Timber Floor Care

Timber floors are an increasingly popular choice, and if you have them in your house, you’ll want to do what you can to maintain them and keep them looking beautiful. You have to think of timber floors and decking as an investment, and you get out of them what you put into them. Here are our timber floor care tips for extending the life of your timber floors and decking.

Never drag something heavy across the floor

You might think it wouldn’t need to be said, but it is never a good idea to drag an appliance or piece of furniture across your floors. This is something that many people find out the hard way shortly after their floor has been installed, and you want to do what you can to avoid it. If you have to move something heavy across the timber floor, then either get enough people involved that you can lift it, use a moving dolly to roll it, or place the item on something smooth (like cardboard) and push it across the floor. 

If you drag something heavy on your floor, you can not only ruin the finish but actually damage the timber and cause a problem that would be tough to repair. Wood scarring doesn’t exactly buff out. 

Clean with a vacuum or soft broom

How many times have we seen people ruin their wood floors during the cleaning process? We know it can be tough to get up some stains or well-attached gunk on the floor, but you want to be careful what you use to clean timber with. For the best timber floor care, a vacuum and soft broom should be used, but for the more intensive cleaning you can use a mop or a soft scrub pad. Never use metal scrubbing tools, as they will leave scratch marks behind. Try to avoid using a scraping tool as well, since that can easily harm the finish and leave marks behind.

If you have a stain or some grime that is giving you some difficulty, then try letting it soak in warm, soapy water. Never use an abrasive, chemical solution that could damage the flooring or finish. If you are not sure what cleaning solution is safe or best for timber floor care, then read the instructions on the cleaner and for your flooring and finish types. You can research this kind of information online, and you want to take your time picking out the right solution so as to not cause long term problems. 

Regular maintenance saves your floors

The way a lot of people will clean their floors is to simply do some cleaning when they see dirt or grime. It’s always better to be preventative, though, especially when it comes to something that is a big investment like wood floors. Regular mopping is recommended for timber floor care, and you should mop at least once a week. You can use a mild cleaning solution with the water, but make sure it is appropriate for the kind of flooring and finish you are working with. 

You should also sweep or vacuum a couple times a week. This will help to get up abrasive, gritty bits of debris that could create friction and cause scarring on the wood. By keeping your floors clean, you greatly reduce the risk of damage to them. When you walk on dirty floors, you can push debris into the wood and make it harder to clean up later on. 

Your floors need a high-quality finish

This is the most important thing that you can do for good timber floor care. Cleaning is great for your floors, being careful with how you treat your floors is also a key factor in extending their life, but if you don’t have a finish that protects your floors, then you will have to replace them a whole lot sooner. You will also have to put up with noticeable damage to the floor a lot sooner and more often if there is no finish in place. 

Be sure you spring for the higher quality finish, like wax, tung-oil or polyurethane. At Houseace we offer floor staining and oil to maximise the life of your floors. We also ensure it is properly covering the wood and will protect it from possible damage. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. 

You’ll also want to replenish the finish after a few years. Find out how long the warranty lasts and how long the finish is expected to protect your floor, and then prepare to have the finish redone before that time. If you put in the extra effort for your floor’s finish, you can have a beautiful looking floor for decades longer than what you would get without the finish. 

Let the finish harden

Here is a tip that many people need when they first have their floors installed and their finish put on: you have to let that finish harden properly before you install a carpet or put a lot of wear and tear on the floor. It is best if the floor can stay untouched for a few days or weeks, depending on the kind of finish that is used. If you are going to have furniture placed on the floor while the finish is curing, then you should make sure it has rollers or other cushioning items on it to prevent the finish from being damaged. So many people don’t get the full benefit of their finish because they move too fast with everything else. Once the finish has been applied, it’s best to wait for it to harden, even if that inconveniences you for a few days, since you get a lot more life out of it.  

Conclusion

When you need a timber floor or deck installed, then give us a call. At Houseace we offer quality flooring and finishes, including floating flooring, floor staining and oiling, floor sanding, and whitewash flooring. All with a 100% happiness guarantee. Talk to one of our flooring experts and get some ideas about what kind of option might be right for your home on 1300 304 367 or click for the link for a free, instant timber flooring quote.