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How To: Care For Hardwood Floors

Scott Sidler • Mar 04, 2013

We do a lot of hardwood floor refinishing at Austin Historical and I often get asked by clients how they should care for their newly refinished wood floors. There is a specific timeline of how to treat and care for [...] Read More The post How To: Care For Hardwood Floors appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

How Long After Refinishing Will My Wood Floors Be Ready?

All of these timelines are dependent on environmental conditions, though. This is an average only! If your weather is warmer and drier than average, then you can speed up the timeline a bit (but not too much). And inversely, if it is cooler and more humid, you’ll have to wait longer for your floors to be ready.

  • Up to 12 Hrs After Coating – Floors should NOT be walked on at all, and adequate ventilation must be provided to allow the finish to dry properly.
  • 12-36 Hrs After Coating – Floors should be dry to the touch and are safe to walk on in socks or stockings. No shoes!
  • 36 hrs After Coating – Floors are safe for light foot traffic with shoes, but high heels and furniture should be avoided if at all possible.
  • 1 Week After Coating – Furniture can be replaced and normal activities can be resumed. However, avoid placing rugs on the floors until 1 month after finishing. Also, avoid using vacuums any cleaners, or even mopping the floor during this period. A broom and dust pan will suffice just fine for now.
  • 1 Month After Coating – Set your rugs, use your vacuum, mop your floor. Anything goes at this point. The finish has cured enough and is as hard and free of VOC’s as it will ever be.

General Care Do’s & Don’ts

After your newly refinished wood floors have fully cured and life has gone back to normal, there are a few things you can do to make sure the finish on your floors lasts. There are only so many times you can sand and finish a floor before you sand right through the floor. So, by taking care of your new finish, you can extend the life of your floors and save thousands of dollars by putting off a refinishing for an extra 10+ years.

DO’S

  • Sweep Regularly – Dust and dirt that sit on your floor get walked on and ground into the finish. It can quickly wear down your finish.
  • Mop Regularly – Depending on how dirty your house gets, you need to mop your wood floors about every month. There are plenty of good wood floor cleaners to use but I recommend Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaner.
  • Use Felt – Put felt pads on the feet of any furniture you have that will be residing on your floors to prevent scratching and denting from the furniture.
  • Change Rolling Chair Wheels – If you have a rolling chair, you likely need to get new rollers. The typical nylon rollers on most chairs will scratch and destroy a wood floor’s finish. A set of polyurethane casters will smooth out your ride and protect your wood floors.

DON’TS

  • Leave Spills For Long – If you spilled food or liquid on your wood floors clean it up right away. The wood is protected on the face, but if it seeps into the cracks and isn’t dried soon, the wood can stain or swell or both. Pets are often the biggest offenders in this area.
  • Use Oil Cleaners – Cleaners with oil in them like Murphy’s Oil Soap can create an oily residue on your floors that is often difficult to remove. These cleaners were great for floors when the finish was mainly wax, but with a polyurethane floor, you don’t want these as part of your cleaning regimen.
  • Drag Anything…Ever – A sure fire way to put a gash in your finish is to drag or slide a piece of furniture across your floor. Even if you put something soft underneath the item, you might have a little bit of sand or dirt that gets dragged along and puts fine scratches in your finish.

Without this basic care, you may end up needing a hardwood floor repair or board replacement and that begins to get expensive. Wood floors can last centuries if taken care of properly. So, follow these simple guidelines, and your floors will be a blessing and not a curse for as long as you hang your hat there.

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By Chace Building Supply • 29 May, 2018
When ordering or selling doors, it is important that you help your customer purchase the proper hinging. The hinging on interior and exterior doors is determined as you pull the door toward you, whatever side the knob is on. For example, when the door opens to you and the knob is on the left, it is a LEFT HAND DOOR. When the knob is on the right, it is a RIGHT HAND DOOR.

Our newly rebuilt website

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Bring Back the Front Porch

By Scott Sidler • 09 May, 2016
I think it’s time we brought back the front porch. For too long, our garages have been growing, while our porches have been shrinking. We insulate ourselves and our homes to keep the outside world out and the inside world [...] Read More The post Bring Back the Front Porch appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

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By Scott Sidler • 25 Apr, 2016
My wife and I, like most all old home owners, are fans of a lot of the restoration themed DIY shows these days. Rehab Addict, Barnyard Builders, American Pickers and, of course, Fixer Upper. Their designs and passion to keep [...] Read More The post No Joanna, That’s Not Shiplap appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

How To: Make a Small House Feel Large

By Scott Sidler • 20 Jan, 2014
Old houses are often much smaller than their counterparts today. The size of the average American home has grown enormously over the 20th century. From an average size of around 1,100 sq. ft. at the beginning of the century to [...] Read More The post How To: Make a Small House Feel Large appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

Preventative Maintenance Checklist

By Scott Sidler • 20 May, 2013
Maintaining an old house can seem like a full time job at times. Old homes were built with materials and in a manner that requires regular maintenance. While this maintenance requires time, it is ultimately a more affordable option than [...] Read More The post Preventative Maintenance Checklist appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

Getting Square with the 3:4:5 Triangle

By Scott Sidler • 06 May, 2013
This post may be a bit on the math nerd side, but sometimes in construction, a math nerd is the one who makes the difference between a building falling down, and one that lasts a hundred years. Old houses are [...] Read More The post Getting Square with the 3:4:5 Triangle appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.

How To: Open Stuck Windows in 4 Easy Steps

By Scott Sidler • 21 Aug, 2012
If your house is old enough to have needed a new paint job in its life, then you might have a couple windows that have been painted shut. If your house is as old as mine (1929), you’d be lucky [...] Read More The post How To: Open Stuck Windows in 4 Easy Steps appeared first on The Craftsman Blog.
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