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Universal Floors, Inc. stocks a variety of cleaning and
maintenance supplies which may be sent to you or picked up at our show room.
Please contact Guy Hunter @ 202-537-8900
Easy to come by. Easy to
keep.
Wood floors, properly finished, are the easiest of all floor surfaces to keep
clean and new looking unlike carpeted or resilient floors that show wear
regardless of care. Wood floors can be kept looking like new, year after year,
with minimum care.
Since the overwhelming majority of wood floors are composed of solid
hardwood, this care guide applies specifically to this type of flooring.
What is minimum care? A good rule of thumb is to vacuum and/or dust mop
weekly. A damp mop can be used for spills, and when necessary
general cleanup on floors which have non-waxed polyurethane or a similar surface
finish. When traffic areas of surface finishes begin to show significant wear,
screening, scuff sanding the finish surface and re-coating an entire floor is
the least involved choice for maintenance. If a floor is waxed, occasional
buffing helps renew the shine and remove scuff marks that may appear in the wax
coating. If the shine cannot be renewed in heavily used lanes, occasionally
re-waxing these areas may be necessary. Intervals for completely re-waxing a
floor may extend to a year or longer when attention has been paid to proper
care.
Wood and water don't mix. No matter what finish your wood
floor has, NOFMA recommends, never pouring water on the floor. While a
damp mop may be used on polyurethane and other surface finishes
in good condition, excessive amounts of water seep between the boards
and into small scratches causing deterioration of finishes. A damp mop should
only be damp to the touch. It should be thoroughly wrung and not dripping.
Wax-coated finishes should NEVER be cleaned or maintained with
water, not even a damp mop. Water can cause a wax finish to be dull or leave
water spots.
Read the label. The recommendations made here are not intended to
endorse specific products or brands but to serve as general guidelines in the
selection and use of floor maintenance materials. Always follow label directions
for finishes maintenance products, and corresponding products except for
directions which call for using water on wood. And always
use only products specifically designed for wood floors
and the finish applied to your wood floor.
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance is a term more common to industrial floor care than
to residential or office floor care, but its importance cannot be
over-emphasized. Good preventative maintenance lengthens the intervals between
the major renovation operations such as re-coating, re-waxing and refinishing.
Here are some basic rules that apply to all types of floor finishes.
 | Keep grit off the floor. 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
recommended. Dirt and grit are any flooring's worst enemy, and that includes
carpets and vinyl as well as hardwoods. Keep door mats clean.
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| In kitchens, use area rugs at high spill locations and at work
stations-stove, sink, refrigerator. Cotton is generally the best fabric since
it is easily washed. Mats with a smooth backing, i.e. rubber or vinyl, may
trap water beneath.
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| Finishes and certain chemicals in wood oxidize and are affected by ultra
violet light sources. This may cause the wood and finish to change color and
develop a patina or aged appearance. To avoid uneven appearance, move area
rugs occasionally and drape or shade large windows.
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| Put fabric glides on the legs of your furniture; they allow furniture to
be moved easily without scuffing the floor. Clean the glides regularly. Grit
can become embedded in glides; clean the glides over to prevent scratching.
Some furniture may require barrel type roller casters as ball type casters may
cause damage. Grey, non-marking rubber casters are the best. Avoid casters
made of hard materials like metals or hard plastics.
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| Vacuum regularly, as often as you vacuum carpets: a brush attachment works
beautifully. Sweep or use a dust mop daily or as needed, but do not use a
household dust treatment as this may cause your floor to become slick, dull
the finish, or interfere with re-coating.
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| Wipe up food and other spills promptly with a dry cloth or paper towel.
Use a slightly moistened cloth for sticky spills if necessary. Then wipe the
floor dry with another cloth or paper towel.
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| Keep heels on shoes in good repair, especially high heels. Heels that have
their protective cap missing or worn away exposing the steel support rod will
dent any floor surface, even concrete.
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| By observing these simple suggestions you'll go a long way toward keeping
your hardwood floors beautiful and making their care easier. |
| Waxed or oiled floor care |
Vacuum with brush attachment routinely.
Vacuuming is the best way to remove surface dust and dirt before it gets
"walked into" the wax and dulls its luster. Vacuuming also pulls accumulated
dust from the grooves of pre-finished and other V-grooved floors.
When floor luster has dulled a bit and scuff marks begin to show, buff with a
machine or by hand to restore luster and polish out scuffs.
