How to Care for Your Hardwood Floor

Hardwood flooring is a popular flooring choice, used in residential and commercial buildings alike. It can make a modern room feel more rustic or add charm to traditional decor. Without proper maintenance, your beautiful interior wooden floors won’t be as impactful. Follow the steps to find out how to revive your hardwood flooring.

Step 1: Tools

To bring the shine back to the wood, you’ll need to invest in oil. We suggest an oil that is clear, solvent free and that protects the wood from within. Using an oil will enrich the natural beauty of the wood, highlighting the texture of the flooring while creating a smooth, professional finish.

To apply the oil, you will also need a drum sander, sanding paper, a buffing machine, squeegee, nylon buffing pads, cloths and a water bucket.

Step 2: Prep

To make the process run as smooth as possible, you will need to prepare the surface. If you have rooms below the surface, make sure there isn’t anywhere the oil could leak through. Use a filler to hide any holes or cracks and keep an eye out for any exposed nail heads, ensuring they are secured down and flat. If you have used a filling product, remember to let it cure before continuing. Sand the surface thoroughly (at least twice) and clean away the dust with a vacuum.

Step 3: Application

On your prepared surface, apply the oil with a squeegee. To avoid any staining, remove any splashed oil immediately. You want to be sure to move quickly and re-apply in the areas where it is being absorbed – you don’t want the oil to dry between coats. Apply a second coat after around 20-30 minutes but you can apply more oil sooner if it is absorbing quickly. Continue the process, applying a new layer of oil every 20-30 minutes until the wood won’t absorb any more oil.

Step 4: Buff

After about 30 minutes, your final layer of oil should have a thin, even surface residue of unabsorbed oil. Buff the surface with a nylon pad, and then remove all the unabsorbed oil with a cloth, over the surface of the nylon pad until you have a nice, even matt finish. You’ll need to buff the surface again once it’s dried, after around 8-12 hours with your nylon pad. This will leave you with a satin sheen.

Step 5: Cure

In the first five days, protect the flooring by only using a vacuum and keeping the floor dry. Over time, the flooring will become more water-resistant.

By taking care of your hardwood floor, it will perform better for you. Maintain the finish by using oils at annual intervals and keeping the surface clean.