7 Hardwood Flooring Maintenance Tips From Our Installation Team

After installing over a thousand hardwood floors across Canada, we have seen everything — and learned a great deal about what separates floors that look beautiful after twenty years from those that need refinishing after five.

1. Never wet-mop a hardwood floor. Hardwood and standing water are enemies. A damp (wrung-out) mop for occasional deep cleans, and a dry microfibre for daily maintenance.

1. Control your humidity. Wood is hygroscopic — it expands when humid and contracts when dry. Keep your home between 35–55% relative humidity year-round and you eliminate the majority of gapping and cupping problems.

1. Use felt pads under every piece of furniture. Every one. Not just the heavy pieces. The scratches on hardwood almost always come from furniture, not foot traffic.

1. Place proper entrance mats. The grit tracked in from outside is the most abrasive thing that will ever touch your floor. A quality exterior mat removes 80% of it before it gets inside.

1. Refinish before you think you need to. A light screen-and-recoat when you first start seeing wear in traffic areas costs a fraction of a full sand-and-refinish. Proactive maintenance is always cheaper.

1. Address spills immediately. Wood can tolerate brief moisture contact. It cannot tolerate prolonged contact. A spill left for an hour is a potential stain. A spill left for a day can cause permanent raised grain.

1. Keep pet nails trimmed. We love dogs. But their nails are the second most common cause of floor scratches after furniture.