14 Measures To Protect And Preserve Your Hardwood Floor

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Compared to other types of flooring materials, hardwood floors are probably the easiest ones to damage. And once damaged, they’re quiet expensive to repair.

So as a homeowner with hardwood flooring in your home, you want to take necessary measures to protect and preserve it for as long as possible, to keep it in good-looking condition.

Protecting your hardwood floors requires a combination of preventive measures, maintenance, and practices you need to adhere to for as long as needed, in order to preserve the beauty and original look of the floor over time.

The following are 14 of these important measures you must follow.

1. Use Floor Mats and Rugs

This is simply a no-brainer. You need to use area rugs for high traffic areas to protect these areas from damage.

Without these rugs, these high traffic areas will look so different over time when compared to the rest of the floor that is not exposed to much traffic. And you don’t want that to happen.
You want the entire floor to look uniform every time.

You also want to use entryway mats placed at doorways to catch dirt, debris and moisture before it gets to the floor.

Additionally, you want to make sure that the rugs you use have anti-slip so they don’t slip all over the place, scratching and damaging the floor underneath.

2. Add Furniture Pads

One major element in your home that’s more likely to damage your hardwood floor is your furniture legs.

Furniture legs are usually harder than most hardwood floors and they’re pointy. Some furniture legs are even made of metal, which is way harder than your hardwood floor, and direct contact is sure to damage the floor.

You need to place felt pads under your furniture legs. Rubber pads may also be used especially for heavier furniture pieces.

3. Avoid Dragging or Pushing Heavy Items Over The Floor

One of the easiest ways to damage your hardwood floor is by dragging or pushing heavy items like furniture or heavy appliances like a refrigerator over the surface.

Pushing these items along the surface will scrape and may even break off some wood from the floor.

So, instead of pushing heavy items over the surface, find someone to assist you and lift these items to wherever you want to place them.

4. Install Protective Coatings

This should be done immediately after the installation of the floor. Adding a durable protective topcoat like a polyurethane finish or a wax finish for older unsealed floors helps protects it against water damage, stains and scratches, while at the same time enhancing the wood grain.

5. Prevent Scratches From Pets

Pets like dogs and cats with long nails can scratch your hardwood floor. So, trim your pet nails and designate play areas for them.

6. Avoid Wearing High Hills On the Floor

Wood is not a very hard material compared to concrete, tiles, and other flooring materials. So avoid wearing high hills that may obviously dig into, dent and scratch your hardwood floor.
Also encourage guests to remove their shoes before entering your home.

7. Protect Against Spills and Water Damage

Moisture causes a lot of damage to wood by causing it to rot, expand and warp as the case may be. So, try as much as possible to avoid water spills. If it happens, wipe off immediately.
Ensure that there are no gabs between the floor boards that water can sip into.

8. Regular Cleaning

Always ensure your hardwood floor is clean, because sand is sharp and thus can cause scratches on the floor.
Use a soft bristle broom or a vacuum with a hardwood floor attachment for cleaning. Also, when mopping, ensure you don’t use harsh chemicals that can deteriorate and break the seal protecting the floor surface.

9. Slightly Rearrange Furniture Periodically

You need to move your furniture slightly periodically to prevent permanent dents caused by the furniture legs.
You can use furniture gliders designed for hardwood floors to make it easier to move them.

10. Protect High-Traffic Areas

High traffic areas like hallways are usually the parts that wear down first on your floors. So, spread floor runners or long rods on these high traffic areas.
Non-slip treads can also be placed on stairs to reduce wear.

11. Invest in Chair Mats

Most offices usually have rolling chairs with wheels that can damage the hardwood floor underneath. So you want to invest in chair mats or rugs to spread underneath these rolling chairs to protect the floor.

12. Use Protective Barriers in Specific Areas

Like I mentioned earlier, you want to protect your hardwood floor from water spills as much as possible.
So, places like your kitchen should have washable mats or rugs near the sink and cooking area to catch spills as they occur.
Also, place felt or rubber mats under refrigerators, dish washers, and other kitchen appliances to catch water that may spill from them.

13. Routine Maintenance

Routine maintenance can go a long way to keep your hardwood floor in good-looking condition. You can buff and recoat it with a protective finish to restore the surface if there are any scratches on it.

14. Don’t Steam Mop

Excessive heat and moisture is not good for wood. So, don’t steam mop your floor. Instead, use a cold mop.
And don’t apply excess water on the wood when mopping. Use a lightly dampened mop instead.