Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Maintenance

A Ward quality hardwood floor requires just a few simple measures to keep your real wood floor looking its best! Regardless of the hardwood floor installation methods, hardwood floors should be regularly dust mopped to keep dirt and other abrasives away and damp-mopped to maintain the warm glow that will make your floor stand out.

As there are numerous finish methods and coating types for hardwood floors, we recommend working with our team to determine the best wood flooring maintenance and cleaning method for the type of finish we applied.

Our solid hardwood flooring boards are milled to the finest standards and can be re-sanded several times, providing you with decades of lasting beauty.

	Sweep, dust, mop, or vacuum regularly using the wand attachment on your vacuum cleaner.
	Clean your hardwood floor occasionally using a well-squeezed damp mop and Bona® Hardwood Floor Cleaner or Glitsa Clean™. Both available through Ward Hardwood Flooring.
	There are multiple methods to keep your hardwood floors looking their best. Many techniques can revitalize the floors you originally installed and keep your investment looking beautiful. The finishing method comes into play when determining the best course of action for cleaning your floors. The actions of polishing, refinishing, and recoating are quite different from one another, and it is important to understand the difference: Refinishing: In contrast to the polishing or recoating, refinishing a hardwood floor actually does remove the original layers of finish to replace it with a fresh one. This option is ideal if the floor has endured major, heavy scratches or dents to the wood or in the case of a remodel to change the coloring entirely. Recoating: Using a buffer, recoating involves a more extensive process than polishing. The buffing removes excess dirt and particles that are unreachable by simply polishing the floor to deposit another coat of protection. adding additional years of life to your floors. Polishing: The least invasive and most common to DIY'ers, polishing your hardwood can help to maintain the look of your wood floor. Yet different than what you might assume, the action of polishing will deposit a layer of polish on top of the previous finish layer. Often times, polishing your floors will fill the gaps and miniscule scratches or other minor damage to create a more consistent look. However using a polish on your floors may provide you from being able to recoat your floors in the future. Before ever applying a polish contact our flooring consultants for more details. Many homeowners take the precaution of having their floors recoated every few years depending on their normal everyday usage. If you feel your floors could use a recoat contact our flooring consultants to come out and inspect your floors. Recoating your floors takes the steps to prevent major damage and maintains your investment over a longer period of time. If you think you may need your floors refinished or need additional advice for getting your project started, contact Ward Hardwood Flooring to guide you through the process and give you the confidence you want in your home remodeling project.
	Wipe up spills immediately.
	Place a natural or colorfast mat at outside entrances to reduce the amount of dirt and moisture tracked into your home.
	Keep animal nails trimmed to prevent scratches.
	Use felt pad protectors on furniture legs to reduce indentations.
	Protect your floor from direct sunlight.
	DON'T wear shoes with spike heels or heel taps on your hardwood floor. Remove shoes at the door to avoid potentially dragging in sharp objects in your shoe treads.