5 Ways To Keep Your Hardwood Floors Looking New
Whether it’s minimalistic houses or homes straight out of HGTV, you’ve seen hardwood flooring everywhere. And why not? It adds a gorgeous touch of warmth and nature to every home.
As charming as it may be, hardwood flooring can start looking worn out if it’s not maintained properly; and its maintenance is not always easy. But we’ve got you covered.
In this article, we’re going to list 5 simple tips to keep your hardwood flooring looking in its best shape.
Benefits of Maintaining Hardwood Flooring
• It looks better
Since what’s aesthetically pleasing is subjective in the world of interior design, we usually refrain from using the word “better” whenever some element of flooring needs to be described. With that being said, the worn-out hardwood flooring aesthetic requires a lot of factors to go right to look appealing to most homeowners. On the other hand, a well-maintained hardwood flooring does not.
• It sounds better
Unlike other flooring options like tile and luxury vinyl flooring, hardwood flooring is prone to creaking as it ages. Fortunately, this is not such a serious issue because the noise only begins after 10-15 years and can be fixed by refastening the subfloor. You could also altogether avoid this issue by regularly cleaning and maintaining the floor.
• Helps the flooring last longer
One of the reasons why hardwood flooring is so sought after is because it can be refinished again and again. That is why it is considered a great flooring for long-term use. By doing some basic maintenance, you can further extend its shelf life and save money from more advanced repairs.
• Raises the resale value
Hardwood flooring is already one of the best options if you’re looking to increase the resale value of your home. Now, if you maintain it and keep it looking fresh and healthy, the value will go up even more. It’s a good idea to think of the cost of maintenance as an investment rather than an expense.
5 Tips to Maintain Hardwood Flooring
1. Maintain a Stable Room Temperature
One of the defining characteristics of wood is that it expands and contracts depending on the temperature and humidity. Although different types of wood react differently to temperature changes, this process occurs nonetheless. Till the time it happens in a natural manner, there’s nothing harmful about this; however, it can age the hardwood flooring faster.
The best way to tackle this situation is by maintaining a stable room temperature. You can do this through the use of air conditioners and dehumidifiers. However, if you want to spend less money on electricity, you can use blackout curtains to reduce the heat coming in through the windows in the summers.
2. Prevent Direct Sunlight
Heat may be bad for hardwood floors but direct sunlight for a prolonged time is a complete no-no. The UV rays present in sunlight rapidly age the wood and cause discoloration in the flooring. What’s worse is that this only happens in areas that receive direct sunlight, so the floor ends up looking patchy and uneven.
You can avoid this by applying a UV coating on the windows that helps block most of the harmful UV rays. By adding blackout curtains around these windows, you can completely eliminate any chances of discoloration. Please note, a little bit of direct sunlight is not bad; what we want to avoid is prolonged exposure.
3. Keep It Dry
You’re probably aware by now that wood and moisture are two things that should not be mixed. Since wood is a porous material, it can easily absorb water, and in effect, end up warping and compromising its structural integrity. That is one of the biggest drawbacks of hardwood flooring.
This flooring is never waterproof; however, there are some water-resistant hardwood flooring options that fare better against moisture damages. No matter which variant of hardwood flooring you may have, never use wet mops to clean these floors. The moisture will eventually get absorbed and rot the wood.
4. Clean Regularly
This is one of the most important things you can do for your hardwood flooring. Unfortunately, it’s really easy to get lazy with this since the warm color of hardwood flooring hides dirt and dust particles that would be quite visible on other flooring options like tile. This is even worse if you have mahogany-styled flooring.
The floor needs to be cleaned regularly because dust particles can get in between the gaps and cause widening if there’s a buildup. We suggest setting up a cleaning routine that involves dry mopping daily and vacuum cleaning once a week. Wet dirt, in particular, needs to be wiped as soon as possible to prevent any ugly stains.
You can use doormats to reduce the entry of mud inside the house. However, it’s important to get one that stays in one place without scraping the floor to avoid scratches.
5. Protect Against Scratches
It’s truly depressing to see scratches on hardwood floors. Not because it looks bad but because there’s no way to remove them without refinishing the floor. What’s even sadder is that they’re almost inevitable since hardwood flooring is particularly prone to scratches. That does not mean you can’t take measures to reduce their occurrences.
We would suggest placing glue felt pads under all heavy and moveable furniture items like chairs, tables, beds, and side tables. These pads last for 4 to 5 months and can be found in most furniture stores. You can also make use of doormats to scrape your shoes and clean off any possible debris that can scratch the floor.
Lastly, there’s the issue of pets and children. This is one of those inevitable scratching factors we were talking about. However, over here too, you can reduce scratches by keeping your pets’ nails short and designating a special room for children to play with toys.
Conclusion
Hardwood flooring is a beautiful flooring option and it deserves to be treated properly. A rough timeline that you can follow to do that is: mopping daily, vacuuming weekly, cleaning with a wood cleaner monthly, polishing it every 5 years, and sanding every 10 years.
To recap, in this article, we’ve looked at 5 ways to keep any hardwood flooring looking fresh and new -
1. Maintain a Stable Room Temperature
2. Prevent Direct Sunlight
3. Keep It Dry
4. Clean Regularly
5. Protect Against Scratches
Want to make your hardwood floors look new again? Floors2Day is here to help!
Reach out to us at Floors2Day by giving us a call at 877-356-6759 or booking an appointment online using this link. (If you book online, you say $150!) We offer our flooring services in Maryland, Delaware, Washington D.C., Virginia, Wisconsin, and Illinois!
Here at Floors2Day, we provide the best quality flooring products, coupled with excellent customer service, and quick and easy installation.
With over 20 years of experience in flooring, we have seen it all. Every client is unique, and our services are always custom to your needs! We also proudly offer 12-month 0% interest and 90-days deferred financing, learn more here! So, sit back and relax as our team provides you with an amazing, worry-free renovation experience.
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