Floor Care & Tips

DON'T EVER WAX YOUR HARDWOOD FLOORS. We have come a long way in the last 50 years and now that is the worst thing to use.

The easiest way to take care of your floor is to use a dust mop, a swiffer, or even a broom to keep rocks and dirt off. Then for light mopping you can use a "Wet Jet" swiffer. They even make a hardwood flooring solution that looks good but doesn't have a lot of buildup.

For heavier cleaning use a little ammonia and water (Don't flood). The floors finish cleans very easily and you shouldn't need anything harsher.

For small scratches you can use fine sand paper (220 grit) and sand out the scratch (always sand with the grain). Then use a little neutral or natural stain applied, with a rag, after a few minutes wipe off the excess. Then finally use an aerosol can of Varathane brand finish (silver can). Make sure it's water cleanup and satin (you can get this at SBS), then lightly spray the area.

If you would like to really freshen up your floor we can do a "screen and coat", this process is great for stretching out the life of your floor between refinishes. Generally, on a heavily used floor, have this done every two years or as needed. We lightly sand the entire floor, getting out scratches and marks, then apply another coat of finish. This process is usually completed in one day and you can be back on your floor that evening.

Tips

This finish dries within three hours but can take up to a month to cure completely, so we recommend that if you have animals have their nails clipped at the time of sanding so the floor has time to cure before they attack it.

It's a good idea to keep rugs off for the first month, that way the finish can cure evenly (not required but recommended). Dark woods like Brazilian cherry will also darken over the first six months due to UV rays, so any flooring under rugs will stay the original color while the rest will darken.

To avoid scratches in finish due to chairs and other furniture, we recommend felt pads that can be found at any hardware store. Even Fred Meyers has a good selection. For wooden chairs the nail on type seems to stay on the best.