Forget for a moment what you should do for your wood floor. Here are ten things you should avoid doing to your wood floor!
Wood floors are made from an organic material that continues to be affected by its environment and the maintenance materials you choose to apply to it. We believe that a well maintained wood floor is an investment and can add to the aesthetic of your home in significant ways.
In order to keep your wood floor looking its best, we suggest you order from Arboritec’s line of wood floor care products and our Complete Wood Floor Care Kit is a great place to start.
Aside from what you should do for your wood floor, here are ten things you should avoid doing to your floor.
- Do not use abrasives or harsh chemicals to clean your floor. We do not recommend the use of ammonia, vinegar, dish washing detergent, powdered all-purpose cleaner, Endust, Pledge, oil soap, or any type of wax or silicone base products on your floor.
- Do not use hard casters on any furniture directly on your hardwood floor. Casters can cause isolated wear areas on your floor and increase the frequency of recoat and refinish projects.
- Do not use steam mops on your hardwood floor. The use of water in all its forms, including steam, on wood floor should be limited to the degree possible. The high heat from some steam mops can also serve to thermally break down your floor’s protective layer over time.
- Do not pour cleaning product directly on floor. It may be tempting to create a puddle of cleaner and spread it out over your floor but this approach can have the same effect as using too much water when cleaning. Cleaning products that are applied too liberally in spots can absorb into wood, cause swelling and an uneven look over time.
- Do not wait too long between refinish projects. Any wood floor finish will eventually show wear patterns and surface scratches. When you begin to see dull traffic areas, it is time to consider re-coating your floors. Re-coating is a one day process, and cost much less than sanding/refinishing. You should plan on re-coating hardwood floors every 3 to 5 years depending on traffic patterns and wear. Do not wait until you wear through the finish to the bare wood or sanding may be required.
- Do not wear high heel shoes on wood floors. High heel shoes can cause denting in hardwood. It is wise to leave high heels at the door and make sure that they are always in good shape. Damaged high heels can quickly become a chisel on your wood floor.
- Do not leave the legs of your furniture unprotected. Protective pads should be added under the legs of every piece of furniture that comes in contact with your hardwood floor. The weight of furniture left unprotected can damage the finish and the wood over time.
- Do not drag furniture or heavy appliances over your hardwood floors. Heavy furniture should be lifted carefully off of the floor and placed back on the floor once in their new position. Felt pads, furniture straps, and additional assistance are all good ideas when moving heavy objects over wood floors.
- Do not let your dog’s nails remain untrimmed. The sound of a dog nails as they skitter across a wood floor is not just annoying, but those nails will ruin your finish and eventually ruin your floors is they remain untrimmed. Both you and your pet will be happier if you trim their nails when required.
- Do not allow pet stains remain untreated. If Fido or Kitty have an accident on your wood floor, be sure and address the issue immediately. The longer urine sits on a wood floor, the worse it is for the floor. If the accident happens on an area rug or throw rug, make sure to clean and dry both the rug and the wood floor underneath the accident.
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Ground floor with concrete, the installation method is glude down because the height of floor n so on, and it is in southern California . Ok?
Yes Sarah, gluing a hardwood wood down on concrete can be an acceptable installation approach. It does however depend on quite a few factors. Most importantly, are you installing real hardwood or an engineered wood floor. We recommend you follow up with our technical support line for further assistance if need be. Provide your contact info and we can follow up with you: http://www.arboritec.com/contact-us/
Black Forest Hardwood Floors works with Realtors, Designers, Architects, Contractors, Insurance Companies and Homeowners from the dream and design stage thru Job Completion. Whether refinishing an existing 100 year old hardwood floor to look like new or installing and finishing a brand new floor; we deliver Quality Service with Attention to Detail.There are mostly ranch style homes and 2 story homes. Some of the homes are custom homes and reflect “country style” living and some of the homes resemble houses that blend into “city living”. Many of these Colorado Springs real estate subdivisions include features such as: multiple decks and fireplaces, slate floors, barns and garages, granite counters, and theater rooms.
I thought steam mops were made for wood floors. I guess I must be wrong in this. I know that water can be bad for the floor, but if you get it off real quick, like turning it to steam, I thought that would work.
They are more made for laminate (fake wood or other looks) but even with them it can cause problems. I would just stay away.
Get a bottle of something made to clean polyurethane, if that’s what you have.
Thanks to you I can prevent casualties. Thanks for sharing this I didn’t know about too many of these things.
I hadn’t thought about all the things that can be damaging to a floor. I have definitely seen a lot of scratches from dogs on different hardwood floors. I also strongly agree that you should cover the legs of your furniture. Scratches from an uncovered chair leg can be very deep and require sanding to repair. Thanks for the tips!
I agree with number seven, but a lot of the time I see problems faster than just “over time”. Immediately, when one of my parents dining room chairs looses one of the pads, we can see the scratch in the floor. An expensive accident that took just moving a chair.
I didn’t even know that number five existed. Well, the fact that there is a 1 day refinish you can do. I had always assumed you just needed to get your floors redone every 5-8 years. I should probably check this method out!
