There is nothing like the beauty of timber flooring through the home but how do you best care for it?  Here is our guide to maintaining your timber floors.

Cleaning Timber Flooring

The biggest thing that you can do to maintain your timber flooring is to clean it correctly.  It is recommended to regularly sweep your floors with a soft broom or an electrostatic mop in order to pick up any dust and dirt that has gathered on the floors.  You can even vacuum the floor if you have a soft bristle head for your vacuum.  You can then use a mix of a floor cleaner recommended for use on timber and warm water to mop your floors and bring them up to a gleaming shine.  Make sure you wring the mop out as much as you can as you want as little water on the floor as possible.

Do NOT use cleaners that are not recommended for timber, steel wool, wax, or similar on your floors as they can cause scratching, make the floor too slippery or leave a coating on your floor that can affect its ability to be recoated in the future.  Never ever use methylated spirits or kerosene to clean your floor as these will irreversibly affect the look of the floor, requiring you to completely sand off the existing coating and completely recoat the floor.  Also do not use steam mops as the heat can cause damage to the floor coating and the moisture can cause the floor to cup or warp.

Maintaining Your Timber Floor’s Finish

There are several things that you can do to maintain the finish of your timber floor and keep it looking as new.  The first is to use rugs and floor mats at the entrances of your home and along high traffic areas to stop dirt and grit from scratching the coating.  You should also implement a no shoes rule in your home, as shoes can damage the finish, especially high heels, which can actually dent your floor!  Any household pets should have their nails trimmed.  Always wipe up any spills straightaway so that they don’t have any chance to penetrate through the floor.

Your furniture can cause serious damage to your timber floors so it is a good idea to put pieces of carpet or soft backed castors underneath your heavy items of furniture.  Chairs and tables should have soft protective pads applied to the bottom of the legs.  Too much light can also accelerate the fading, darkening or changes in colour that timber  floors are prone to so it is a good idea to use rugs and curtains to protect the floor.  Rotate the rugs so that each area of floor is evenly exposed.

Find a timber floor professional in your local area.