June 10, 2009

Cleaning Hardwood Floors

June 10th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
Mr.Andrew Caxton asked:


Taking care of your hardwood floors on a daily basis. The steps you need to take to clean your hardwood floors. What to do if you get water stains on your hardwood floors.

If you are worried about cleaning your hardwood floors. you came to the right place. This article can take you through all of the important steps to clean your new hardwood floor correctly. If you clean these beautiful floors every day. you will guarantee that they will stay beautiful for the life of your home.

Solid hardwood floors are the easiest kind of flooring to keep clean. so takng good care of them will maintain their beauty without a lot of fuss on your part. Ground in dirt and particles are the real enemies of hardwood floors. When walked on. these particles can actually make tiny dents and scratches in the floor that lead to a dull appearance. Daily cleaning will avoid. or at least reduce this. In addition. you can extend the life and improve the appearance of your floors by preventing the dirt and grime from accumulating in the first place. Make sure you have mats or rugs at every entrance. These will absorb the initial dirt as it enters the house. You should only use neutral PH cleaners on hardwood floors. Make sure you use your vacuum’s soft brush attachment. Sweep your floors frequently. and use a dust mop to lift dust off the surface. Make sure your home has curtains or drapes on all of the windows. Hardwood floors that are exposed to excess sunlight will fade or discolor. Be careful not to drag any of your furniture over the hardwood floors. Either wait for help to lift the furniture. or keep felt pads under the legs of each article of furniture. And. one of the most important things: make sure you never let water stand on the flooring for any length of time.

How should you be washing the floor? It will depend on the condition of the floor. A floor that has scratches. chips or gouges should not be cleaned with water since the water will seep into the cracks and damage the wood. If the finish is smooth and in good condition. use a slightly damp mop with a mild detergent. If your floor looks dull after this. you may consider waxing it. A maintenance coat of wax will continue to protect the surface even further. If. even if you are very careful with standing water on your flooring. you get water stains. use a light steel wool pad soaked in water to rub the stains out. then clean and wax as usual. Cigarette burns can be removed with a mild detergent. If your hardwood floors are treated with polyurethane. you will have to use a different method. First. take all of the furniture out of the room and sweep or vacuum the floor. Then. using a very slightly dampened mop. clean with mild soap. then rinse with fresh water. Make sure no water collects in the corners of the room or the joints of the floor. Using a clean. dry towel. rub the floor completely dry. If your hardwood floors have an oil finish. vacuum or sweep the floor. as above. to remove all loose dirt and debris. Then. using a rag dampened with a neutral cleanser made for this purpose. clean the entire floor. Next. a damp rag with fresh water to remove the cleanser. then rub it briskly dry with a fresh cloth.



Donald
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June 7, 2009

I need tips in painting a hardwood floor?

June 07th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
wmth asked:


I am going to paint floor paint over a hardwood floor. I think I have everything covered on what to do but what I’d like to know is; I’m going to roll on the paint. Any time you normally roll paint (wall or ceiling), you have to cut-in paint with a brush against the walls or corners where the roller can’t reach. My question is, being that this is a floor, I’d rather not leave brush strokes for the cut-in. Any suggestions on how or what to use for the cut-in? Thanks.

Arlene
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June 4, 2009

Installing Hardwood Floors

June 04th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
A.Caxton asked:


Hardwood floors are all the rage today in newer homes. but floors have been made of hardwood for hundreds of years. In medieval times. floors were made of dirt. and wooden floors were the next step up. Hardwood floors should be considered one of the most important elements in your home design. The comfort and value of hardwood floors is unequal. and they offer many benefits to the homeowner.

One of the most important and desirable features is easy maintenance. New technologies have produced wood flooring that can be beautifully maintained with just a daily sweeping or dusting. Coatings and surfaces have been developed that eliminate the work that used to be involved in keeping wood floors looking good. From time to time. a good cleaning product. one that is recommended by the manufacturer. should be used to keep a hardwood floor looking new for a long. long time.

If you have decided to install hardwood floors. you need to be familiar with the grades that are available. This is the appearance of the wood. based on the type of manufacture used. Different parts of a tree. and how it is cut. will deterine the grade. The part of tree the wood comes from will influence the final color of the wood floor and the grain of the pattern will be determined by the way the wood has been sawed. Hardwood for floors is cut from a log in different directions. and this will determine the look. Tangent to the rings will produce a different look than radially across the rings. Depending on the look you want. either one may be the right one for you. If you are looking for durability. hardwood floors are the right choice.

