You have made the decision to have timber flooring installed, you love the look, but what about ongoing maintenance. That doesn’t mean a daily grind of of working on the timber flooring. It’s just a bit of advice for cleaning, looking after and protecting your new asset.

There is a combination of factors that will eventually wear down and scratch the floor coating over time. Things like dust, people coming and going, sunlight and moisture, to name a few. Timber is a natural product, not manufactured, so it has some unique properties that have to be considered. By taking a few simple steps, you can limit these factors and ensure your timber decks and its coating lasts years.

Less Dirt = Less Scratching

Timber is a pretty resilient material so the scratching we are talking about is more than likely being done to the coating rather than the floor itself. If you want to keep the floor looking brand new then you can adopt a few floor care techniques.

The floor coating can be scratched with each footstep as it brings in dust, grit and other small foreign objects. Cleaning regularly will help greatly and by not doing so, the shiny, polished floor will become dull and sustain damage.

However, it’s not reasonable to expect that a normal household would clean the floors every single day. A weekly sweep and vacuum is as good a way as any of making your floor has an extended lifespan.

Roll Out the welcome Mat

Just by putting a simple ‘Welcome’ mat or one of those special mats that suck the dust of the shoes of visitors will help cut down the dirt traipsed into the house. There’s a bit of psychology involved when a visitor walks over a welcome mat. They tend to be more conscious of having dirt on their shoes and tend to tread more lightly once they are inside. The Asian custom of removing your shoes before entering a house has evolved for a good reason.

In the high traffic areas such as hallways and the kitchen, consider placing a protective cover there. It will certainly help keep the continual flow of dirt and dust under control.

Sunlight

Did you know that UV rays from direct sunlight will change the colour of your timber flooring? If you remove a rug or mat don’t be surprised to see a noticeably different shade. A couple of ways to avoid this is to block the source and lessen the impact. Move rugs around so that not just the one spot remains covered. In the case of furniture, move it around occasionally so the area underneath can age at the same rate as the rest of the floor.

Blinds and curtains were made to keep out the sun and they will help keep direct sunlight and heat off the floor. If possible, maintaining a stable temperature and humidity level will also help.

Installing a timber floor has been done at a considerable cost, it’s certainly in your interests to make sure that it is kept in good condition as it adds value to your home.