For those folks who keep solid hardwood floors in their homes, bring about a genuine lifetime investment, and balance some care with a life span of advantage. The first time you glance a solid hardwood floor, you get the impression of richness, warmth and natural beauty. Step-by-step, you acquaint its lucid charm ? perceptible affinities, the streaks of history in the timberlands and in your home .

Things to discover and cherish :

The color and pattern of the floor's strips, planks or parquetry.

Check out the grains. Oak- is bold in texture; Maple or cherry-are subdued .

Examine the appearance of the concealed wood and the finish that protects it.

Check out the signs of neglect. Is there a surface that demands just a imponderous touch to care for it?

The nature's essential characteristics and qualities gives you an ability to actualize aesthetic characteristics with unique textures, colors, patterns and styles of solid hardwood flooring .

How do you protect your solid asset

The easiest way of guarding your hardwood floors is just simply keeping them clean. To guard your solid hardwood floors? warmth and character, apply the daily simple cleaning techniques.

There are some tips on how to prevent damage to your solid hardwood floors:

Stay away from having dirt, grit and sand on your hardwood floors. These elements are detrimental to your hardwood floors. They act like sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Put floor mats at entrances to catch dirt and prevent damage.

Stay away from water and other spills. Standing water can warp inadequately finished hardwood floor and can harm the finish. Simply dry the surface with the cloth all spills as they happen.

Harsh Cleaning solutions. Avoid oil soaps. They can cause a accumulation and create the problems when your floor is due for maintenance coating . Utilize the recommended neutral pH cleaners made specifically for wood floors.

Furniture. Avoid having your furniture pulled havily or slowly along the hard wood floors . Make sure to pick up the furniture to move it. Mount self-adhesive sliders under the furniture legs; it will help to avoid scratches.

Dents. In order to prevent tears use the vacuum with a brush attachment. Avoid the use of vacuums with beater bars.

Sun exposure . Direct sun can your hardwood floor. Keep you curtains and blinds closed. Or add special sun block shades to protect from the sun's intense UV rays.

Regular care for your hardwood floors:

Sweeping. Use the sweepers with fine, expandable ends to capture all the dust and grit effectively.

Vacuuming. Use the specially made canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments. They are the most appropriate way remove all the dirt and dust.

Dusting Mop. Use a sufficient dust mop. The dust mop should have 12? to 18? inch cotton head and a special dust mop application. Drizzle the treatment onto the mop head 12 to 24 hours before dust mopping.

What types of hardwood floors are there?

Oak and maple are the most popular hardwoods used in flooring.

Ash, beech,birch, cherry, hickory and walnut are elaborate hardwoods that are used for floors and decorative accents.

Follow these steps to evaluate the condition of your hardwood floor and its finish

Finish Condition. Check closely if the finish been dinged or is it just unclean. See if the finish is dull, cracked off, scraped or gouged. In order to examine if the finish decayed, start in a high-traffic area and pour one to two tablespoons of water onto the floor. If the water soaks in immediately and leaves a darkened spot, the finish is worn and water can destroy the wood. If the water soaks in after a few minutes and darkens the wood only slightly, the finish is incompletely worn. If the water globules on top, the surface is impermeable. Duplicate this test in low- and medium-traffic areas.

Wood Condition. Check to see if the finish is worn, the wood may have been damaged. Check the areas for stains, burns, cuts, gouges, holes, cracks or twisted out of shapes boards. If the wood is damaged repair or replacement may be required.

There are several types of finishes available

The same care and maintenance techniques are used for all finishes in good condition, however when it comes to removing stains or restoring the finish, methods alter. If you have doubts about what kind of finish your floor has, ask your contractor or real estate specialist.

There are also simple tests available for your convenience:

Surface Finishes----pre-finished floors, polyurethane, water-based urethane and catalyzed. Most of all floors installed today have surface finishes, frequently it is a polyurethane. These finishes are generally glossy and may be visualized like a coat of clear plastic on top of the wood. A small amount of paint remover in a concealed area of the floor will cause the surface finish to bubble (unless it is a water-based urethane, in which case there will be no reaction). Surface finishes safeguard the floors from any harm by articulating a protective a coat on the top of the wood.

Penetrating Seals: acrylics, oils and waxes.

Oils and waxes usually have a satin or matte finish. To recognize the penetrating seal, run your hands across the surface of the hardwood floor; If you can feel the wood grain it's most likely a penetrating seal. Usage of the paint remover will have no effect on a penetrating seal; however wax stripper or ammonia will soften and decolorize the surface. Oils and waxes penetrate the surface of the floor protecting the wood from within.