Tuesday 24 February 2009

Care For Your Wooden Floors

If you take care of your wooden floors they’ll look great for years. There are a few essentials you need to know in order to keep the floors sparkling and fresh. Installing wooden floors adds ambience to any room without the need for carpeting. They are easier to clean than carpets and look warmer than tiles, although tiles require less maintenance. Wooden floors look great but they don't come cheaply, so you must ensure that you maintain them properly and stop any wear and tear in its tracks.

Consulting your wooden floor manufacturer is the first step to understanding what care is required for your floors. They should provide you with a manual otherwise you can consult a directory service to locate them. The floor manufacturers know exactly what wood and finish were used for the floor, which is important because different finishes require different care.

The second step seems simple enough - keep them clean. The one disadvantage of wooden floors is that they can easily become dull and the longer dust settles on them, the harder it is to remove. The floors should be swept with a soft bristle brush or vacuumed on the hard floor setting daily, if possible. Use a damp mop after you've swept but don't swamp the floor and don't use chemicals in the water. A good way to stop dust from getting into the floors is to place rugs at all entrances as these will capture the dust, but again, they need to be vacuumed frequently. If you have wooden floors in the kitchen, you should place mats in front of the sink and stove to protect these areas from water and heat. If you use heaters or air-conditioners, consider investing in a humidifier as dry air causes cracks in the wood.

Most modern wooden floors have a urethane finish and these should never be waxed. Older floors may need to be waxed from time to time, so it's important that you find out from you manufacturer if the floors are made with urethane or not. If they do have a wax finish, you can restore the shine with a buffer. Under no circumstances use any cleaning or polishing products that are not specifically designed for wooden floors as these will only serve to damage them and you'll have to sand the floors and refinish them.

Lastly, beware of furniture scratching the floors. Try to use furniture that has padded feet, and if you move furniture around, place the items on carpets first instead of scraping them across the floor. Another important point about furniture is that we often forget to clean underneath it. If a couch is left in the same place for years and you neglect the floor underneath it, when you move the couch you'll be left with a dull, grey patch of floor where your couch once stood.

Wooden floors will last you decades and always look classy if you take proper care of them. Although they are easily taken for granted, taking care of them will pay off in the long run. People jump at a chance to buy property with beautiful wooden floors when they are used to cold tiles and wall-to wall-carpets that stain easily.

Frances wrote this article for the online marketers Assist 247 business directory services a one-stop online business directory of South African Business Listings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frances_Van_Den_Berg

No comments: