Cleaning and Maintenance

Polyurethane Finished Floors
Vacuum and/or sweep the floor to remove surface dust and grit. Damp mop the floor weekly, or more often depending on the amount of dirt or foot traffic. When washing and maintaining your floor we recommend the “Mytee Microfibre Mop”, available from The Cleaners Warehouse on Ferry Road, Christchurch. This anti-static mop is used with warm water, preferably applied with the use of a spray bottle. However, should you prefer to use a cleaning product, please ensure that it is solvent free – The Cleaners Warehouse can recommend products suitable for your floor. A small amount of methylated spirits is an acceptable additive to water.

Always remember:

  • The amount of water for cleaning must be kept to a minimum.
  • Use a spray bottle or a well wrung out mop or cloth.
  • Remove any puddles of water on the surface immediately.

It should be noted that polyurethane is moisture resistant, not waterproof, so “over wetting” damage may occur from mop and bucket washing methods.

To protect your floor from furniture scratches, we recommend attaching protective pads to the base of all furniture. A wide range of felt protective pads are available from hardware stores. (We have found Bunnings to have the best selection.)

The polyurethane coating should not delaminate or separate from the timber under normal reasonable use. Wear and tear on the polyurethane, and the subsequent loss of sheen, is directly related to the level of use. Wear is dramatically increased with the presence of dirt and moisture on the surface. These create an abrasive action beneath shoes and furniture in contact with the floor. In a domestic application, if care is taken to exclude dirt and other abrasive materials and felt protective pads are placed on the feet of furniture, the polyurethane should not need resurfacing for 5-10 years. We recommend, that after a period of about 5 years, the floors are given a light sand and recoated in polyurethane. This will lengthen the life of the floor, ensure that moisture cannot seep into worn areas, and will restore the finish of the floor to its original sheen level. In commercial applications it is impossible to predict the life of the coating because the use and abuse levels vary dramatically between applications.

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 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 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; please contact our office to enquire which product to use. 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 renovated 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). 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.