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The elegance of hardwood floors improves the appearance of practically any home, with the lustrous brown or golden tones adding a touch of life to the rest of the decor.
When you lay your hardwood floor, you'll find that there are many styles and colors of wood to choose from, from as to birch to cherry to hickory to maple to oak. The style of the floor also varies, from parquet, to plank, to strip. And finally, the colors vary from blonds to reds to honey to natural. So matter what decor you have, you will find a type of hardwood floor to complement it.
Hardwood floors are durable, but they do need to be taken care of. But then - so do carpets! Unlike a carpet, hardwood floors - properly treated - are not stained irreparably if you spill a glass of cranberry juice or something similar on them - so long as you clean it up immediately. Carpets may hide the bits of grit or sand that may come off your shoes as you enter the home, but they do dirty your carpet. However, it is slightly more serious on hardwood floors, as the finish can be scratched by ground in dirt. So its best to take care to ensure that this doesn't happen. Prevention is always better than cure.
Mats and Rugs
Mats with bristles placed outside your doors will allow visitors to wipe their feet. Once they enter the house, shoes should be discarded and replaced with indoor slippers to wear instead. (This is a good idea even if you do have carpeting, as it'll save you having to vacuum more often than necessary.)
Furniture
It's always a good idea to place felt pads under all furniture legs, so that they may be moved about easily when you're cleaning. Move furniture carefully so as not to gouge or scratch the floors.
Water
Excessive water can damage hardwood floors just as it will damage carpet. Hardwood floors are usually treated to repel water - nevertheless any spills should be cleaned up immediately. If you have a hardwood floor in your kitchen, area rugs in front of the refrigerator (if it has an icemaker), the dishwasher, and the kitchen sink are essential.
Daily Care For Hardwood Floors
There are no special tools needed to clean your hardwood floors on a daily basis - a broom works just fine.
Weekly Care
Hardwood floors are usually waxed, or have a polyurethane coating over them. Just as with cleaning linoleum, or even furniture made of wood, you'll want to make sure you use the proper cleaner so that the finish doesn't yellow. Consult with the manufacturer of your flooring to learn which cleaner they recommend. If you're going to mop your floor, make sure you use a very dry damp mop - excess water can seep into seams and ruin a wood floor.
However, with the proper care, your hardwood floors will grace your home for a long time to come.
These days hardwood flooring is extremely popular as it is more convenient, easier to clean and it looks a lot more modern than carpet does. With carpet the constant vacuuming and the effort of trying to clean up spills is often tiring, whereas with hardwood floors it is nothing like that. All you need to do is a quick sweep, a little mop and use a little floor wax in order to keep it shining and looking brand new. It is certainly a lot easier than having a carpet!
Using Floor Wax
Wax is used on hardwood floors in order to keep it looking clean as well as providing it with a protective coating. Using it regularly will really help to stop the floor from ruining and it will also keep the wood healthy. Another good reason to use floor wax is because often with hardwood floors, if they get exposed to water they will expand and the wood will raise and become soft and ruined. The wax acts as a protective layer between the floor and the water and therefore it stops it from being soaked in and therefore it will not ruin the wood.
Obviously when you do apply the wax you will have to be careful as it does not give a look of a slippery surface for nothing! It is best to wear something on your feet which will grip the floor and prevent you from slipping once you have applied the wax. However, there is an advantage to the slippery factor and that is that the floor will be less prone to damage as things which hit it will simply slide off instead of making a dent.
The only downside to using floor wax is that as with many other things, the amount of wax can build up over time as you continue to periodically wax the floor. This will mean that you then have to spend money on a wax remover and you will need to research that thoroughly beforehand in order to prevent any damage to the floor from using the wrong type of product.
Overall however, floor wax is necessary if you want to keep your hardwood floors clean and protected for longer. It really will make a difference and it really does not take that long to do. As long as you research thoroughly beforehand you should be able to wax the floor easily and get the right products which you need in case of a wax build up.