Wood Floor Care Tips

Preventive Maintenance

Please carefully read the following preventive maintenance tips and use them on a regular basis.

• Clean your hardwood floors once every 1 or 2 weeks or more frequently depending on build up of dirt.
• Use protective walk off mats at all interior and exterior entrances and exits, in front of refrigerators, sinks stoves and ovens. Clean mats frequently with vacuum or shake them out. Gritty sand is your floor finish's worst enemy.
• Use area rugs underneath dining room tables. Salt is very abrasive when underfoot.
• Dust mop with Bona Kemi's hardwood floor cleaner only. Do not use any other mop treatment.
• Vacuum only using a soft bristle wand. Don't use an upright vacuum with a carpet wand.
• When damp mopping with a string mop use 1 part white vinegar and 2 parts warm water. The mop should be slightly damp, but never wet. If water streaks are left after mopping, you are using too much water on the mop. Never pour water directly on the floor and change the solution as it gets dirty.
• Sweep with a soft nylon bristle broom. Don't use straw bristle brooms, they scratch the floor!
• To remove grease spots, gum, hard sole shoe marks, and other stubborn stains or marks that do not come up with regular damp mopping, use a dry terry cloth towel dampened with mineral spirits, lacquer thinner, fingernail polish remover or Ivory soap and water. Don't pour the solvent directly on the floor. Doing this may cause a haze spot or even discolor the finish.
• Keep pet claws well maintained and watch for doggie and kitty accidents. Clean them up immediately!
• Install floor glides on frequently moved furniture such as dining room chairs, bar stools etc.
• Place furniture on caosters underneath all infrequently moved furniture such as sofas, love seats or anything with legs.
• Use carpet remnants placed face down underneat lounge chairs. Place only after the curing period.
• Consider the addition of a humidistat to your HVAC system to regulate humidity. This will add in the prevention of seasonal changes in your wood floor as well as other wood products such as cabinets, trim molding and doors.

Tips to Remember

REMEMBER! Wood Flooring is not a piece of furniture, it is hundreds of pieces of wood making a floor. Your wood floor will contain some or all of the following...

CRACKS - As wood flooring expands and constricts with the changes in relative humidity (especially during winter months), it will yield cracks, sometimes as large as the thickness of a dime. Do not panic, this is completely normal and in most cases the cracks will disappear (particularly during spring/summer) as the humidity increases in the structure.

VERY SMALL PARTICLES OF DIRT, LINT OR CARPET FIBERS - Your wood flooring is not finished in a paint booth like a car or piece of furniture. Instead, it is finished on site in a construction setting. There should never be large chunks of dirt or cluster of dirt. However, do expect some debris, most of which will walk out over time.

DIFFERENT COLORED BOARDS - No two boards are alike. This is the unique quality that attracts so many customers to hardwood flooring. Expect plenty of color variations.

KNOTS - Depending on which grade of flooring was installed will determine what type of character the flooring contains. The only know free floor is a clear grade of flooring.

SQUEAKS - All floors squeak -- especially with the change from wet weather to dry weather. The floor expands in wet weather and contracts in dry weather causing movement resulting in noise.

SCRATCHES AND SCUFFS - There is no such finish as a scratch free finish. It simply does not exist. Depending on the amount and frequency of traffic on the floor will determine how well the floors hold up and how frequently they need professional maintenance.

• Every piece of hardwood flooring has what is commonly referred to as soft or spring grain. This grain is very porous and tends to have a wavey or occasionally a straight appearance through the board. The soft or spring grain always absorbs the floor finish more than denser or summer grain and is more pronounced when seen in the right lighting. This is not a defect in the wood, it is nature's way of flaunting her beauty.
• Recessed lighting tends to create the illusion of small circles or spider webs in the finish. This illusion typically does not appear when seen in natural or incandescent lighting. This affect is a result of buffing the floor in preparation for the final coating. A process which cannot be eliminated for the sake of illusion.

Remember, wood flooring is a product of nature and changes occur on a continual basis. Wood flooring will positively increase the value and appearance of your home. Wood flooring never goes out of style and unless the flooring is flooded, fire damaged or infested with insects, will last an absolute lifetime. Wood flooring is a replenishable resource and is biodegradable; thus making is environmentally safe.

Wood Floor DON'T List

• Don't use any type of TAPE (such as scotch, masking, duct, blue, packing, etc) on wood floors. The tape will bond with the molecules in the finish and could potentially pull the finish off teh floor. Thus, resulting in an expensive touch up.
• Don't drag or push furniture. Always pick it up and place it.
• Don't roll furniture dollies on the naked floor. Always use and untextured cardboard path for the dolly to roll upon. Watch those refrigerators!
• Don't overwater plants that are placed on the hardwood floor. The water mixed with fertilizer will dissolve or discolor the finish and buckle or cup the flooring directly underneath the plant. Invest in some inexpensive plastic or metal catch basins and save an expensive floor. Don't use masonry or brick catch basins.
• Don't walk on floors with high heels. Whenever possible, remove high heel shoes and always keep them in good repair. Pine floors are more likely to show high heel marks than other woods. (Remember, pine is a softwood not a hardwood.)
• Don't walk on the floor with type of sport cleat (baseball, football or golf).
• Don't ever use liquid wax, paste wax, Murphy's Oil Soap, Endust, Pledge or any other silicone or wax based products while maintaining your floor. Once these products are used the floor then becomes a high maintenance floor. These products block the adhesion of additional polyurethane coatings.
• Don't let children rollerskate, ride bicycles, or skateboard across the floor.
• Don't leave spills (water, softdrinks, alcohol, urine etc) for prolonged periods of time. Wipe them up with a soft terry cloth towel and wash the area with a damp terry cloth towel.
• Don't turn the A/C or Heater off when leaving the house for vacation. Always keep the temperature between 73 and 80 degrees fahrenheit. Eliminating the climate control in an energy efficient home raises the humidity within the structure causing the floor to swell and possible or even buckle.