Protecting Your Hardwood Floor
Hardwood floors come with a high price tag so owners should take every precaution to take care of and protect them. Since hardwood floor planks come from trees and take years to produce, they are harder to take care of than concrete and other types of building materials. Thus, if you're looking to use hardwood for your flooring, you should be prepared with the right protection methods and tools.
How can you protect your hardwood floor?
First, don't expose it to too much sun. The UV Rays from sunlight is one of the main reasons why the finish on some hardwood floors become discolored over time.It does not matter what finish you have on your floor.You can still get discoloration. We are referring to the same ultraviolet rays that cause damage to your skin.
To shield it from the sun, install a screen on your windows or use curtains. You can use sheer drapes so it's not so dark in the room. There are hardwoods that lighten from sun exposure, while materials like oak and cherry will tend to become darker. To slow down the discoloration process, apply water-based urethane finishes to your floor. Oil-based finishes are okay but they have a tendency to turn yellow or amber when exposed to sunlight.
Second, make sure it's always dry. Water is a hardwood floor's worst enemy. Water left standing on a hardwood floor can cause serious damage.You can protect your floor by applying several coats of finish.
You should wipe up any spills immediately and never leave anything wet on the floor for a long period. As a general rule a clean cloth is best to use to wipe your hardwood floor. Do not use a mop that is wet..
In addition, another way to protect your flooring is to put felt glides under the legs of furniture so you don't end up with scratches on your floor as you move furniture around.. Felt glides also help cushion the weight of your furniture so you do not end up with indentions on your floor.
The point of protecting your hardwood floor is this: if you want it to last longer than your lifetime, you have to give it the care it needs. And since hardwood floors, when maintained well, can stay on even after a century, they definitely deserve protection.
I hope you have gotten some good ideas from this article and that you are able to use them.
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