Proper care and maintenance in crucial to the life span of your flooring. But keeping you floors maintained is not as difficult as you might think. Regular sweeping or vacuuming and periodic thorough cleaning will keep your floors looking their best.
By following a few simple rules today, you can minimize the need for repair and refinishing tomorrow:
Dirt, grit and sand act like sandpaper to scratch, dent and dull hardwood floors. Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt. Sweep, vacuum or dust mop at least weekly.
SWEEPING - Brooms with fine, exploded ends trap dust and grit effectively.
VACUUMING - Use a brush attachment. Do not a vacuum with beater bars because this can cause dents in your floor's finish. Canister vacuums with special bare floor attachments are the surest way to get rid of all the dirt and dust.
DUST MOPPING- Use a dust mop with a 12-to-18-inch cotton head. Check with the flooring manufacturer if a mop treatment is to be used.
WATER and other standing liquids can damage a floor's finish. Standing water can warp a finished floor. Starting at the edge and working toward the center, wipe up spills, pet accidents and other mishaps when they happen.
FURNITURE should be moved by lifting, not dragging. Felt contacts under furniture legs are a good idea to help prevent scratches in routine use.
SUNLIGHT can cause discoloration over time. Close curtains and blinds or add sheer drapes to protect a hardwood floor from intense UV rays.
SHOES with exposed nails and heel supports will dent any floor.
Solid hardwood floors provide years of beauty, durability and easy maintenance. As the years pass, however, floors can lose their natural luster and take on a dull, damaged look. Sometimes the only solution is refinishing. By far, the easiest, safest and most effective way to get the job done is to hire a professional. Pros have large equipment, years of experience and qualified assistants.
Prolonged cycles of contracting in dry winters and expanding in humid summers may cause squeaks in your hardwood floor. Air conditioning in summer and humidifying in winter will prevent extreme cycles. But squeaks are easily repaired.
To silence a squeak, try applying liquid wax, powdered soap, talcum powder or powdered graphite between floor boards that are rubbing together.
If that doesn't do the job, drive two-inch finishing nails through pilot holes near both edges of the board, then hide the hole with matching color putty or wax.
The store is located right across from Silvermile Dry Cleaners and beside Blue Junction Outlet - 3775 Kingston Road