At Good Millwork, we make some beautiful tongue and groove floors out of woods such as mahogany and deadhead sinker cypress. These floors do not stay beautiful for long, however, if they are not cared for. Care is not difficult, but does require some routine maintenance.
Dust and excessive moisture are the primary enemies of a wood floor. Sunlight and scuffing as furniture is used are the secondary enemies. Controlling these factors will enhance the life of your floor.
Dust acts like sandpaper as it is tracked into the house and across the floor. One simple step you can take is to put small rugs at the entry and exit to the floor. These catch a lot of the dirt before it reaches your floor. The rugs should be taken outside and shaken to remove the dirt regularly. Sweeping the floor regularly is also necessary to catch any dirt that makes it past the little rugs.
Wood floors look like they should be mopped with lots of water to keep them clean. Nope. Use the minimum water you can and still clean the floor. Water makes wood swell and the grain rise, and that can cause the floor to buckle or become rough. Do not use ammonia or bleach on your floor as that eats away at the varnish covering the floor. By the same token, clean up pet accidents quickly so the urine does not do the same thing.
Sunlight can fade or bleach out the wood in your floor. We all like sunlight in our house, but be careful to protect the floor with area rugs where the sunlight is directly on it. By the same token, protect the floor from being scuffed by furniture as chairs move back and forth, tables are used, and other things move. You can get little coasters that fit under the legs of the furniture to protect your floor.
Sometimes, bad things happen to good floors. Having a professional strip the floor by sanding it down a bit, then reapplying the varnish layer, can make the floor look like new. During this process, you may find a board or boards that need to be replaced. Good Millwork can take your board, or the measurements from it, and mill a replacement board for your floor. Give us a call to discuss your replacement board needs today.
Have Questions? Contact us or call (888) 209-9307
