Unlike carpeted floors, wood flooring requires some special maintenance to keep it looking nice. If you treat a wood floor properly, it will last for decades before it needs to be replaced. There are some regular maintenance items that you can perform to keep your floor looking great and lasting for an extra long time.
Keeping it Clean
Cleaning wood floors is very similar to cleaning a tiled floor. A regular mop with a non-abrasive floor cleaner mixed in hot water should keep your wood floor looking and smelling its best. When you mop the floor try not to use too much water. Dry a wood floor thoroughly after it has been mopped. Never use a cleaning floor wax on a wood floor because it will deteriorate the wood wax that protects the flooring from daily abuse. Depending on the amount of traffic they receive, wood floors should be mopped at least once every other week.
Waxing and Polishing
Once every few years you will need to strip the old wax off of the wood flooring and apply a fresh coat. You can buy wax stripper at a local hardware store, and they should have a standard wood floor wax available as well. Once the floor is completely stripped, apply the fresh wax one layer at a time. The layers should be very thin. It doesn’t take much wax to protect a floor, and if you put too much wax the floor will become too slick when you polish it. Once the wax has dried you can go over the floor with a buffing machine to bring out a nice polished finish.
Benefits of Area Rugs
If your wood flooring is in an area that receives a high volume of traffic, you may want to protect it from the wear and tear of all of those feet. Wood floors are relatively soft, and they can be marred very easily. You can use a long, thin runner along high traffic routes, or place square rugs underneath chairs and sofas where people put their feet all the time. Protecting the floor with a small rug gives you the overall look and feel of a wood floor while it keeps the floor safe.
The term for fake wood flooring is "laminate flooring."
Real wood flooring is better because it looks more natural and it is authentic wood.
Laminate flooring is not real wood, it just imitates the look of it.
form_title= Wood Flooring form_header= Elegance is a given with wood flooring. What wood do you want on the floor? *= _ [50] What is the square footage of your home?*= _ [50] Do you need to remove the old flooring?*= () Yes () No
There are many variables to this answer. It depends if you are installing the wood flooring yourself or having it installed professionally. The size of the area and the type of wood. There are wood flooring companies who offers workshops on installing wood flooring. A DIY course.
Wood flooring refers to any material that is meant to be flooring and that is made out of lumber. You can get solid wood flooring. Be careful; don't confuse laminate, vinyl, or vaneer floors for wood floors.
I just moved into a cabin with wood flooring. The flooring is in very good condition and I would like to keep it that way. How should I clean the wood flooring safely?
DIYNetwork.com is one good site for information on wood floor maintainence. You can also go straight to their trade group at www.woodfloors.org. There they have all the information on every aspect of buying and maintaining wood flooring.
The type of wood used in hardwood flooring varies. The most common type of wood used in hardwood flooring is timber. Another common but more exotic wood in hardwood flooring is bamboo.
The difference between natural flooring and engineered flooring is that natural flooring is not altered, in the manner that engineeered wood is altered.
form_title=Wood Flooring Installation form_header=12503 Is this need emergency in nature?*= () No () Yes How do you categorize this flooring?*= () Install wood flooring () Refinish existing wood flooring () Repair existing wood flooring Please choose which rooms are involved with this flooring project.*= [] Multiple rooms [] Kitchen [] Living or dining room [] Bathroom [] Bedroom(s) [] Other living space Have the project materials already been purchased?*= () Yes () No Please choose which type of wood flooring you would like to have installed:*= () Natural wood () Want recommendation () Wood laminate
Some popular trends in wood flooring design include wide plank flooring, distressed or reclaimed wood finishes, and gray or whitewashed wood tones. Additionally, herringbone and chevron patterns are gaining popularity in wood flooring design.