After four to six months of wear, inspect your floors closely to see if
there's been a dirt build-up or if the wax has discolored. If your floors were
originally finished in a dark tone, you may see a lightening of the finish in
traffic areas. After vacuuming and before any other procedure, buff an area, if
the shine is not restored, apply a new thin coat of wax. Buff well to restore
the luster.
Smaller areas of floors finished with a penetrating sealer and/or wax can be
repaired and re-waxed more easily than floors finished with a surface finish.
For smaller areas with imbedded dirt, abused areas, and lightened areas in
traffic lanes, use a liquid cleaner or cleaner/wax combination. Remember, make
sure the products are solvent rather than water base. The label may say it
contains naphtha or petroleum distillate. Follow directions. For dark floors,
choose a product in a compatible dark color. Spread it with steel wool. Rub to
remove grime and the old wax, then wipe clean. Let floor dry. Buff if
cleaner/wax combination was used or re-wax and buff if not. When using paste
wax, wrap in a "wad" of cloth and apply an even thin coat. The warmth of your
hand and rubbing friction melts the wax for proper application. If dull spots
remain after drying, apply a second coat to dull areas and repeat.
For general deep cleaning of excessively dirty floors, and refurbishing an
entire floor to restore to near original conditions, use the liquid cleaners or
restorers applied per directions with steel wool pads and a commercial buffer .
Follow with waxing using a paste or liquid carnauba based product using
the same buffer for final polishing.
If your floors are stained (colored), it's a good idea always to use a
colored wax or cleaner to help maintain the original color.
Removing Stains
 For floors with polyurethane
or similar surface finishes, many stains can be prevented by simply wiping up the spilled
liquid immediately.
For waxed floors, most stains can be prevented or minimized by keeping
the floors waxed as previously suggested, and by wiping up any spilled liquid immediately.
Here are some "first-aid" suggestions for common accidents.
When removing a stain, always begin at the outer edge and work toward the middle to
prevent it from spreading.
- Dried milk or food stains: You may remove the superficial dried material with a
sharpened blade. Be careful not to scratch the finish. Rub spot with damp cloth. Rub dry.
Re-wax for waxed finish.
- Stains and spots caused by standing water: For wax finish- Rub spot with No. 1
steel wool and re-wax. If this fails, sand lightly with fine sandpaper 90 to 120 grit.
Clean spot and surrounding area using No. 1 or 0 steel wool and mineral spirits or a wood
floor cleaner. Let floor dry. Apply matching finish on floor, feathering out into
surrounding area. Wax after finish dries thoroughly. For surface finishes- use
recommenced cleaner and buff vigorously with clean towel.
- Dark spots: For wax finish- (a) Clean spot and surrounding area with No. 2 steel wood
and a wood floor cleaner or mineral spirits. (b) Thoroughly wash spotted area with
household vinegar. Allow it to remain for three or four minutes. (c) If spot remains, sand
with fine sandpaper, follow the grain pattern of the wood, feathering out 3 to 4 inches
into surrounding area, re-wax and polish. (d) If two repeated applications of vinegar do
not remove spot, apply oxalic acid solution directly on the spot. Proportions are one
ounce oxalic acid to one quart water or fractions thereof. CAUTION: This
is a poison; use rubber gloves. Pour a small amount directly on the spot and let solution
stand one hour. Sponge spot with clear water. A second treatment may be helpful if spot
refuses to yield. (e) If second application of oxalic acid fails, sand area with No.80 to
120 grit sandpaper, follow the grain, and apply matching finish, feathering out into
surrounding floor area. Let dry. Buff lightly with No. 0 steel wool. Apply second coat of
finish, let dry and wax. If spot is still visible, the only remaining remedy is to replace
the affected flooring. (Note: Oxalic acid is a bleaching agent. Whenever it is used, the
treated floor area will probably have to be stained and refinished to match the original
color.) For surface finishes. Remove finish and treat as above, but do not wax.
After area is thoroughly dry coat with surface finish.
- Heel marks, caster marks, etc: For wax finish--Rub vigorously with fine steel
wool and wood floor cleaner. Wipe dry and polish. For surface finishes--Use cleaner
to wipe off mark. Some marks may be carefully scraped up with a sharpened blade.
- Ink stains: Follow same procedure as for other dark spots.