That’s good to know that I shouldn’t wear high heels in my house. I do not want to hurt my wooden floors. It makes sense now that I think about it, but it’s nice to have a list of things to avoid if you want to keep your wooden floors nice. At least I knew that you shouldn’t drag furniture across the floor.
Thank you for such a great write up. I understand this 10 things to how we care our home wood floor.
Hello, I thought this article was extremely useful.I am in the market for hardwood floors and I really want to make them last as long as possible. Do you have any buying tips for flooring? If you do I would love to hear them. Thank you for the post!
Very helpful & informative post of wood flooring. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I am about to start refinishing my hardwood floors after years of abuse and I found this article very helpful. It is good to know what things I should do to avoid destroying my floors again. I am definitely going to stop using my steam cleaner that is for sure. Thank you for sharing.
I didn’t know that steam mops were bad for my hardwood floor. I will try to make sure that I don’t use too much water. Hopefully, I have not damaged my floors from mopping them with water.
Thanks for sharing this great and helpful information. I really like it.
I have new hardwood floors but in order to have the flooring flow from room to room with no breaks for elevation, I had to have my foyer raised to meet the other rooms. This leaves no room for a rug at my front door entrance. Is there any kind of extremely thin product (like a rug) I can put in that area??? I’m thinking 1/8 of an inch is about all I have! It doesn’t have to be something that stays all the time, but something I can use when I know I’ll be having lots of people coming in that door. Thanks!!
I didn’t realize that so many cleaning products could be harmful to hardwood floors! I usually think of vinegar as a product that can be used on anything, but it’s good to know to avoid using it on wood. I’ll also be careful not to put too much cleaner on the floor at once, per your suggestion. Thanks for the advice!
Real Wood Flooring
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Great Post!!! I really love the way you have discussed each and everything related to wood flooring. The above points are really very useful for the people who loves wood flooring. Keep up blogging…
I’ve been trying to learn more about timber flooring and what it takes to maintain them. In just a few weeks I need to have a flooring picked out for my new home. I’ll have to admit that I thought there would be more things on this list you gave. However, I’m glad to know that most the issues to avoid have to do with what is put on your flooring. One of the bigger things to avoid is probably the cleaning product and how to avoid pouring it right onto the floor.
Some of the important things to keep in mind with wood floors. These facts will help you deal well with wood floors, with their maintenance, cleaning etc. You don’t have to worry with your wood flooring if you know these 10 things.
I am looking to know more about how to better take care of our hardwood floor. It is good to learn that one should not use abrasives or harsh chemicals to clean. Another thing to consider would be to hire a professional to ensure quality work.
Don’t judge your progress by only running your hand over the boards or viewing it from directly above. We noticed the waviness when we took a few steps out of the room and viewed it from our foyer. Take steps back to check out your work and do it often.
A week before my offices’ floor is renovated with engineered wood flooring in UK. While searching I saw some good tips over here through which I came to know “what we should not do to the wood floor”. I will make aware to my other employees & my friends. Thanks for sharing these tips…
Thanks for the suggestion to not use harsh chemicals like ammonia on your wood floor. I also agree that you should not use hard casters on your floor since they can scratch it. I think it’s important to use area rugs on a wooden floor to help protect it from scratches, especially if you have pets running around on it.
very useful information. Thanks for sharing. Sorry I have been trying to comment as normal but it kept posting as reply to other people’s comments. Don’t know why.
I’m planning on getting hardwood flooring in my kitchen. It’s good to know that you should get your floor refinished and recoated every 3-5 years. Something else to consider is to get your floor installed and cared for by the same company so that you can be sure it will last a long time.
Great post. Really helpful. Thank you for sharing.
To keep wood floors looking and performing well for generations, regular maintenance includes sweeping with a soft bristle broom or dusting with a dry microfiber mop. If the floor has beveled edges, vacuum with the beater bar turned off to remove dust from between the floor boards. Clean the floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by a wood flooring professional.
I really like your tip about not using steam mops on a wood floor. That makes a lot of sense and seems like it could cause damage over time. My husband and I are going to be getting new timber flooring in the next few weeks so we will have to keep this in mind, thank you for sharing!
Since all the furniture will be removed, the room is rendered unusable for several days. Even then, extra care is needed to avoid scratching the floors.
I had no idea that you should be sure to not use steam mops on the floor as it might break down the protective layers. I’ll have to remember that for when I get my hardwood floor finished. Something else to consider is to get your floors done by a professional so that you can be sure that they will be durable and last a long time.
I have natural hickory hardwood floors in most of my house. I have read what feels like a million different opinions on what is the best cleaner that will not take the clear coat finish off.
Also would like your opinion on what material an area rug should be made of. I have a few small area rugs at back door and different places that have turned the wood yellow. Obviously this was not the right choice.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Carpets also can protect the wood floors. 🙂
Thanks for all the details. Clean the floors periodically with a professional wood floor cleaning product recommended by a wood flooring professional.
Very helpful & informative post of wood flooring. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Your flooring is in many ways the hardest-working feature of your home. Not only must it look beautiful and complement your personal design style, but it must also withstand the demands you place upon it – whether children, pets, entertaining