Maintaining Hardwood Floors
If you have thought about changing your flooring and have decided on hardwood flooring then you have made a great choice, but your hardwood floors will need to be maintained. Hardwood flooring is made from mature trees, and is treated when it is finished. But hardwood will absorb moisture and also scratch if something is dragged across it.
Leaving a puddle of water in your hardwood floors would not be a great idea. The moisture will go into the cracks in between the slates and they will swell as they absorb the water. If water happens to be spilt in even a small spot and sits it can still be seen. If any liquid is spilled on the floor you need to soak up the fluid right away. Use a damp mop only when you clean your hardwood floors. There are also floor cleaners that are specially formulted for hardwood floors that you could use, like old floors usually. Either way only a damp mop should be used.
Dents and aslo scratches happen to hardwood floors often. High heels are torture to hardwood floors. Over time any furniture legs can dent or scratch the floors. It might be an idea to add some area rugs under your furniture or there are also felts available that go directly under the furniture legs. This can be the same as new furniture to many people. Also you could add some area rugs to the highly traveled areas in your home such as kitchens, hallways, in front of the couch.
There are some people that feel that the scratches and the dents give their hardwood floors character. If you have a lot of dents and scratches then it is an option to have your hardwood floors refinished. If you have your hardwood floors refinished every decade or so and keep on top of protecting your hardwood floors, they will look the best, just like new furniture usually. Moving anything across your hardwood floors to letting your dog run in the house can cause scratches and dents.
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