So, you’ve just had a new wood floor fitted. One of the next questions people always ask is, “How do I maintain it?”
Firstly, here’s what not to do (and that’s probably most important). DON’T USE DETERGENTS. They’re really bad for your floor, and can leave marks.
Secondly, is your floor an Oiled Floor or Lacquered floor. Make sure you know, as there are different strategies for each.
Oiled Floors
Cleaning
The floors should be cleaned regularly (say every two weeks). This should be with a natural wood flooring soap, so no detergent, and should be applied with a little water, and then lightly mopped (don’t use too much water). It’s possible to buy wood flooring soaps in supermarkets, but our recommended product is from Ciranova (just google their flooring soap), as this is from the same company who makes our oils. Regularly cleaning like this is one of the most important things to do to keep your floor looking healthy.
Maintenance Oil
One of the benefits of an oiled floor is that it can be refreshed with the use of oils. If you want to keep your floor the existing colour, you can rub in a maintenance oil, every say 18 months to 24 months. Again, our recommended oil is from Ciranova and for almost all of our floors, the matt version applies, but always test it out before you start rubbing too much in. We use Ciranova oils on our sample boards, as it keeps them looking fresh, when they get bashed around on site visits. It’s also great for light scratches; but deeper scratches may require a different strategy, such as the use of filler or if very deep, the plank will need to be sanded.
Of course, there are also many people who don’t worry about oiling their floor. If that’s you, then your floor will simply change colour over time…and for many people, that’s part of the charm of a wood floor!
Anything else to think about?
Whilst the oiled finish itself is stain resistant, it doesn’t mean you can leave everything on the floor. Things like drinks, food, kids toys etc. will stain the floor, so make sure you clean up the mess when it happens. Our floors should resist most liquids for a few hours…. but if you leave oil or wine on a floor for a weekend, it will mark (and this is the case for any wood floor!).
Lacquered Floors
These floors require less maintenance. As they cannot be oiled, it’s just a question of regular mopping with a wood floor cleaner that is suitable for “varnished floors”. Do not use maintenance oil on these floors, as the oils just stays on the surface of the wood (it isn’t absorbed).
We recommend the Bona products, and they have a very helpful spray mop, that regulates the amount of product applied to the floor. Of course you can also try other lacquered floor cleaners (we always recommend testing the cleaner on a small area first). Below is a link to a product we would recommend.
