Hardwood Care and Maintainence
Troubleshooting Finished Floors
Troubleshooting Stained and Waxed Floors
HARDWOOD
CARE AND MAINTAINENCE
Advanced finish technology and innovative products
make wood one of the easy-care flooring materials today. A few preventative
measures can preserve a beautiful finish and keep maintenance to a minimum.
- Never wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water
can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discoloring residue. It is
also important to not use a water-based cleaner.
- Vacuum or sweep weekly to eliminate fine particles
of dirt and grit. The vacuum head must be a felt or brush type. Do not
use a vacuum with a beater bar head.
- Remove spills and stains immediately through a soft
cloth and cleaning products recommended by the manufacturer.
- Remove any moisture from the hardwood floor immediately
- Never use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products
on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes will cause wood to become slippery
and appear dull quickly. The only remedy in this situation is to sand and
refinish the floor.
- Never use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products
on wood floors. Self-polishing acrylic waxes will cause wood to become slippery
and appear dull quickly. The only remedy in this situation is to sand and
refinish the floor.
- If waxing, do not over-wax a wood floor. If
the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax buildup under furniture and
other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
- Place mats and throw rugs at doorway exteriors and
interiors to help prevent the tracking of grit, dirt, and sand.
- Avoid using shoes inside the home if possible to
minimize tracking of grit, dirt, and sand
- Especially avoid using cleats, sports shoes, and
high heels because they can dent the floor.
- Put soft plastic or fabric-faced glides under the
legs of furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
- When moving heavy furniture, completely pick up
the furniture and carry, rather than slide, to best protect the wood flooring.
- For wood flooring in the kitchen, place an area
rug in front of the kitchen sink to prevent water exposure. Avoid imported
rugs, as most of them are not treated with the correct backing to protect the floor
under it.
- Use a humidifier in the home throughout the winter
months to keep all wood movement and shrinkage to a minimum.
- Exposure to the sun and its UV rays accelerates
the oxidation and aging of wood and fabrics. Rearrange your rugs and furniture
periodically so the floor ages evenly.
- Although it is common to place an area rug over
wood, be sure if you have UV cured flooring, not to use rubber padding. The
combination of the chemicals in the pad and the finish from the wood will cause
a reaction and floor discoloration.
TROUBLESHOOTING
FINISHED FLOORS
If the scratches or stains are in the finish
(superficial), the fix is probably a surface fix.
Scratches - Repair with a touch-up kit
made for urethane finishes, which is available from Quality Carpet One.
Food, water, or dark spots (dog spots) -
Use a cleaner developed specifically for urethane finishes to remove the spot or
stain. More stubborn spots may require additional scrubbing with the cleaner
and a wood flooring scrub pad made for urethane floors.
Greasy spots - Rub the grease, lipstick,
crayon, or oil with a cleaner developed for urethane.
Cigarette burns - Most common burns
can be treated with a touch-up kit made for urethane finishes (rub with sandpaper,
stain, and refinish). For burns that reach deep into the wood, individual
plank or parquet boards may need to be replaced.
Chewing gum, crayon, or wax - Apply
a plastic bag filled with ice on top of the deposit until it is brittle enough to
crumble off. Clean the area with a product made for urethane finishes.
TROUBLESHOOTING
STAINED AND WAXED FLOORS
If the scratches or stains are in the wood,
the fix may involve a penetrating stain and wax.
Scratches - Repair by waxing the area.
Dried milk or food stains - Gently rub
with a damp cloth. Rub dry and wax. When removing stains from any wood
floor, always begin at the outer edge of the stain and work toward the middle.
Heel marks - Rub in a small amount of
wax with a fine steel wool pad and hand buff to a shine.
Mold - Rub the spot with a wood cleaner.
Chewing gum, crayon, or candle wax -
Apply a plastic bag filled with ice until the deposit is brittle enough to crumble
off. Crayon or candle wax can be removed by placing an ink blotter on the
wax and applying a hot pressing iron to the top of the blotter. Solvent-based
wax can also be applied around the area to loosen the deposit.
Oil and grease stains - First rub the
area with kitchen soap that has high lye content, or saturate some cotton with hydrogen
peroxide and place it over the stain. Then saturate a second layer of cotton
with ammonia and place over the first. Repeat until the stain is removed.
Let the area dry and then hand buff.
Dark spots (dog spots) and ink stains -
Try the treatment for water spots mentioned above. If the spot remains, apply
a household bleach or vinegar and allow it to soak for an hour. Rinse with
a damp cloth, wipe dry, and smooth with fine sandpaper. Stain, wax, and hand
buff.
Cigarette burns - If the burn is not
very deep, rub the area with fine sandpaper or steel wool. Moisten the steel
wool with wax for better results. If the burn is deep, scrape the area with
a pen knife to remove charred fibers. Rub the area with fine sandpaper.
Stain, wax, and hand buff.
Wax build up - Strip the old wax away
with odorless mineral spirits or a wood floor product made for stripping wax.
Use cloths and fine steel wool to remove all residues. After it has dried,
wax and buff the floor.
*Always use the wood flooring manufacturer’s
cleaning, repair, and finish products when known.
* All of these products are available from
any of our showrooms. Please check with
your sales consultant for details.
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