If you have flooring in the Nashville area and have recently taken the professionals here at Ozburn-Hessey up on their offer of a wonderful hardwood floor installation, then you will likely want to make sure it looks as nice as it does for years to come. There are ways to do that, but they might not be the ways you are thinking of. Although it’s contradictory to its name, hardwood flooring is somewhat more delicate than its more versatile cousins, laminate flooring and vinyl plank flooring. You need to be careful with most hardwoods to ensure they have a long-lasting life. Residential carpeting is a wonderful flooring option. However, you don’t want to choose this because your brand new hardwoods are already dinged up and worn out after just a few years of use. With that in mind, here are some tips for making sure you get the most out of your hardwood flooring.
Watch How You Clean
One of the most common mistakes people make in an effort to keep their floors looking as nice as the day they were installed is using the wrong products to keep them clean. For example, a lot of people use different cleaners and wood shiners that promise to make your hardwood floor installation shiny and young forever. Well, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Most of the miracle floor waxes and sprays actually just put a layer of wax on top of your floor’s surface, which can be more harmful than if you had done nothing. The wax mixes with the polyurethane used to finish the wood. The mixture is harmful, since it allows the surface to wear away much more quickly. Plus, once you use one of these products, you have to keep using it to maintain the same level of quality. Repeated use of these products wears down the floor’s surface, so if you use one repeatedly, it removes the option of resurfacing later in life because you won’t be able to buffer the surface properly. Instead of using something that promises the moon and doesn’t deliver, just use a simple hardwood floor cleaner that is specifically designed for the job. For the most part, they are environmentally and safe to use around children. These products can be used regularly without harm to your floors.
Avoid Scratching the Surface
Another thing you can do to extend the life of your floors is avoid scratching the surface. How easy it is to scratch the surface of the hardwood in your home or office will depend on which material you are using. An oak hardwood flooring is more resistant than a softer material, such as pine. Either way, there are steps you can take to ensure a scratch-free floor, regardless of the material in play. For example, avoid using a vacuum cleaner designed for carpets directly on the surface. There are different kinds of vacuum cleaners for different areas of your home or office; using the wrong one can lead to scratching and tearing. Along the same lines, use linen pads and roller mats under furniture, especially rolling office chairs. The wheels roll back and forth so much and each trip removes a little bit of the floor. Continued use leads to extreme wear and tear. Similarly, shoes occasionally trap small pebbles and other sharp objects in the soles and can lead to scratching.
Hardwoods are among the most durable floors you can put in your home or office. To ensure that durability avoid using fancy sprays and stick to basic hardwood cleaners. Give your floors a break by placing protective material between your furniture and floors. By doing these simple things your floors will be in better shape and will look great for years to come.
