If you have a prefinished floor, follow the manufacturer’s cleaning
instructions and use the product formulated for your specific material.

CLEANING

Wipe up food and other spills right away, using a dampened, but not wet cloth. Then wipe the flooring dry with a dry cloth or paper towel.

Vacuum regularly, as often as you vacuum carpets, or when you notice that your floors are dirty. Use a brush attachment. Make sure that no metal parts come in contact with the floor because they will scratch it. Sweep or use a dust mop as needed but do not use a household dust treatment or floor polish as this may cause your floor to become slick and will dull the finish.

For a thorough cleaning, first vacuum or sweep. Then damp mop with either cool water, adding a little white vinegar ( no more than 1/4 cup per gallon of water ) or a special wood flooring cleaner which you can find at most hardware stores. Follow the directions accompanying the cleaner.

Use a sponge mop not a string mop. Have your mop only slightly damp. Water left standing on a floor, even a small amount, will cause the wood to warp and will discolor it. Mop in the direction of the wood grain or you will leave streaks on the floor.

Never use an abrasive pad or cleaning compound as this will dull your finish. Most spots that don’t come up with water can be removed either with paint thinner or de-natured alcohol. Use these sparingly on a cloth. Alcohol is especially good for removing rubber marks from black bottomed shoes.

Do not use other cleaning products on your wood floor. Do not use an oil soap. Do not use furniture cleaning products or polishes. Do not put wax on it. Wax is very slippery and will not benefit your floor. (See more on wax under “A Long, Beautiful Life”.)

CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOD - A PRODUCT OF NATURE

You’ll probably observe tiny cracks between the flooring strips during dry seasons or long heating periods. This is normal and expected. Moisture in the air causes wood to expand. Then, when humidity levels are low, the flooring contracts and the cracks become more prominent. This is more noticeable with wider planks, (4” - 8”) and with white or very light floors.

Usually this contraction is greatest the first year of the floor’s life and occurs mostly in winter because of the lower humidity in the home caused by heating. These cracks can easily be filled with colored putty type fillers designed for wood, which you can apply yourself. All floors, white, natural or stained will experience some degree of color change over time, due to sunlight and aging of the finish.

SPECIAL TIPS

Different woods have different degrees of hardness, however, even the hardest woods with the toughest finishes will scratch and dent. Use dirt-trapping, walk-off mats at all exterior doors to help prevent dirt, grit and sand from getting inside the building. Throw rugs or small sections of carpet just inside the entrances are also helpful. Dirt and grit are any floor’s worst enemy and that includes carpets and vinyl floors as well as hardwood.

Put fabric or felt-faced glides on the legs of your furniture. They allow furniture to be moved easily without scuffing the floor. You can get them at hardware or building supply stores. Clean the glides regularly because grit can become embedded in them. Some furniture may require barrel-type roller casters as ball-type casters may cause damage. Area rugs are a smart investment for high traffic areas, especially under dining tables and chairs.

Keep high heels in good repair. Heels that have worn down or lost their protective caps, thus exposing the steel support rods in the heels, will dent any floor surface, even concrete.

A LONG, BEAUTIFUL LIFE

When your finish becomes dull or worn, it can be renewed by lightly scuff sanding the finish surface and then applying another coat of finish. How often you should do this re-coating can vary between one to six years. Kitchens and other heavy traffic areas will need to be re-coated more frequently too. The time to do this is when the floor is starting to look worn and does not clean easily.

IF YOU LET A FLOOR GO TOO LONG WITHOUT RE-COATING, IT CAN NOT BE BROUGHT BACK WITH A SIMPLE RE-COAT AND MAY NEED TO BE SANDED AND REFINISHED.

This renewal process cannot be done after wax and many cleaning products have been used without complete sanding of the floor. (See CLEANING section above.)