If you have thought about changing your flooring and have selected hardwood flooring then you ve made a fantastic choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Hardwood floors are made from mature trees, and treated when finished. But hardwood will absorb water and also mar if something is pushed across it.
Even though hard wood flooring is easy to maintain, they require frequent refinishing, to ensure that the shine lasts for a long time. This is especially applicable for scarred and scratched floors.
A scuff is usually seen at the surface but it s not deep, something an appliance would make when pushed across the hardwood flooring, or a glass tumbling down and cutting the surface. A gouge by contrast is a lot more harsh, it s a wound of the planks. Attacking hard wood surface scratches is dealt with in a very different way than handling gashes, so applying some hard wood flooring scratch remover on a gouge, in this case won t make a significant difference.
Your first job is determining precisely what you re dealing with in the first place. Obviously, scuffs are much more common. I d bet there isn t one household that has hardwood flooring installed that won t have at least a few scuffs on the surface. After all, hardwood floors were first put into use because of their durability and character. As flooring choices go, they are one of the best in terms of longevity, and with just a little care they will lost almost forever.
Leaving a pool of liquid on your hardwood surfaces would not be a good idea. The cracks in between the hardwood may absorb the moisture and swell. If this happens in even a tiny spot it may continue to be conspicuous. If any liquid is spilled on the floor you need to absorb the fluid right away. When you clean your hardwood floor you can use a moist mop but only damp, not sopping. There are also floor cleaners that are specially made for hardwood floors that you could use. In any case, only a wet mop should be used.
Dents and scratches happen to hardwood surfaces at times. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over time some furniture legs can dent or mar the floors. It could be an idea to add some rugs under your furniture. There are materials available that go directly under the furniture legs. Also you can place some area rugs to the highly used areas in your house such as kitchens, corridors, in front of the lounger.
Some owners like the texture that scratches and dents give the floor. But when you are feeling that you are in fact done with them you can get your floors redone. You may need to have your hardwood flooring refinished each ten years or so, this can also add a protective coating to your hardwood floors. Everything you do from moving furniture to allowing your dog to roam in the house will have an impact on your hardwood surfaces.
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This tips series is written by Footprints Floors, a contractor dedicated to ethical business and hard work. If you need http://www.footprintsfloors.com/ visit them online at http://www.footprintsfloors.com
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