How To Properly Protect The Floor From Wear And Tear?

One of the most annoying things when decorating your house is to lay an astonishing, new wood flooring and shortly thereafter notice that it’s become damaged as a result of an accident or due to overall wear and tear. You probably want to know what preventive measures to take to avoid such a situation and protect your wood flooring from daily wear and tear. In this article we’ve set out our top tips, which will help you keep your flooring undamaged for longer.

Regular maintenance

One out of many definite advantages of wood flooring is its straightforward maintenance. Everything your floor needs is quick vacuuming and delicate mopping with a damp (not wet) mop. Usually, you won’t need any special detergents. Clean water will suffice, unless your floor is really dirty, in which case you may need to use a product appropriate for the given flooring type.

Floor protectors for furniture

Usually furniture which comes into contact with your wood flooring can wreak havoc on its surface, causing dents or scratches and making the floor surface unsightly. Any such dents, chips or splits in the floor caused by your furnishings can be easily prevented – use furniture protectors, sticking them under all items which have the potential to damage your beautiful floor. They are available in many different options and their cost is quite low as compared to the benefits you get. You can pick self-adhesive felt-pad protectors or cups, depending on which of these options best suits your furnishings.

Quality doormats

The next simple method of preventing floor damage and keeping your floor looking great in the long term is getting yourself quality doormats. They will help you prevent scuffs, scratches and the overall wear and tear of the floor. It would be best to have both an outdoor and an indoor mat. The one laid outdoors should be tough enough to lift off the worst of the dirt and grime from underneath your shoes. The mats laid indoors should ideally be big and made of a soft fabric and should be placed inside of the hallway. In this way, you will ensure that shoes are sufficiently dry before you, your family members or guests step on your wood flooring. If possible, choose a doormat which is long – by doing so you can make sure that even those who fail to wipe their feet, have shoes clean enough not to damage the floor. The natural act of walking across the doormat will remove a significant amount of the remaining dirt. And, of course, the best idea would be to make your house a shoe-free zone!

Rugs

Apart from being colourful and fancy interior decorations, rugs are a perfect way of protecting your wood flooring. We would recommend you to go for the best quality rug you can afford and choose one which doesn’t have a rubber backing – in this way you can prevent your floor from getting stifled and enable it to breathe normally. And above all, remember that natural fabrics are the best choice. You can also apply anti-slip strips or patches underneath the rug to prevent it from sliding on the floor.

Pets

Your four-legged friends can cause serious damage to your wood flooring if you fail to manage them right. Always ensure that your pet’s claws are regularly clipped. Each time when you’re coming back from a walk, dry off your cat or dog. Apart from that, make sure that, if little accidents happen, they are cleaned up instantly. This will help prevent serious staining.

These are the methods which you can apply to help extend the life of your wood flooring and keep it looking great for longer. Always remember that prevention is better than cure – it’s really worth the effort.