- Animal and diaper stains: Spots that are not too old may sometimes be removed in the
same manner as other dark spots. If spots resist cleaning efforts replace affected strips,
sand and finish.
- Mold or mildew: A surface condition caused by damp, stagnant air. After seeing that
proper ventilation is provided for the room--For waxed finish-The mold can usually
be removed with a wood floor cleaning liquid and No. 1 steel wool. For surface finishes--If
mold is on the surface, wipe up with appropriate cleaner. If mold is under the finish,
refinishing is necessary.
- Chewing gum, crayon, candle wax: Scrape the major residue with a razor blade. Apply ice
until the deposit is brittle enough to crumble off. Cleaning fluid poured around the area
(not on it) can seep under the deposit and loosen it.
- Cigarette burns: For waxed finish--If not too deep, steel wool will often remove
them. Moisten steel wool with soap and water to increase effectiveness. Re-wax. For
surface finishes--Scraping the affected area only with a sharpened blade. Apply a dab
of finish where the finish has been scraped away.
- Alcohol spot: For waxed finish-Rub with liquid or paste wax, silver polish, boiled
linseed oil, or cloth barely dampened in ammonia. Re-wax affected area. For surface
finishes-Generally not affected.
- Oil and grease stains: For waxed finish-Rub on a kitchen soap having a high lye
content, TSP (tri sodium phosphate) or saturate cotton with hydrogen peroxide and place
over stain; then saturate a second layer of cotton with ammonia and place over the first.
Repeat until the stain is removed. NOTE: Ammonia may discolor the wood. For surface
finishes-Wipe up with mineral spirits or TSP (tri sodium phosphate). Buff with clean
pad or towel.
- Wax build-up: Oak floors that have not had proper care may acquire wax build-up. Strip
all the old wax away with mineral spirits or a wood floor cleaner. Use cloths and fine
steel wool to clean and remove all the residue before applying new wax. It's a good idea
to perform this complete stripping job every now and then. Stripping removes all the old
wax and dirt that partially hides the beauty and color of the wood grain and builds up
inevitably over a period of time.
Refinishing
Wood floors that have become unsightly from years of wear or neglect can be restored to
their original beauty. Machine sanding removes the old finish and exposes new wood. With
the application of a finishing material, floors are like new again. While the highly
skilled home craftsman may want to undertake the task of refinishing, it is usually
advisable to have a professional floor refinisher do the work to be assured of best
results.
Standard wood tones or other colors are readily available in penetrating sealers.
Coloring floors with pigmented penetrating sealer will not obscure the grain markings.
The general term for adding any tone to a wood floor is "staining." But
stains get their color from dyes or pigments, which are sensitive to light, so stained
floors may fade if exposed to continued brightness. For this reason, we recommend the use
of penetrating sealers containing staining pigments for most refinishing.
Cracks and Squeaks.
What to do if they occur
 All the wood in your home will contract
or expand according to the moisture in the air. Doors and windows may swell and stick
during rainy seasons. In dry, cold weather, cracks and fine lines of separation may appear
in wall cabinets and furniture. This is characteristic of wood because wood is a product
of nature, and its natural quality is what makes it desirable.
Cracks--The same reaction to humidity or the lack of it is happening
constantly in your wood floors. Tiny cracks between edges of boards may appear when dry
conditions are produced by your heating system. This can usually be REDUCED simply by
installing a humidifier. Both family and floors benefit from a healthier environment and a
balance of moisture content in the house.
Squeaks-When interiors become damp in rainy weather, boards may expand so that
edges rub together and produce a squeak. Improper fastening of the floor or
sub floor can
also cause squeaks. To correct this, first try lubrication.
A liberal amount of liquid wax may do the job with waxed floors. Or sift a small amount
of powdered soap stone, talcum powder, or powdered graphite between adjacent boards where
the noise occurs. Another method is to drive triangular glazier points between the strips
using a putty knife to set them below the surface.
If that doesn't work, drive 2" finishing nails through pilot holes drilled into
the face of the flooring. Nails should be placed near edges of the boards. Set them with a
nail set and hide with matching color putty.
The best solution requires more work and can be accomplished only where there is access
beneath the floor (crawl space or basement). This involves placing wood screws from below.
They are inserted through the sub floor and into the finish floor to pull the flooring
strips tight to the sub floor. Our association has instructions on doing this and will be
glad to furnish you with a copy at no charge. |
National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
E-Mail: info@NOFMA.org
Updated December 15, 1997
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