HOW TO CARE FOR AND REFURBISH YOUR WOODEN FLOORS
Wooden floors look beautiful when new. The finish of a new wooden floor shines and sparkles, and really lifts any room. But, without regular cleaning and the correct care, any wooden floor can easily become marked and scratched and will naturally begin to fade.
BASIC CARE REGIME FOR HARDWOOD FLOORS
Regularly use a vacuum or brushing to pick up dust, dirt and rubbish. Vacuum weekly with a floor brush attachment. Don’t use a brush bar attachment as this can scratch the wood floor. Damp mop the floor regularly as well.
HOW TO DEEP CLEAN YOUR HARDWOOD FLOOR
Regular deep cleaning of your hardwood floor should help to preserve its colour and shine. Use a wood cleaning product diluted according to instructions. Lightly mop the floor using the diluted wood floor cleaner/maintainer. Make sure you wring the mop thoroughly to avoid putting too much water on the floor. Mop again with clear water if instructed to do so on wood cleaning product instructions. Dry floor immediately after washing with a microfibre cloth.
Regular cleaning should keep your floor in good condition, free from a build-up of dust and grime. If your floor has gone beyond this stage, then it may require a bit more work.
WHEN THE FLOOR HAS GONE BEYOND DAILY CLEANING
One of the most frequent questions WINNS get asked about wood floor cleaning is what's the best method to use for revitalising wood floors. There are different options available, so I have listed them below:
METHODS OF REVITALISING WOOD FLOOR ARE ALL DEPENDANT ON THE FOLLOWING;
- What condition the floor is in.
- What finish has been previously applied to the floor surfaces.
Let’s take a basic wooden floor that has been laid for a number of years. It would have probably been sealed with a hard glaze type floor sealer and you may not be able to determine exactly what was used on the floor.
If the floor seal has worn off in places of high traffic and you can see the bare wood surface, it is probably ready for a complete sand back, and removal of all the existing seal. It will then require re-sealing and polishing. The floor will become a major project which will take time and money to resolve.
If the seal has not worn right through, you have the option of deep cleaning the floor and treating it with a polish. Once again the wood floor surface may have a protective dressing or polish on top of the original seal. If this is the case it will require the stripping of the seal/polish prior to re-applying a fresh polish.
STRIPPING AND RESEALING/POLISHING FLOORS
This process can usually be completed within a few hours and it does not involve sanding back the original floor seal. This method for this type of treatment is to use a rotary floor scrubber and a chemical stripper product. Using a wet cleaning method, the polish can be removed with a stripping solution and a black floor pad.
Once the floor scrubber and chemical has broken down the old floor polish and reduced it to a slurry, it is then removed using a wet pick up and then rinsed over several times with fresh water to remove any residue chemical from the floor surface. This process is known as floor stripping.
Once the floor surface has been allowed to dry naturally, it is then ready for the application of the polish. This may be applied in thin coats and allowed to dry in between applications.
REPOLISHING OF DAMAGED FLOORS
There is a third option if the original seal/polish is looking grubby and scratched but has not worn through to the wood. If you know exactly what seal/polish product was used and that product specifies that it is suitable for re-coating, you will be able to use the machine cleaning method with a black floor pad. Instead of applying wet cleaning and stripping chemicals, use the machine dry or with only a spray mist in order to lightly abrade the surface of the seal/polish to the point that it allows for good adhesion for the re-coating process. Before re-coating, ensure the floor surface is completely free of dust and any other type of contaminates and is fully dry. It is then ready for the application of the polish. This may be applied in thin coats and allowed to dry in between applications.
TIPS FOR PREVENTING WEAR AND TEAR
There are quite a few things you can do to prevent general wear and tear of your hardwood floors.
- Position mats both inside and outside of exterior doors to lessen the amount of dirt that is tracked into the room.
- Use floor protectors or rugs under furniture.
- Use gliders for furniture that gets moved around a lot. The thick, peel and stick glides work best. Avoid using plastic glides and casters as they can scratch wooden floor surfaces.
- Wipe up spills as soon as possible.
- Keep high heel shoes in good repair, damaged heels can easily mark wood floors.
- Do not use wax, abrasive cleaners or oil-based cleaners on hardwood floors.
If you would like further advice on how to maintain or rescue your wooden floors, please do not hesitate to contact Ryan Stillwell on 01702 713100 for a free no obligation consultation.