Floor Maintenance

Maintenance of Hardwood Flooring with Polyurethane Finishes
For a low-maintenance, durable finish, the wood flooring in your home should be taken care of as follows:

Cleaning
Sweep or dust mop your floors on a regular basis to remove any dust or grit which could act as an abrasive on the finish. You may vacuum your floors, but do not use a rotating brush or beater bar attachment intended for carpets, since this can scratch the finish. Periodically you will need to damp mop your floors. Use a sponge mop wrung nearly dry to avoid soaking the floors, which could damage them. We recommend using a solution of 1 to 3 oz. of Hillyard's Super Shine-All to one gallon of cold water (rinsing is not necessary). You may also use a mild solution of vinegar and water if desired, but you must rinse with clear water afterward to eliminate any hazy buildup or streaking. Avoid use of any product containing wax or oil. This includes oil soaps, liquid or paste waxes, or spray dusting aids. Once a floor has been waxed or oiled, subsequent coats of polyurethane cannot be applied due to adhesion problems.

Maintenance Coats
After time, your floors will exhibit some dulling as the finish begins to wear, especially in high traffic areas. When this occurs, you should contact us to screen, spot fill and apply another coat of polyurethane finish on your floors. This procedure is referred to as a maintenance coat. In high traffic areas such as the entry and kitchen, floors may need to be maintenance coated every one to two years; in less-traveled areas, you may only need a maintenance coat every three to five years on the average. The cost of this process averages $0.45 to $0.80 per square foot, depending on size and condition of the floors, for oil-based polyurethane finishes. Waterbase finishes should be maintenance-coated more frequently, and cost slightly more. It is very important to have the maintenance coats applied on a regular basis, since they replace the finish that wears off from normal foot traffic. If you wait too long, you may wear through the finish and expose the grain of the wood to staining. Once this occurs, sanding and refinishing is required, which is a more involved, costly, and dusty process.

Protecting Your Floor's Finish
One way to extend the life of your finish is to place throw rugs in critical wear areas, such as at all outside entrances and in front of the sink or stove. We also recommend installing felt glides on the legs of all chairs and furniture which slide across the wood floors. When moving heavy pieces of furniture or appliances with built-in rollers (pianos, refrigerators, etc.) across your wood floors, be very careful to avoid scratching the finish or depressing the wood grain. We recommend laying a piece of 1/8" masonite on the floors to protect them and distribute the weight of the item being moved (note: a piece of carpet or cardboard does not offer adequate protection, and should not be used). Alternatively, an appliance dolly with inflatable tires may be used. Other furniture should always be carried and set in place, rather than dragging or sliding it across the floor. Pryor Floor Company, Inc. carries a variety of accessories to protect and maintain wood floors, so if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.