Cleaning and Maintenance
POLYURETHANE FINISHED FLOORS
- Vacuum (using soft setting) or sweep the floor to remove surface dust and grit.
- When washing and maintaining your floor we recommend using a specialised cleaning mop that works with a floor cleaning fluid, particular to your coating type - these are available from Swinard Wooden Floors.
Should you prefer to use an alternative mop (mirofibre mops work well) please ensure that you keep the amount of water/specialised cleaning product used, to a minimum and apply this with the use of a spray bottle.
We strongly recommend that you do not use solvent-based products or steam cleaners on our wooden floors.
Remove all spills and any excess moisture immediately.
To protect your floor from furniture scratches we recommend attaching protective pads to the base of all furniture. A wide range of protective pads are available from hardware stores. (We have found Bunnings to have the best selection.) Care must be taken when moving furniture.
Please be aware that stiletto heels may leave small dents in your floor.
Floors with underfloor heating require specific care. Please see operating instructions under Underfloor Heating.
OIL AND WAX FINISHED FLOORS
Depending on usage, your floor will require maintenance applications on a regular basis. For everyday/weekly cleaning a broom or vacuum cleaner is all you need to remove dust and dirt. Weekly (or less often depending on usage) it can be mopped, we recommend the Mytee Microfibre Mop from The Cleaners Warehouse. The amount of water used for mopping must be kept to a minimum, a spray bottle is recommended. If done regularly, adding a cleaning product will help to clean and maintain your floor, it will also avoid the build up of calcium carbonate residues. Immediately wipe the floor dry. The type of cleaning product used is determined by the finish you choose, cleaning instructions pertinent to your particular oil finish will be sent to you after installation; should you be unsure, please contact our office to enquire which product to use.
To ensure that oiled wooden floors in high use areas, such as restaurants, offices etc., remain looking good they can be mopped daily. The amount of water used for mopping must still be kept to a minimum, a spray bottle is recommended. Larger areas can be maintained mechanically. Apply the cleaning product thinly and spread using an electric brushing machine with a thick brush or pad. Polish, when dry, using a brushing machine with a fine brush or pad; follow manufacturer’s instructions.
To remove stains the floor can also be mopped and stubborn stains can easily be removed with a liquid wax cleaner applied to the floor with a cloth or pad. If the floor starts to look a bit dull, the same liquid wax cleaner will revitalise it. This can also be applied to specific areas (such as around doors and kitchens); in such cases there is no need to treat the whole floor. Apply the liquid wax cleaner neat, but very thinly, to the clean floor with a lint-free cloth and then polish, if desired.
For particularly defined wear marks, the floor should be given a new treatment with oil. We will let you know which type of oil was applied to your floor to enable you to match it. Once again, the areas used most can also be rejuvenated individually without needing to treat the whole floor. Basically, the oil is applied thinly to a clean, dry floor, then left to dry; once completely dry it can be polished with a liquid wax cleaner to obtain an even shine, if desired. Follow manufacturer’s instructions.
Under normal domestic use we recommend that an oiled floor has a new application of oil every 18 months. However, this should be more frequently applied with heavier foot traffic.
Floors with underfloor heating require specific care. Please see operating instructions under Underfloor Heating.
Floods
If the timber floor is inadvertently flooded, damage can be minimised by removing the surplus water as fast as possible and gradually adding extra heating (do not turn up the underfloor heating, however). Short-term use of dehumidifiers and improved air circulation can also help to remove the moisture that may have got between the boards or underneath the boards. Do whatever is possible to remove the water quickly before the timber has time to absorb and hold too much moisture. A well installed floor can recover from flood damage, to a large degree, if prompt action is taken.
Heating
All freestanding heaters, radiators, heat pumps, underfloor heating etc. affect the temperature of the floor and need to be increased and decreased gradually, as any extreme temperature change can damage the floor. Insulation in concrete slabs, dehumidifiers and heat transfer kits will also impact on the temperature and humidity level of your timber floor. The floor should remain at a temperature below 24°C or 75°F, no matter what type of heating is used. For this reason we recommended that any manual control units are enclosed and positioned so that only experienced people have access to them. Each time the heating is turned on it must be increased gradually. Starting at 15°C, increase the temperature by 1 to 2 degrees per day over a period of 7 days, until the required level (below 24°C) is reached. It is recommended that you reduce the temperature in the same manner. The moisture content of the floor should still remain within the acceptable range (9-13%). Should you be considering a water controlled system, it is important that the unit is controlled by the temperature of the floor, NOT the temperature of the water in the system. Experience has shown that misuse of temperature controls will prove too much for any wooden floor and will eventually lead to floor failure.
UV and Sunlight
All natural products are affected by the sun. Excessive amounts of strong sunlight and UV rays will have a detrimental affect on wooden floors. It will dry out the timber and cracks may appear; in addition to this it will bleach the wood and the area may become significantly lighter. This can be greatly reduced by choosing a window glass which minimises the transmission of ultra-violet light from the sun and reduces the heat gain in a room from bright sunlight (the chemical reactions which cause materials to fade are accelerated by higher temperatures). We recommend the use of UV protection glass or having UV protection films fitted to existing windows; alternatively you could consider UV blinds. This will not only protect your wooden floor, but also your furniture, fabrics and carpets too.
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