You’ve just installed new hardwood flooring or had your existing floors re-sanded and refinished. Ah! They look gorgeous. Now, how to keep them that way once you’ve moved everything back in and life at home returns to normal.
The very first thing you should do is put felt protectors on chairs legs and the bottom of all of your furniture. Floors, no matter how durable or what finish is used can scratch and dent if large or heavy furniture is moved or slid across it.
One of the hardest things on a hardwood floor is a dog, so if you have pets, just expect scratches in time. We have dogs ourselves and we love them. The best way to reduce scratches and gouges left by dogs is to put carpet runners in heavy traffic areas, or areas they frequent, and keep their nails trimmed. There is also this nifty item called Soft Claws. They are slip right over your dog’s toenails to prevent them from scratching up your floors. But, if you have pets, just know that your floor finish won’t hold up nearly as long since animals naturally create a lot of wear and tear.
Taking your shoes off at the door will definitely help your floor finish to last as long as possible since small debris and dirt trapped in the soles of shoes will cause wear on a floor finish in time.
Many people think they are doing a good thing by putting down throw rugs and those plastic floor protectors under office chairs, but fine dirt and grit gets trapped underneath them and causes excessive wear. It is important to vacuum underneath them on a regular basis.
If in a few years if the scratches and wear to your floor are minimal, we can simply do a re-coat for you. But if there are deep gouges or scratches, or the finish has broken through in areas, we will want to do a re-sand and refinish to bring it back to life. Either way, give us a call and we can bring them back to their former glory.
DC Dave
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