Saturday, May 9, 2009

How To Look After & Maintain You Oak Or Hardwood Flooring Once Down

Lacquered floors

Prevention:

Place doormats inside and outside the front door to stop dirt and grit being walked in, which can cause
considerable wear.
Put protective pads on furniture (not metal feet, which mark wood floors) to avoid unnecessary marks and scratches on the floor.
If you have a pre-lacquered floor in rooms where you know water is frequently spilled, we recommend that you lacquer the floor again after laying. This helps to seal the joints between the boards and gives better protection against water.

Cleaning:

For daily cleaning, use dry methods such as vacuuming. When necessary, damp-clean the floor with a well wrung-out mop/floor cloth, the floor must only become slightly damp. The film of water formed in this way must dry within one minute.

For the best cleaning results ensure that your floor cleaner is pH-neutral (maximum pH 8). Do not allow spilt water to be left on the floor, particularly on Beech and Hard Maple floors, which are particularly susceptible to moisture. The frequency of damp-cleaning depends on how much the floor is used and how soiled it gets.

Eventually over time (possibly as long as 30+ years) your floor will show signs of wear and will start to look lifeless. It is at this stage that a lacquered floor will need to be sanded and re-finished, please consult an expert regarding this.

Wax Oiled Floors:

Prevention:

Place doormats inside and outside the front door to stop dirt and grit being walked in, which can cause considerable wear.

Put protective pads on furniture (not metal feet, which mark wood floors) to avoid unnecessary marks and scratches on the floor.

If you have a pre-oiled floor in rooms where you know water is frequently spilled we recommend that the floor be treated with an extra coat of Osmo Polyx Oil after laying. This helps to seal the joints between the boards and gives better protection against water.

Cleaning:

For daily cleaning, use dry methods such as vacuuming. To remove stains the floor can also be mopped with a well wrung-out mop/floor cloth, the floor must only become slightly damp. If done regularly adding Osmo Wash and Care to the water will help to clean and maintain your floor.

Stubborn stains can be removed using Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner, just apply to the floor using a cloth.
If the floor starts to look a bit lifeless after a while revitalise it using Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner. This can also be applied to specific areas (i.e. near doorways and in the main thoroughfares) without the need to do the whole floor. Apply the Osmo Liquid Wax Cleaner neat but very thinly to the clean floor
with a lint-free cloth and then polish.

For particularly defined wear marks the floor should be given a new treatment of Osmo Polyx Oil, again this can be applied to only specific areas if
necessary.

By: Truman

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1 comments:

walton02 said...

Hi,

Nice post. Oak flooring can be given different looks, as tailored to the needs of customers. Different textures like Hand Scraped Walnut Finish, Hand Scraped Antique, and Brushed & White Oiled are also available. But then these extra features need a longer delivery time. It does not end here. There are other variations of oak board, which are available as well. These are Smoked, Aged and Distressed varieties.