden furniture, but don’t make the mistake of using it on your hardwood floors. You won’t notice anything wrong after applying it once, but if used consistently, residue will build up and leave your floor with a dull appearance.

Do not use a Wet Swiffer.

A Dry Swiffer is great for collecting dust, dirt, and pet hair from your floors, and it is also less abrasive than a vacuum cleaner. However, a Wet Swiffer can cause major long-term damage. The chemicals in the cleaning solution can break down the urethane finish on your floor and leave it dull, faded, and lifeless.

Area Rugs.

Place area rugs anywhere that might collect water or receive lots of traffic. Prime areas are in front of the refrigerator, by the dishwasher, and near any sinks. If you do spill liquid on the floor clean it up quickly. If the rug is wet or even damp, take the rug outside or place it somewhere. Place it were it can dry before placing it back on the floor.  Make sure that the floor is protected in any spot that is susceptible to minor leaks and water collection. A pool of water is the quickest way to destroy your floor.

Floor Mats.

Use floor mats in spots where people step on the hardwood directly after being outside. Do not allow people to walk around your home with shoes on. In particular, high heeled women’s shoes are really bad for leaving marks on the floor. In addition to protecting against wet or muddy footprints, floor mats will help collect any sharp or abrasive materials stuck in the treads of shoes. This step will help prevent accidental scraping or scratching.

Use felt pads when moving furniture.

Or better yet, lift the furniture off the ground instead of sliding it across your hardwood floor. If felt pads must be used, please make sure that they are free of any debris. Place pads under all furniture feet to avoid leaving a permanent mark on the floor from the contact of the furniture with the floor. Even if a tiny little object like a staple is under that pad when heavy furniture is set upon it,your floor could receive some serious gouges.

These steps will help ensure that your home retains its value by protecting your hardwood floors against major damage. A gleaming clean and unmarked hardwood floor will add thousands of dollars to the value of your home.

Accidents do happen, however, no matter how careful you are. Clean up immediately to avoid any long term damage to the floor.  If your floor becomes damaged, and requires repairs,  contact the manufacturer or the installer for advice.


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