Information on Maintaining Hardwood Floors
If you have thought about changing your flooring and have decided on hardwood flooring then you have made a great choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Hardwood flooring is made from mature trees, and is treated when it is finished. But hardwood will absorb moisture and also scratch if something is dragged across it.
It is not a good idea to leave a pool of water on your hardwood floors. The moisture will go into the cracks in between the slates and they will swell as they absorb the water. If water happens to be spilt in even a small spot and sits it can still be seen. If there happens to be any liquid at all spilt on the hardwood floor you need to clean it up immediately. Use a damp mop only when you clean your hardwood floors. There are also floor cleaners that are specially formulted for hardwood floors that you could use, like area rugs usually. Whatever you choose you must use only a damp mop.
Dents and aslo scratches happen to hardwood floors often. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over time any furniture legs can dent or scratch the floors. You can choose to put area rugs under the furniture to protect the floors or you can put felts on the bottoms of the furniture legs. This can be the same as new floors to many people. Also you could add some area rugs to the highly traveled areas in your home such as kitchens, hallways, in front of the couch.
There are some people that feel that the scratches and the dents give their hardwood floors character. But when you feel that you are in fact sick of them you can get your hardwood flooring refinished. If you have your hardwood floors refinished every decade or so and keep on top of protecting your hardwood floors, they will look the best, just like hardwood floors usually. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.