Floor Staining is Inexpensive

It’s really unnecessary to take out the entire hardwood floor just so it will match new furniture pieces. This would be expensive and a lot of extra time-consuming work. A better option would be to change the stain color of your hardwood floors. It costs less to stain hardwood floors than to install completely new hardwood flooring.
Staining is actually one phase of the hardwood refinishing process. Staining hardwood floors should be done between sanding the floor and applying the finish. Staining or re-staining is usually done, not with the intention of changing the color of floors, but to refresh the color. However, you can change the stain color for a different flooring effect. It can be an inexpensive design accessory just like changing a rug to suit your design needs.

Choosing A Hardwood Floor Stain

Something to keep in mind is that stains absorb differently depending on the type of woods. For instance, staining is much more effective on floors made from open-grained woods like ash, oak, pecan or walnut because stain colors for hardwood flooring of these types tend to penetrate deeper. Hardwood floors made from closed-grain woods like birch or maple tend to not stain as well. Therefore, before you start a staining project, it’s imperative that you know the wood type of your floor so you can choose the correct stain to use.
The correct stain to choose will be based on the type of wood your floor is made of as well as what you want the floor to look like after the staining process. Do you just want to freshen your floor’s current color? If so, choose from among the many colors and pigments of penetration type sealer stains. These kinds of stains won’t conceal your floor’s natural wood grain. Are you looking to change the color of your hardwood floor? Then go with any of the oil-based pigmented stains available. These stains are known to accentuate a gorgeous hardwood floor’s grain patter.

Final Hardwood Staining Tip

Make sure that you have a hardwood flooring professional thoroughly clean the floor after they have sanded and before applying stain. Otherwise, you’ll end up with uneven stain colors for hardwood flooring boards in certain areas of the floor. Instead of the boards absorbing the stain, the debris in and on the floor will absorb the stain.

Proper Hardwood Floor Cleaning

Knowing how to clean hardwood floors is important because the arch enemy of hardwood is dirt and sandy grit, which will scratch and mark the floor if not removed promptly. Dust is seen more easily on wood floors than it is on linoleum or on carpet, especially in the sunlight and especially if the floor has a dark stain. Careful hardwood floor care means sweeping and dusting regularly – once a week at least, and after any event that leaves dirt or grit behind. Regular household dusting and cleaning products are too harsh and will cause damage. You must use only products specifically designed for hardwood. Vacuuming is preferable to sweeping because it allows the dirt and dust to be pulled from between the boards, but use a vacuum with a bare floor attachment, not a spinning brush bar, which can damage the wood.

Deep Cleaning Hardwood Floors

When a deeper cleaning is required, use a cleaning method appropriate to the finish on your floor. If your floor has a glossy finish, it means that polyurethane, or a water-based urethane, or some of a similar finish has been used to form a protective barrier over the hardwood. If it has a matte finish, it means that the floor is protected with a penetrating seal of oil and/or wax.

On both of these finishes water is not an acceptable cleaning agent, but both of them can accept a light, damp-mop cleaning, which means the mop is not wet but only damp to the touch. Remember you are cleaning only the surface and not using enough water to penetrate the oiled-and-waxed hardwood. When using a damp mop on oil and waxed hardwood, you can add a little neutral ph hardwood floor cleaner to the water before dipping the mop into it. A floor with a protective glossy barrier can accept a generic hardwood floor cleaner providing it doesn’t contain any wax or oil.

Hardwood Floor Care Protection

Along with regular cleaning and refinishing when necessary, there are a number of steps you can take to preserve the beauty of your hardwood:

1. Use area rugs and mats in high traffic areas and especially areas where frequent spills can occur. Choose cotton mats as they do not trap water under them as rubber or vinyl might.
2. Keep high-heeled shoes off the floors if possible.
3. Keep nails trimmed on pets.
4. Clean up spills immediately with a paper towel or dry cloth.
5. Lift rather than drag furniture when moving it and use felt protector pads or glides under furniture legs to prevent scratches and gouges.

With proper care and maintenance, your hardwood floors will retain their beauty for years to come. When your floors become worn, or if they become damaged, they can be restored to their former glory with a little time, effort, and money. We can help with all your hardwood floor care needs – let us help you keep your hardwood floors looking their best.