In addition to being durable. hardwood floors are an environmentally friendly renewable product. Many people use the wood from old barns and old homes for the flooring in their new homes. Wood floors do not have the alergens and dust that accumulate in carpets. and so if you or a family member is plagued with allergies. this makes hardwood floors the best choice for you. As a matter of fact. hardwood floors are endorsed by a number of health organizations as the healthy choice for people with any kind of allergy or breathing conditions.

Hardwood floors are the best choice in terms of investment for your home. and adding to its resale value; even though the initial investment may be higher than carpeting or vinyl. it maintains its value longer since it does not have to be replaced. Hardwood floors also do not look worn as easily and readily as other floor coverings. and this further adds to the value of your home. These are just some of the reasons that it makes sense to invest in hardwood floors. These reason. plus the infinite variety of styles and colors available that will suit any decorating scheme makes hardwood floors the ideal choice.



Megan
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May 30, 2009

How do you get scuff marks out of a hardwood floor?

May 30th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
rlc_60504 asked:


I bought a house with a hardwood floor. I don’t have prior experience with hardwood floors. I usually use the swiffer for hardwood floors. While it seems to clean, I still have scuff marks from shoes and such in the floor that can be seen from an angle. I don’t want to scrub these areas and risk damaging the floor. Any advice on techniques or products to use? Thanks!

Diane
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May 27, 2009

What is the pro and con of intallation hardwood floor with “Floating” method?

May 27th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
Amy G asked:


I want to install the engeneered hardwood floor to my house. Should I choose the installation method with ” glue down” or ” floating”? Which one is better?

Hector
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May 19, 2009

Consider Hardwood Flooring For Your Home Improvement

May 19th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
Stephen Campbell asked:


You need to know that almost all houses used laminate flooring in the past. However, at the moment hardwood types of floors have dominance in the marketplace as a result of their endurance, the capacity to last more longer, and far reaching quality. Indeed, hardwood flooring is now recognized as one of the best materials for home improvement, to date.

When installed in proper settings and also occasions, the proper sort of hardwood floors can ease your pains, specifically when there are teenagers in the house. The shine of hardwood floors can surely be dulled by dust. More over their shine can be eclipsed by dirt; this is surely why it is so necessary to remove dirtiness fast in residences with hardwood floors.

Hardwood floors can truly get dented by water, acknowledge that your hardwood form of floor cleaner has to have a neutral PH; Also see to it you don’t use oil-based soaps to clean them. The cost of the engineered wood floor is one reward of hardwood floors as this specific kind doesn’t cost as high as common hardwood floors. Thus, it does not matter whether you don’t have lots of funds or not. Practically all the folks can afford this sort of hardwood floors.

If you choose to do your research for hardwood flooring on the World Wide Web, it is valuable to realize that there will certainly be loads of World Wide Web firms trying to quickly sell their products; take time to choose those which you are certain of. Laminate kind of floors are attaining a lot of acceptance each and everyday and this is surely because they look very much hardwood floors; more over they are easy to install in the house.

Hardwood floor refinishing takes a good amount of time and ought to be done appropriately, more over the approved gear has to be achievable for the best outcome to be achieved. There’s no such thing as the most excellent credit offer; nevertheless, there is such a thing as which credit offer will surely suite your needs; uncovering this will give you access to a credit card you will fully benefit from.

There are firms offering you hardwood floor products Online; you do not need to waste time moving from place to place when you can get all the information you need, as well as cost quotes online. With the availability of online resources, you can now choose the best products for your home improvement.



Elsie
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May 17, 2009

Prefinished Hardwood Floor - For Easy Installation

May 17th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
Bercle George asked:


Installing hardwood floor can be a tough task that you may take when you apply it to your home; most especially when you do it all by your self ( without the help of professional installer. Hardwood floor installation does not only take skills but you also need patience in installing hardwood floor. Fortunately, to lessen your labor in installation, you can go for prefinished hardwood floor materials that are available in hardware stores.

When we talk about prefinished, this pertains to hardwood planks that are already coated and sealed with translucent films which functions as their protection from wear. Finishing pertains to giving protection to your hardwood floor from scratches and spills and to make it easy to wipe or mop.

