How To Clean Prefinished Hardwood Floor? When choosing the best hardwood flooring for your home, it’s important to take your time. Cherry, walnut, maple, bamboo, and a wide variety of other hardwood species are all readily accessible. Hardwood flooring increases the value of your home and is easy to maintain and clean.
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Prefinished hardwood flooring has recently become more and more well-liked among consumers in both the residential and commercial sectors. If you add up sales and solely consider popularity, prefinished alternatives now have an advantage over unfinished flooring.
A fantastic option for hardwood flooring is prefinished wood. It adds sparkle to any room after installation and doesn’t require finishing. Prefinished hardwood flooring cleaning recommendations and an explanation of its appeal are provided below.
What is the Prefinished Hardwood Floor
Unfinished, prefinished, solid, engineered, handcrafted, distressed, reclaimed, luxury vinyl and a plethora of other terminology that are related to wood floors can be perplexing. Then what precisely is prefinished hardwood flooring? Hardwood floors that have been factory finished are referred to as “prefinished”. Each board is coated in polyurethane before being placed on the shelf.
Unfinished hardwood flooring served as the foundation of this particular sector of the flooring industry for a very long time. But in recent years, prefinished hardwood flooring has quickly grown in popularity among both residential and business clients. Prefinished options now have the advantage over unfinished flooring if you were to add up sales and go only by popularity.
What are The Features of Prefinished Hardwood Floors?
Prefinished hardwood floors are finished with aluminum oxide crystal sealants, one of the best hardwood floor finishes for a surface that is extremely durable and can withstand heavy foot traffic, moving furniture, and other sorts of wear and tear. On the other hand, conventional hardwood floors are first nailed in place before being stained and sealed.
Because neither DIYers nor flooring professionals have access to manufacturer-grade sealants, traditional hardwood floors don’t last as long as their prefinished counterparts. In as little as 5 to 7 years, they can already be showing surface dulling and scratches. When sealed with strong chemical sealants, prefinished flooring can maintain its attractiveness for up to 25 years without dulling or fading.
However, the conventional method of installing hardwood is time-consuming, untidy, and exposes the installer to harmful fumes from stains and sealants. Hardwood floors provide natural warmth to any room. It makes sense why even seasoned do-it-yourself frequently choose to hire a pro for the work! The beauty of a real wood floor can be more easily achieved with prefinished hardwood flooring, which are hardwood planks that are sold with stain and sealant already applied. Prefinished hardwood flooring, however, has benefits and drawbacks, just like all types of flooring.
What are The Advantages of Prefinished Hardwood Floors:
- Speedier installation: You can install your floors quicker, first and foremost. Unfinished floors are set up, sanded, stained, and sealed with a weatherproof finish. Each of these actions requires time. When installing prefinished flooring, your work is finished. Prefinished flooring is the way to go if you need to get your floors put quickly.
- Reduced Cost of Installation: The installation is not only quicker but typically more cost-effective because no staining, sanding, or finishing is required. Prefinished floors can be less expensive than site-finished floors, depending on the type you select.
- Escape the Mess of Sand, Dust or Smell: You escape the dust, smell, and hassle associated with finishing floors on-site because your floors don’t need to be sanded, stained, or finished on-site. All the finishing work is already completed before the installation
- Less Labor Needed: Because factory finishing is done, it is less labor-intensive than finishing done on-site, pre-finished floors are ready to install. They don’t need heavy labor work at the time of installation.
- No Confusion: The prefinished wood flooring is exactly as pictured. Since there won’t be any surprises, that gives many clients a great deal of peace of mind. Prefinished flooring is ideal for people who are extremely picky or who worry about making decisions for significant undertakings.
- More Durable: Prefinished hardwood flooring has a somewhat more durable finish than site-finished flooring since it is finished in a factory setting, under carefully regulated and optimum conditions. The finishing is carried out in a temperature-controlled, dust-free environment, pre-finished floors are often more durable than site-finished floors. While both treatments are very durable and will keep your flooring safe for many years but we must award the factory-finished planks the advantage.
What are The Disadvantages of Prefinished Hardwood Floors?
Prefinished hardwood does, of course, have some disadvantages. Here are a few of the more important ones to be mindful of.
- Prefinished Hardwood is Not Suitable For All Custom Designs: If you have decided to go for your Pinterest board of intricate wood floor designs and chosen prefinished hardwood flooring then you may have to keep it aside. Of course, it depends on your objectives. Herringbone and chevron parquet flooring are two examples of traditional wood floor designs that are simple to make using prefinished hardwood. Multi-colored, 3D patterns, however, would undoubtedly require a particular finish.
- Unfinished Hardwood May be Considerably More Easily Personalised: If you buy unfinished hardwood and finish it yourself, you can practically make it look like anything. since you must complete it at the end. Furthermore, customization isn’t just limited to finish and hue. It also describes how the edges of your floor will come together. Many prefinished hardwood planks have rounded or lightly beveled edges. Some of them have square edges. It depends on the thing, to put it simply.
