Flooring for Each and Every Home

Having your hardwood floors refinished will breathe new life back into the home. But, once they've been refinished, how do you keep them looking as good as new? Here, you'll find a few tips to help protect your freshly refinished hardwood floors so you won't have to undergo this project again anytime in the near future.

Note the Damaged Areas

One benefit you have from living in the home before the damage has been undone is the fact that you know where the damaged areas were to begin with. Once the refinishing is complete, you won't be able to tell that the damage ever existed, but for now, you can take note of where the damage occurs.

Once you know where the flooring is more likely to become damaged, you can take preventative measures to keep it from occurring again in the future.

For example, if the flooring around the kitchen table became gouged due to the chairs being moved around, you can either place an area rug under the table after the floors are done, or you can purchase the foot covers for the chairs so that they no longer damage the flooring as they're moved.

Prevent Sun Damage

The sun can be more damaging in your home than you might think. Those faded, cracked and damaged areas around the windows can be prevented simply by keeping the sunlight from shining in on them every single day.

To do this, you can install blinds, hang drapes, cover the flooring or install window film that will filter the damaging UV rays from the light as it shines through the windows.

Note: Window film doesn't have to be tinted to effectively filter UV rays – it can be clear, reflective or tinted, depending on your own personal taste and needs.

Traffic Wear

Those areas that see the most traffic can be protected using runner rugs. Hallways, busy areas in the kitchen – these are two place most known for premature traffic wear. Invest in runner rugs, as well as the underlayment that grips the rugs and keeps them from sliding on the floor. The underlayment not only prevents the rugs from sliding around, but will keep the dust and dirt that builds up underneath from scratching the surface.

Talk with your hardwood refinishing professional to learn more about what it takes to protect the finish of your hardwood flooring to prevent the need to do this again in the near future.