The beauty and natural elegance of hardwood flooring is what has made it such a popular flooring choice over many centuries. Hardwood flooring has been used for hundreds of years and continues to grow in popularity because of new technology including improved finishes and maintenance. Hardwood is also great because it reduces allergens like dust and debris that can live inside carpets but it’s not as cold on the feet as tile.

For hardwood flooring to really shine you need to have it looking clean, even sheened and polished. A well-maintained hardwood floor adds warmth and an inviting nature to your home. Hardwood flooring is also great for increasing your home’s value. It is great for reselling homes because so many people are looking for wood floors. Maintaining hardwood flooring is not challenging but it’s vital to your floor’s longevity. Maintaining hardwood floors requires a few different steps including cleaning and mopping, and some professional maintenance.

While hardwood flooring is such a popular flooring type the maintenance required seems to be familiar. Hardwood flooring maintenance does not require a lot of different steps, really only requiring a few basic cleaning tasks and some professional assistance every few years. 

How to maintain hardwood

A basic cleaning routine is the most important step in maintaining your wood flooring. This cleaning routine is something that any homeowner can do but a cleaning service can also provide. Daily maintenance played a huge role in keeping your floor looking spic and span between professional maintenance coats

 Daily maintenance for hardwood flooring is mostly just removing debris and dirt. The ease of maintenance is what makes this type of flooring so popular. Cleaning the floor with a broom or vacuum daily is a great way to keep it free of debris that can wear through the finish. Debris on your floor can act as a sandpaper removing the finish coat and large debris like rocks can cause deep scratches. Wet mops can cause water damage to your floor so a microfiber mop and spray bottle is the ideal way to do more intensive cleaning which should be done on a weekly schedule. Waxing the floor is not necessary because of new finish technology, waxing can leave the floor hazy and dull. Look for products that are specific to wood flooring not to tile or vinyl to ensure your finish is not damaged. Properly maintaining your wood floor with daily maintenance helps extend the time between buff and coat or refinishes. Daily maintenance makes a huge difference in the lifespan of a wood floor.

What Preventative Maintenance should I do?

Alongside your daily maintenance you should instill some preventative maintenance practices. Preventative maintenance helps your floor look its best even with more intensive use. Some of the preventative maintenance measures you may consider include adding rugs to all your doorways, adding small rugs to hallways where a lot of foot traffic may be present and ensuring things are not drug along your floor. If you have pets, adding hallway rugs can be really helpful for preventing scratches. Additionally keep your pets nails trimmed. Doormats are great for catching debris and grit that can scratch your floor.  Asking guests to takeoff their shoes, especially high heels or cleats, is also a great preventative measure for protecting your floor. Preventing scratches from becoming too deep on your wood flooring is a great way to extend the time between professional maintenance coats.

Professional maintenance is something you will need to do about every 3 to 5 years. Over time your floor finish will dull and your hardwood can become scratched and worn. Which of  these professional maintenance services you need is based on how worn your floor is. If your floor has only minor wear, a maintenance coat is a great option. This is a service that only takes about a day and does not require much sanding. Maintenance coats really add a lot of life to your floor and can keep it looking good without much effort. A full refinish is a much more intensive process and it’s only necessary when the floor has a lot of damage including water damage and deep scratching. 

When to have a maintenance coat done?

Maintenance coats are a great option if your finish appears to be dull or worn. A maintenance coat can change the floor and bring back some of the shine. If you notice a lot of cloudy build up on your floor you may need a maintenance coat to remove all of the wax buildup. High Heel marks and scratches are also some things that could be removed with a maintenance coat but if the scratches and dents are too deep a refinish may be necessary.

Now that you know how to maintain your floor it is important to understand why you should maintain your floor. Maintaining your floor properly extends its life expectancy. Every time a floor is refinished a layer of wood is removed which overtime can mean that the floor has to be completely replaced. Proper maintenance helps to extend the life of the finish on the floor leading to less need for refinishing. Proper maintenance also keeps the floor sheen looking even and makes it easier for you to keep it clean. Reducing the signs of wear and tear through proper maintenance helps to extend the beauty and lifetime of your floor.

Maintenance coats or buff and coats are cheaper than a full refinish. This cost saving is another factor to consider and part of why prevention is so important for your wood floor. The overall cost of your floor will be reduced greatly if you only need maintenance coats instead of full refinishes. Maintenance coats are also less intrusive and create much less dust and disruption in your home.

Maintaining hardwood flooring is not a complicated process, and is a very important part of your daily routine. Clean hardwood floors last longer and with such a large investment in your home you want to get the most life out of your floor. Maintenance is the most important step to creating a lifetime floor.