Why Maintaining Wooden Floors is Essential

Hardwax oil floor finish

Hardwood is a flooring choice that adds value and elegance to any home. Many homeowners prefer hardwood flooring because of how easy it is to maintain. However, homeowners are not always aware of how to make maintaining these floors even easier. There are two main sources of damage to hardwood flooring.

  • Moisture: Outdoor wooden surfaces like deck must be protected against the elements. However, spills can wreak the same kind of havoc on indoor hardwood floors. Wooden flooring is easier to clean up when a spill occurs. However, repeated exposure to moisture could mean that the foundation of a wooden floor starts to change.

    Warping is what occurs when wood is exposed to moisture. In turn, this moisture embeds itself into the wood which changes it shape. Having even a single wooden panel of floor that warped could be quite the eyesore. Research shows that keeping the humidity level in your home between 30-50 percent greatly reduces hardwood floors expanding.

  • Scratches: Our floors receive quite a bit of foot traffic. We complete so many activities within the home, there is always a chance for a floor to get damaged. The simplest of furniture moving jobs could lead to a scratched floor. If a hardwood floor isn’t properly protected, one scratch could stay in your floor forever.

    Replacing a single area of a hardwood floor can sometimes prove to be expensive. It is always wise to take extra precautions to protect the investments that are hardwood floors. There are finishes that can help to keep a hardwood floor protected.

  • How Do I Keep My Floors Protected?

    There are two main types of finishes that a hardwood floor can have. Companies that refinish hardwood floors can look at your specific situation to come up with the best refinishing plan.

  • Hardwax Oil Floor Finish: If you are wanting to retain the look of your wooden flooring, a hardwax oil floor finish is the way to go. A hardwood floor oil finish combines the protection of wax with the sleek appeal of oil finishes. These finishes are often seen as a hybrid combining two popular choices of floor refinishing.
  • Oil Finishes: Oil finished hardwood floors offers a different option when compared to wax finishes. These finishes are great for maintaining the look of your wooden floors.
  • Wax Finishes: These finishes are great for providing your floor with durable protection. However, wax alone can sometimes provide a cloudy look to your wooden floor. It is wise to use a hardwax oil floor finish to ensure the treatment soaks into the wood panels.
  • Investing a little money into maintaining your hard wood floors can be a wise investment. Recent data was collected by the National Wood Flooring Association among a group of those in the real estate industry. An overwhelming 99 percent of those surveyed stated that homes featuring wooden flooring are easier to sell. Studies show that 40 percent of homeowners perform renovations every year, making wooden flooring a wise renovation choice.

    In closing, maintaining a hardwood floor is extremely important. Moisture and scratches can easily happen on any hardwood surface. Over time, these incidents could to massively damaged hardwood flooring. It is wise to take preventative measures to protect your floors from future damage. You can choose from various wax and oil treatment options to protect your floors. One popular solution is a hardwax oil floor finish which offers superior protection that soaks into the wood itself.

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