You can benefit a lot from using prefinished hardwood planks when you intent to do your hardwood floor installation all by yourself. You can, after drilling, finish the nailing process and this is one thing that is advantageous for you.

However, if you will utilize maple or oak, this hardwood floor materials need to be applied with finishing or final touch by sanding and by putting wax for polishing purposes. The range of time that you can have in installing hardwood materials is halved when using prefinished wood.

Prefinished floors have also better output than using the others. It is because they are already designed to be uniform and predetermined coating. This gives you assurance that you can have the better quality of output. Usually, pre-finished hardwood are sanded and coated three times, eight times to be coated with aluminum oxide. They are also been tested and proven to handle normal wear situations.

Remember however, prefinished floorings are a little bit expensive than pure hardwood planks. But, when you do your calculations to compare them, you will determine that you are spending more with the latter plus the hassle you will undergo when you choose it.

Well, there is no argument that you can always ask for assistance from others, especially from the professional, to install your prefinished hardwood floor. However, if the issue is the cost, then you are fortunate to somebody that has given his idea to product in which you can essentially choose as an effective alternative for pure hardwood planks.

So, I hope you are given some essential ideas which you can use if you plan to install some for your home. You can use the pre-finished ones.



Florence
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May 14, 2009

How would you scrape gunk off an oak hardwood floor without damaging it?

May 14th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
shiroinohi asked:


Our tenants recently moved out, leaving a great mess, but the worst part is there’s black gunk all over areas of the oak hardwood floor. We’ve tried using Citrisolv and a gentle scrub brush, which works well, but takes a long time for a small area. Scraping the gunk off is much easier and takes less time, but can damage the floor. Does anyone know a good way to scrape without any damage?

Veronica
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May 12, 2009

I have just installed a hardwood floor but their is a glue residue on the surface. How can I remove this?

May 12th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
markifox72 asked:


I have just installed a American Black Walnut Hardwood floor. I installed it using Sika glue which is like a treacle but sets like rubber. I wiped up any excess glue with a cloth but it has left little spots of glue residue all over the floor. Does anyone know how to get this up without damaging the varnished vinish?

Leon
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Proper Care for Hardwood Floor

May 12th 2009 Posted to hardwood floors
Bercle George asked:


For you to be able to achieve the maximum benefits that your hardwood floor can bring, it is necessary that you apply appropriate maintenance strategy for it. Hardwood floor materials, no matter how sturdy that could be, are organics and that means it can decay in the long run. Time, together with other constraints, can make it ruined or worn. It is vulnerable to decomposition. However, if proper hardwood floor care is employed, you can make it as firm as new ones.

Forget it not, hardwood floor materials are expensive. And because it is considered as investment, it is really essential that you get its maximum benefits that is worth to your expenses for it.

Below are some of essential tips that you must consider in order to properly care your hardwood floor.

One is, you have to avoid it to be exposed so much in sunlight. If your floor has its large window, you have to protect them from sun exposure by putting blinds or sheer curtains. It is proven that ultraviolet rays have ill effects on materials like hardwood floor.

Another is, do not drag your large furniture around the area. If you intent to more your table, sofa or other home furnishing, have it done by lifting. If you can not do it all by yourself, ask assistance from other person. Obviously, dragging can scar and damage your floor. It could be a hassle task in your part if you do reapplying coating again.

Another essential thing to remember and apply is, you have wipe up stains and spills immediately. Letting stains and spills to stay in your hardwood floor can make it more difficult to handle. If your hardwood floor has a quality of intact and good coating, there is nothing to be worried about. However, to make it safe, and to make sure care, it is recommended that you do wiping immediately after the hardwood floor is stained with foreign matters.

Lastly, you have to make it sure that you sweep your hardwood floor regularly and remember also to use the appropriate equipment to have this done. Utilize broom with an exploded bristles as in this way you can make an effective cleaning. If not, instead of cleaning, you may just add dirt on it and you have to be careful with this. Inappropriate equipment can damage your floor and may cause bigger problem along the way.

Therefore, the life of your hardwood floor greatly depends on how responsible and how enthusiastic you are in taking care of it. Remember, one effective way to have this done is proper cleaning and proper usage. By doing so, you’ll be able to achieve its maximum benefits.



Jesse
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