- Prefinished Hardwood Flooring Won’t Conceal Subflooring Problems: but unfinished hardwood can. Prefinished hardwood can do a lot, but it can’t hide any subflooring problems. Typically made of plywood planks, it is attached to the large beams that hold up your floor. Unfortunately, prefinished hardwood will make any flaws in your subfloor very evident. If your flooring is uneven in some locations, some of the boards may slightly raise, or there may even be noticeable gaps between the planks. This necessitates creating a foundation that is perfectly flat for the planks to rest on, which could be challenging and significantly increase the cost of your project.
- Not All Wood Flooring that Has Been Prefinished is Water-Resistant: Prefinished hardwood is scratch and dent resistant, but it is just as prone to water damage as any other hardwood floor.
Getting Ready for the Cleaning Collecting the Supplies
It is important to keep in mind that the hardwood flooring in your home is constantly exposed to a range of elements, such as moisture, heat, and dust, all of which can cause a reduction in quality. Hardwood flooring requires ongoing upkeep. You may do many things to prolong the life of your hardwood floor, such as daily cleaning, weekly mopping, monthly polishing, and annual sanding.
Assemble the following tools before you start cleaning your prefinished hardwood floors:
- A brush or dustpan with soft bristles
- An attachment for a Hoover cleaner with soft bristles
- Use a microfiber mop or a thoroughly dampened mop
- pH-neutral cleaner for hardwood floors
- Sponges or clean, lint-free cloths
- Mixing bucket for cleaning agent
How to Clean Prefinished Hardwood Floor
Prefinished hardwood floors that are properly maintained, endure longer and need less refinishing than those that are not maintained properly. Make sure to always clean in the right order, with the right tools, and with the appropriate mopping techniques.
It’s important to know the upkeep and discover the best ways to clean it. Cleaning is easier and takes less time because the flooring has already been cured and prefinished before installation. And you don’t need to spend a lot of money on expensive chemicals or equipment to keep it looking perfect.
1- Floor Cleaning Once a Week
The dust, dirt, and other contaminants that settle on hardwood surfaces over a week can accumulate quickly. You should therefore make sure to regularly dust your floors. By doing this, you may prevent your hardwood floors from getting dings and scratches over time. Use a microfiber cloth for dusting and a soft-bristled broom for sweeping to maintain a soft, shiny floor.
2- Vacuum Cleaner
Keep your prefinished hardwood from scraping and getting dirty by avoiding using tools with stiff bristles. If you choose a microfiber cloth or a cotton dust mop, collecting dust will be simpler. Last, but not the least, you can always use a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush hardwood attachment to maintain the flooring’s brand-new appearance.
3- Floor Cleaning with Moist Mop
Your floor can be cleaned by mopping up tenacious dirt and debris. Utilize a moist microfiber mop as needed. You can take out light dirt and filth using a moist mop. Check the floor after moist cleaning to make sure there is no water behind. Use a fresh towel to quickly dry any puddles you encounter.
For the sake of protecting the hardwood, use the proper floor cleaner. Some water will benefit from a few drops of dish soap. When cleaning the floor, completely wring out a sponge mop after dipping it into the liquid. Once you’ve completed cleaning with the sponge and dishwashing detergent, you must remove the film it leaves on the floors using a damp mop.
4- Eliminate Streaks
Use less soap when mopping to lessen the possibility of streaks forming on your flooring. More soap may make the work more difficult for you because it will saturate your mop pads more rapidly. 3′ x 3′ portions should be mopped. This will prevent soiled water from drying out onto your floors. Also, rinse your mop frequently. Make sure to frequently empty your mop pads of dirty, soapy water, or replace them. To ensure that you are not simply spreading unclean water, frequently inspect your mop. The last thing you want is for your floors to get sticky, unclean, and soapy as they dry.
5- Polishing
If you want to polish your hardwood floors, use the products that the manufacturer suggests. Use a mop or a microfiber cloth to spread the polish, being careful to go with the grain of your floors. Before stepping on that region, ensure that the polish has had enough time to cure.
6- Put Floor Coverings Under Chairs and Other Furniture:
The floor covering is very useful to prevent scuffs if you’re concerned about scratches or maybe wearing out your hardwood floors. Doormats and area rugs also preserve your floor and provide visual interest to the space. To allow the floor to age evenly, shift your furniture once a year. Last but not least, if you have dogs, it’s best to periodically cut their nails. By cutting your pets’ nails, you can maintain their health and prevent further damage to the flooring.
Conclusion
Prefinished hardwood floors are surprisingly simple to clean, as you can see. The inclination to ignore the suggested cleaning schedule is regrettably equally simple. If you want your prefinished hardwood floors to last for a very long time, we would strongly advise that you schedule time to adhere to and complete the daily, weekly, and monthly programs.