Protect Your Floor
Place throw rugs in front of sinks in your kitchen and any doors leading to the outside where heavy traffic and tracking occurs. However, do not do this until at least one week after the finish has been applied. Chairs and other furniture that are moved frequently, should have floor guards attached to the bottom of each leg to help prevent scratching and wear.
Regular Dust Mopping and Vacuuming
Regular dust mopping and vacuuming is an essential part of hardwood floor care. A good quality dust mop or vacuum with bristle head is the most effective tool for cleaning dust and dirt off the floor. To keep your floor looking its best, dust mop or vacuum at least twice a week. Dust or vacuum more often on floors with heavy traffic.
Occasional Cleaning
Spills and tracked in dirt can build up and will require more than dust mopping to remove. When this happens, lightly sponge mop with a mild cleaner solution diluted with warm water. After sponge mopping, run a towel wrapped around a broom over the floor. The cleaner solution will loosen the dirt and the towel will pick it up. These solutions can also be used on a rag for spot cleaning.
Do not use more cleaner than the recommended amount. More cleaner does not mean better performance.
Do not use the following products, or products similar in nature!
- Pledge or other wax or silicone based polishes
- Vinegar
- Murphy's Oil Soap or any other oil soap
- Ammonia
- Fantastic, or any other solvent-containing cleaners
- Pine based cleaners like Pine Sol
Do not wax or spray buff.
Water based urethane finishes require little maintenance, so it is not necessary to wax or polish the floor. Waxes or polishes will actually mar your floor. This will make your floor harder to clean and cause problems for future recoats.
Recoating your Hardwood Floor
Recoating your hardwood floor is simple and quick. The floor needs to be cleaned and scuffed to microscopically rough up the surface to allow a good bond for the new polyurethane. A new coat or two is applied to your floor and the process takes only a couple hours. How often you should recoat depends on the amount of wear your floor receives. The floor should be recoated before the raw wood becomes exposed, if exposure does occur a complete sanding would be required.
