Protect your Hardwood Floor
WATER
Wipe up any spill immediately. Do not let any liquid remain in a puddle on or near the hardwood floor. Windows, doors, and roofs that do not seal correctly can let moisture in from outside and damage a hardwood floor. Make sure the building is weather tight. Appliances such as dishwashers, ice makers, and washing machines can fail and leak water onto and under a hardwood floor. Consult with a plumber for ways to maintain a dry environment for your hardwood floor. For example, there are shut off valves for washing machine water supply lines. When the washer is not in use or if you travel, the washer water supply should be turned off. This removes the pressure from the building water supply on the flexible hoses that supply the water to the washer and prevent flooding of the building if the washer water supply hoses or a washing machine component fails. Your plumber may have more ideas of how to keep water away from your hardwood floor.
HUMIDITY
Control the humidity in a hardwood floor environment to stay around 35 percent to 55 percent. Air conditioning and dehumidifiers remove humidity from a building's internal environment. Hardwood is a natural product that grew with moisture. During the process of manufacturing hardwood flooring, the hardwood is dried to remove moisture. Any direct (water spill) or indirect (high humidity) exposure to moisture by hardwood flooring can cause it to swell and expand. This movement changes the dimension of each piece of hardwood flooring. The slight expansion of each piece of flooring multiplied by the number of pieces of flooring that make up a complete hardwood floor, can cause the hardwood floor to buckle and loosen the floor fasteners that attach the hardwood floor to the subfloor. Extreme low humidity can cause hardwood to shrink leaving spaces between the pieces of hardwood flooring. A good tool for measuring a rooms environment is a electronic thermometer and humidity gauge. Vacation homes with hardwood floors must have their environment controlled when unoccupied. Maintain a stable environment for the hardwood floor.
THERMOMETER and HUMIDITY GAUGE
CLEANING
Cleaning and maintenance products must be approved by the floor manufacturer. Do not use water, ammonia, vinegar, or soap etc. The floor manufacturer either has or will recommend the approved products to clean and maintain their hardwood floor.
GRIT and DOOR MATS
Prevent grit from coming in contact with the hardwood floor. Use quality mats outside and inside entry doors. If grit gets past the mats, vacuum the grit off the hardwood floor immediately. If there is a rug or mat on top of a hardwood floor, and a liquid is spilled onto that rug or mat, remove the rug or mat and clean it and dry the hardwood floor below. Let the rug or mat dry before putting it back in contact with the hardwood floor. Caution, some mats and rugs with a rubber backing may leave a mark on the hardwood floor. Use a quality mat or rug that will not mark the hardwood floor.
PROTECTION IDEAS
SELF ADHESIVE FELT PADS
Use furniture pads to prevent scratching the hardwood floor. Felt pads and furniture glides attach to the furniture at the point where the furniture contacts the hardwood floor. Concentrated loads can dent the surface of a hardwood floor. Spike high heel shoes and the wheels under a refrigerator that let it roll out are two examples of concentrated loads. It is a good idea to have a piece of 1/8 inch thick brown hard board cut to fit in front of the refrigerator. Then when the time comes to roll the refrigerator out, roll it out on the protective 1/8 inch thick board and not directly on the hardwood floor. High traffic areas on a hardwood floor will benefit from the protection of a mat or rug.
PETS
Pets can damage a hardwood floor with their nails. If your pet has access to your hardwood floor, keep their nails trimmed. Also, pets get sick too. If a pet gets sick or if the pet does not get outside in time and leaves a waste byproduct on your hardwood floor remove the mess at once. It is best to not leave a pet unattended with access to a room with a hardwood floor.
UV SUNLIGHT
UV light from normal sunlight can cause changes in the color of the wood in a hardwood floor. Some species of wood react to UV light more than others. It is good practice to move area rugs around occasionally because the rugs block UV sunlight to the hardwood floor. The area under the rug and the area next to the rug will have different UV exposure. The difference in UV exposure can cause a change in color. Hardwood floor manufacturers do not consider changes in color a defect.
EXTREME UV DAMAGE
WINDOW TINT
Excessive UV light and heat from sunlight will first discolor the appearance of a hardwood floor. Continued exposure to excessive UV light and heat can bubble and blister the finish on the top of the hardwood floor. Use protective measures to prevent excessive UV sunlight damage to a hardwood floor. Window treatments and or window tints can be effective when it comes to blocking UV damage on a hardwood floor. Newer windows and doors may have tinted UV protective glass as an option. Older and less expensive doors and windows most likely do not have UV protective glass. Check with the window and door manufacturer for the UV protection abilities of their products. Window tint films are available in a wide selection and non UV protection glass can be made UV protective with the addition of window tint films.
NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY
The above recommendations to protect a hardwood floor represent general situations that arise with hardwood floors in residential applications. However, wood is a natural material and it is impossible to include all possible conditions, situations and reactions that could damage a hardwood floor. PreFinished Hardwood LLC accepts no risk or liability for application of the information contained in this website.