Living on your new hardwood floor:
Like any product in your home your hardwood floor is not maintenance free. Preventative maintenance is most important for the long-term performance and lasting beauty of hardwood flooring. Here are some tips to help keep your floors looking beautiful for years.Use rugs at exterior doors to help prevent sand and grit from being tracked in. Rugs should allow the floor to breathe. Avoid using rubber backed or non-ventilated rugs. You can use a nonslip rug underlayment made especially for hard surface flooring to help prevent rugs from moving.
Install proper felt protectors on the legs of all furniture. Felt protectors should be cleaned periodically. Using felt protectors will eliminate scratching. Vaccum, dust or sweep floors regularly. Using a dry Swiffer mop works well. When vacuuming turn off the beater bar on the vacuum. Use a hose wand with an upholstery attachment. Never wet-mop a hardwood floor. Excessive water will cause the wood to swell and cup. Food spills should be cleaned up in a timely manner using a damp rag. Do not use dusting products, oil soaps or other harsh cleaning products. Sunlight will change the color of your wood floor use draperies and window shades. During the change of the seasons your floor wiill expand and contract. Small cracks may appear during the heating season. In the summer months floors may expand making cracks disappear. This movement is normal for a hardwood floor. Moisture or dryness can be controlled by use of a dehumidifier/humidifier. Normal humidity levels for homes are 45% to 55% relative humidity.
Give you floor time to mature:
Factors such as humidity and temperature may cause variations in the sheen of your finish at first. These variations will even out during the curing process. Your wood floor has to breathe properly to fully cure, avoid using area rugs or entrance mats until the finish has cured. Most finishes will be cured in about 4 to 5 days.
Health Benefits:
Hardwood floors are clean and easy to keep clean. They do not have the same dust build-up as other floor coverings, are pleasant to look at, and age beautifully. Having hardwood floors in your home can also help clear up many allergies. They provide no hiding place for mites, animal hair or other allergy causing irritants. Hardwood flooring is a smart choice for a clean healthy home.
Thank you for providing CMS Hardwood Flooring with the opportunity to be of service to you. It is our sincere hope that you are completely satisfied with the service which was provided to you. We are always interested in suggestions that would allow us to improve upon our already high standards and encourage you to submit your thoughts. Again, thank you.