Hardwoods Can Be Tricky

Adding hardwood flooring to any home is a great way to add elegance and a distinctive amount of character to almost any look. Almost universally loved, the hardwood look is here to stay as homeowners continue to demand more of this treasured look.

While it may be true that hardwood flooring is pleasing to the eye, keeping them that way can be a hassle, especially in homes that possess higher levels of activity.

Going beyond the typical foot traffic a home must endure, families may face additional obstacles. By the time you consider your children’s friends, the dogs, and the movement of furniture, things can add up quickly and take a toll on your flooring and the challenge becomes clear:

How do I keep the elegant aesthetic of my hardwood flooring from being destroyed by everyday life?

Using our guide, we can walk you through several easy methods on how to keep your hardwood flooring from acquiring damage and maximizing its lifespan.

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Tips to Avoid Damage

Life happens, and while it can be easy to say your guests should just treat your house like a museum, what would be the point?

Your house is a home and should feel as such. That, among other reasons, is one of the greatest reasons for maintaining your hardwood flooring, to keep the homely feeling they can provide. So instead of creating an unwelcoming environment for your family and guests, let’s look at how to co-exist with the beauty of your hardwoods and prepare them for protection against everyday life events.

Use Rugs to Accent Your Room

Hardwood flooring provides the dignified look that many homeowners seek by producing a classic, sophisticated look. The perfect way to compliment this aesthetic, all while helping your flooring protected against foot traffic, is to add rugs throughout the room.

Using smaller mats at doorways where dirt, mud, water, and various other debris may be present, is a great way to keep out harmful items and maintain a clean home. Don’t forget to sweep routinely, as a doormat will not be 100% effective and the dirt that is missed by rugs has the potential to scratch and harm your flooring.

Adding larger area rugs will help protect larger spaces and can add a burst of color to help solidify any look. Using rugs as protection can and should also add to the overall statement made by your hardwood floors and the room as a whole.

Lift, Don’t Push or Drag Furniture

When moving furniture, lifting instead of pushing, pulling, or dragging, is always the recommended solution. By lifting your furniture, you are not only protecting your beloved hardwood floors, but also the furniture itself from potentially devastating damage.

Treat Your Best Friend to a Mani-Pedi

This tip is particularly important if you have a larger animal as a pet such as a large dog like a labrador. Having a pet as a member of your family is an absolute blessing, and while you wouldn’t trade your favorite movie-time cuddle buddy for the world, he or she can wreak absolute havoc on your hardwood floors.

Avoid the heartache, and make sure you are keeping tabs on the length of your pet’s nails. If they are getting to a dangerous length, book them an appointment with a trained professional and treat them to a spa day complete with a nail trimming.

Protect Your Hardwood Flooring Against Moisture

Water and hardwood flooring do not get along. If there are water sources such as a sink or shower, you may want to rethink the use of hardwoods in that living space. Additionally, if the presence of rain is a considerable threat to the integrity of your floors, be mindful to provide things such as the previously mentioned doormats to help guard against water damage.

Going beyond outdoor elements and a home’s plumbing, be sure to clean any and all spills quickly and effectively. Leaving moisture can create initial damage that can leave the area of the spill vulnerable down the road to additional damage, create warping, and hurt the overall look of your flooring.

Avoid mopping your hardwood floors and when cleaning stickier messes, be sure to return back over the afflicted area to dry up any excess moisture that was used in the cleaning process.

The Sun and Your Hardwoods Aren’t Friends Either

While moderate sunlight is great for the mind, body, and soul, prolonged, harsh amounts of sun exposure can do long term damage to your hardwood floors. Protect your home by providing shading when the sun is at its peak.

This is also a great additional benefit of the usage of area rugs throughout your home. These rugs cover large amounts of space and can help protect your hardwood floors from harmful UV rays.

Always Cover the Legs of Your Furniture

Remember how we warned against dragging or pushing your furniture?

Remember how you passed that useful information on to your children?

Did they remember?

Of course not, and I bet they didn’t remember the “no wrestling in the house” rule as they set up their perfect fighting arena either.

Even adults may cause damage without realizing it, as when humans or animals sit down or stand up, furniture will be moved even if ever so slightly. Over time, these scratches wear down your hardwood floors and cause damage. The solution is to provide your flooring with protection by equipping the legs of your furniture with protective pads on the bottom of each piece. Exposed furniture can not only scratch but dent the wood in your flooring and lead to irreparable damage.

Help Your Hardwoods

Simple awareness about components of our everyday life can go a long way in preserving your hardwood floors. A few additional maintenance tips include:

• Avoid walking in heels or cleats as this may create dents or scratches.
• Be sure to sweep and vacuum often, but don’t forget to use wood friendly cleaners to help protect.
• Every couple of years, your flooring may need extra attention in the form of adding an appropriate new finishing coat or waxing. Before doing so, check the manufacturer’s recommendations on products, techniques, and timelines in doing so as each flooring is unique.
• If you are in it for the long haul, again after referring to the manufacturer’s specified instructions, you may need to sand down your hardwood flooring and completely refinish and wax them to maintain their timeless look.

Following these steps is a great way to ensure you maximize not only the life of your hardwood floors but also the overall ambiance that is curated throughout your home.

Is it time to install hardwood floors into your home?

Check out the wonderful, affordable collection at the 99¢ Floor Store and contact their team of experts to have your home upgraded quickly and professionally. Boasting some of the premier industry workers and proudly serving Spring, TX and the surrounding areas, see what they can do to save you time, money, and stress.