You just installed (or better yet, had us install) a beautiful, brand new wood floor. As you may have read in some of our other blog posts, wood floors can easily be damaged. However, there are many preventative measures that will help preserve and protect your floor. In this blog post, we will teach you how to protect your wood floors!
Furniture Pads
One of the most common causes of damage to wood flooring is scuffs from furniture. These can happen when re-decorating or re-arranging, when furniture is moved to vacuum/sweep that hard-to-reach corner, or any other time furniture is moved. Adding furniture pads to the feet of your dining table, chairs, coffee table, and sofa can prevent ugly scuffs and scratches.
Keep It Clean
Scuffs and scratches can occur even when the smallest piece of sand is pushed, dragged, or stepped on and pushed into the wood. If you choose to vacuum your floor instead of sweeping it, use a vacuum with an attachment that is specifically designed for wooden floors- regular vacuums may scuff the floor as well.
It is also very important to wipe up any spills on hardwood floors, because wood will otherwise soak in liquid very quickly.
Manage Humidity
Here in Northern Colorado, a room that is too humid is hard to come by. However, the dryness of the air can cause floors to contract, or shrink. Consider using a hygrometer to monitor humidity levels, and use a humidifier to help keep your rooms at the appropriate levels.
How humid do you need to go? Well, that depends on the type of wood! Generally, rooms with hardwood floors should be somewhere between 35%-50%, but for ideal humidity, it is best to consult the sales team that you bought the flooring from. We would be more than happy to look into it for you, too.
Manage the Pets
Dogs’ claws are always out, which means that any time Fido is on the wood floor, his claws could be damaging it. Because of this, it is important to keep your dog’s claws trimmed and filed, or grinded. Long walks on paved services will help keep your dogs claws smooth, but it likely won’t be enough. It is also important to note that your dog may have a hard time retaining traction on wood flooring, or other smooth floors, which bring us to our next point…
Use Wood Safe Cleaners
You should avoid mopping wooden floors, and instead, clean your floors with a product specifically designed for hard wood. The right cleaner will not penetrate the wood, and will clean it, and add an excellent shine. Need advice for what product is best for the specific kind of wood that your floor is made of? Give us a call!
Rugs are Your Friend
Rugs can help reduce damage and help Fido feel stable and sturdy. You likely will not want to cover the entire floor that you just invested in, and want to enjoy your investment, but it can drastically protect your investment, especially in high traffic areas such as hallways, entrances, and underneath furniture. Besides, rugs can be an excellent accent to decorate your brand-new floors with. Read more about selecting the right rug for your floor here.
If you have any questions about protecting your floors, we’d would be more than happy to help answer those. Give us a call at (970)226-6800 for help today!
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