How TO MAINTAIN
WOOD FLOORS

Despite all your conscientious sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and buffing, you can’t expect hardwood floors to gleam quite like when they were first installed. You can, however, extend their life—and appreciate their beauty—for years to come. Rule number one: Promptly clean up spills and anything else undesirable afoot.

Supplies

• Fine-grade sandpaper (220-grit) or floor scrub pads
• Polyurethane-flooring cleaner
• Soft cloth
• Polyurethane-flooring finish (same as what’s on floor)
• Foam paint pad
• Paintbrush

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The proper treatment for common problems (see page 61) depends on the flooring’s finish, if any. Polyurethane, a hard film coating, is more durable—and harder to repair—than the age-old wax application. If you aren’t sure, do a spot test in a clean, inconspicuous area, preferably near a window: Rub some mineral spirits (or paint thinner) with a white cloth over the area; if the cloth picks up a glaze, or stains amber or brown, odds are the floor is waxed. If not, the coating is likely polyurethane, which can be water- or oil-based. To test, apply a small amount of the solvent Xylene, let sit for about 10 seconds, and wipe away; if floor is sticky, the finish is water-based; if nothing happens, it is oil.

Spot-Repair Wood Floors

When the treatments (see opposite) fail to work on polyurethane finishes, you can tackle blemishes with the following three steps.

1. 1. Lightly sand the damaged area with sandpaper or floor scrub pads, being careful to avoid cutting into the wood itself (and making color-matching difficult).
2. 2. Wipe away dust with a commercial cleaner formulated for polyurethane, rubbing it over the surface with a soft cloth.
3. 3. Apply the same polyurethane finish as what’s already on the floor, using a foam paint pad to evenly cover the area and then a dry paintbrush to feather the edges.

Note: If the floor was treated with a wood stain, you will need to restain the sanded area before applying the finish.

PROTECT & PREVENT

Your best course of action is to keep those nicks and scratches from happening in the first place.

• Always place self-adhesive furniture pads (such as by EZ Glide) on the feet of chairs, tables, sofas, and other portable pieces to keep them from scraping and scuffing the floor.
• To avoid scuffed floors when moving heavy pieces of furniture, fold two clean towels, place one under each end, and slide the piece across the floor.
• Before you spend an afternoon rearranging the furniture, do a trial run with a set of paper templates. Measure dimensions of each piece, then transfer them onto kraft paper. Cut out the templates, label them, then lay them on the floor in the intended spots.