| Q. | I'd love to have a new hardwood floor installed in my kitchen or family room, but I'm concerned about wear. Is a wood floor practical in these areas? |
| A. | Hardwood floors have been experiencing a resurgence of popularity in recent years. Once thought to be difficult to care for, hardwood floors are now seen as an easy to maintain attractive, natural alternative to tile, vinyl and even carpet. This is largely a result of recent developments in the technology of hardwood floor finishes. These new finishes make keeping your hardwood floor looking like new an easy task. Many prefinished hardwood floor products have aluminium oxide or ceramic particles mixed into their finish. Some of these products carry a 15-25 year warranty on the finish. |
| Q. | What should I do to protect my wood floors? |
| A. | Place throw rugs in front of sinks and stoves in your kitchen, and any doors leading to the outside where heavy traffic and tracking occurs. (Never put rugs on newly refinished wood floors until two weeks have passed.) Chairs and any other furniture that is likely to be moved should have felt floor glides attached to the bottom of each leg to help prevent scratching and wear. These glides should be renewed periodically. |
| Q. | What about routine care of my wood floors? |
| A. | Regular dust mopping or vacuuming is and essential part of hardwood floor care. A good quality dust mop or bristle headed vacuum attachment is the most effective method for cleaning dust and potentially damaging grit off the floor. |
| Q. | How should I handle spills or dirt tracked in from outside? |
| A. | In this case, lightly sponge mop with either plain luke warm water or with a mild cleaning solution diluted with luke warm water. After sponge mopping, wrap a dry towel around a dust mop and wipe it across the floor. The cleaning solution will loosen the dirt, and the towel will pick it up. You can also spot-clean using the same solution. We recommend either ? cup of glass cleaner or 2 tablespoons of powdered dishwashing detergent mixed with one gallon of luke warm water. |
| Q. | Is there anything that I should not do to my wood floors? |
| A. | Yes. Never use oil soaps, pine based cleaners, liquid or paste waxes, and silicone-based polishes, strong cleaners containing solvents, vinegar, or ammonia. These products can either damage wood floor finishes, or cause problems for future recoats. |
| Q. | Is there a specific maintenance program that I should follow? |
| A. | In spite of all their advantages, modern wood floor finishes will not last forever. Hardwood floors should be recoated when the original finish shows signs of wear, but before it has worn through the finish to the bare wood. Bare wood can be stained by dirt and grime, resulting in the need for re-sanding. |
| Q. | What is the difference between re-sanding and recoating and how much does it cost to recoat a floor? |
| A. | When we re-sand (or refinish) a wood floor, we bring in large sanding machines that strip all of the old finish and stain off the floor, exposing a layer of new wood. This new layer can then be stained (if desired) and finished with anywhere from 2 to 5 coats, depending on the potential wear and the type of finish used. When we recoat a floor, we use a light, low speed sander that only lightly scuffs the top layer of finish. This scuffing or abrasion aids in the adhesion of the new finish, which is than applied in one or two coats. Typically, the cost of recoating is less than half that of re-sanding. |
