Hardwood Flooring Care and Maintenance
Hardwood floors are a lifetime investment and add value to your home. Here are some important and helpful tips that will help you protect and extend the life of your hardwood floors:
- Avoid spike heels and furniture glides which may be damaging and leave unrepairable marks on your hardwood flooring.
- Grit such as dirt and sand is one of the biggest dangers which may act like sandpaper to your hardwood floors often scratching, dulling and marring the finish. Walk off mats should be placed at all entrances to trap dirt from outside. Using rugs in high traffic areas will greatly reduce wear on your hardwood floors. Do not use padding with solid rubber or vinyl backing since your floors need to breathe.
- If you have large pets it is always a good idea to keep their nails trimmed, especially with large breeds as their nails may scratch your hardwood floors. If your animal goes outdoors regularly, walk off mats will be especially helpful to release the trapped dirt between your pet’s paws. It is also a good idea to put down a mat underneath your pet’s food and water dish.
- We highly recommend felt protectors on all furniture and especially furniture that is moved on a regular basis such as dining chairs, barstools, computer chairs, etc. These pads eliminate the friction caused by hard surfaces over time.
- Never adhere any type of tape (even specially marked blue painter's tape) directly to a hardwood flooring surface since it may remove the existing finish and/or leave a residue behind. You should always tape paper-to-paper or paper-to-trim.
- For routine maintenance you should sweep, vacuum (with beater bar raised) or dust mop at least once a week or on a regular basis to help reduce the accumulation of dirt or debris. Never use waxes, oils or any other household cleaners to maintain your hardwood floors. These harsh chemicals over time may leave residues that can break down and dull the finish leaving a hazy residue on your hardwood floor. You should use only the cleaning kit supplied by us at Showcase Wood Floors to maintain your hardwood floors.
- Wipe up spills and pet stains immediately since water will damage your hardwood flooring. Wood is a natural material that when absorbed by water will expand or swell and shrink once it dries causing permanent damage. Never use water to clean or mop your hardwood floors.
- Keep your hardwood floors at peak condition by maintaining a stable environment in your home. In general your hardwood floors should be kept under the same conditions as you would normally live without huge extremes in temperature, humidity and air circulation. For optimal performance of your hardwood floors the temperature of your home should be maintained between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity levels between 30% to 50%.
- Seasonal gapping can be expected especially on wider planks. This is normal and not a defect. Throughout it’s lifetime wood will naturally expand and contract in response to the environmental conditions inside the home from relative humidity and temperature. To keep these dimensional changes to a minimum, maintain the home temperature and humidity within the range outlined above.
- Normal exposure to sunlight, heat, air conditioner, etc. will bring natural changes to the original color as your hardwood floor ages. Wood is UV sensitive especially when left in direct sunlight. You will notice that your hardwood floors will change over time due to age and oxidation. This is a natural process that all hardwoods go through and some of the exotic species will change more and faster than others. You may be interested in window treatments to block some of the sun’s harmful rays to avoid any dramatic color differences in your hardwood floor.
Your hardwood floor is unique to your home and like no one else’s. We at Showcase Wood Floors would like to thank you for choosing us to be your primary resource for purchasing, installing, refinishing and/or maintaining your hardwood floors. Please contact us if you have any questions, concerns and /or would like to schedule a floor maintenance appointment. Additional cleaning kits and refills are available upon request at a reasonable cost. Thank you again from Showcase Wood Floors!
What Our Customers Say Testimonials
We couldn’t be happier with the results on our floors. The repair and refinishing process was seamless and quick. David is a true professional and very knowledgeable. We would recommend Showcase to anyone needing to purchase, repair, or refinish their wood floors.
Michele P.
Customer
Great company to work with - very nice, accommodating and fair pricing. Most importantly- a terrific final result, my refinished hardwood floor looks almost brand new!
Would definitely recommend Showcase Wood Floors! Tom
Tom F.
Customer
Very professional. Owner takes great pride in doing a perfect floor! Result is beautiful.
Ellen S.
Customer
I am so greatfull to have met David at Showcase Wood Floors. I have been looking for a family owned local business to refer to my customers and David has really come through for us here at Solid Home Solutions in Delray Beach. This month alone we have had 3 calls for restoring wood floors and our confidence in knowing Showcase Wood Floors takes care of our customers. Thank you fo helping us make our customers visions become reality.
Michael M.
Customer
Showcase did a wonderful job on our wood staircase. Perfect quality, fast and professional. Would definitely hire them again. Thanks David and Mike!
Stephanie P.
Customer
David and his team were great , very profesional and on time , they finished the job when they told me they would and completed all
My floor looks amazing