Polished wooden floor boards are one the best features you can have in your home or building. They are natural and have a beautiful effect on the decor and feeling of the space. They can also be easily damaged and can have some maintenance attached, so make sure you are willing to undertake the maintenance before you go ahead and polish.

Damages

Wooden floor boards can be easily damaged if they are exposed to sharp objects. These sharp objects come in the form of shoe heels, pet claws, furniture and dropped objects. Wooden floors can also be damaged by moisture and water damage, and can be easily stained by falling objects if they aren’t sealed properly. A good hardwood floor will take quite a bit of punishment before it starts to show wear and tear, but it will wear and it will show signs of aging.

Placement

In the past it has been common for people to stay away from polishing floors in wet areas such as the kitchen and bathrooms. This has been to avoid water damage. It has now come back into vogue to have polished floors in both areas but you need to make sure that they are properly sealed or they may start to show signs of rot.

Prevention is better than cure

• Shoes off! – asking family and guests to remove their shoes may be something you don’t feel comfortable with, but the smaller the heel base, the more damage they do.
• Pets – the claws on your dog or cat can cause real damage to floor boards if they are long enough to make contact. Keep Fido and Ginger’s nails short if you can, oh, and don’t play fetch in the house.
• Mats – well placed matting in high traffic areas will take the brunt of the punishment and reduce damage to your floors.
• Lift, don-t drag – if you are moving furniture or any other item around the house, remember to lift and carry and not to drag. Dragging will scratch and mark the floor.
• Chairs – put felt or rubber stoppers on the bottom of your dining chairs. Pulling a chair back and forth across your floor will leave scratches.
• Keep it dry – if you spill something on your floor boards, clean it up. Floor boards may be tough but they aren’t indestructible and they may absorb some of the spillage.
• Sweep it up – a bit of dirt on the floor is a fact of life, but if the bit of dirt is stepped on and dragged through the house it may cause scratching to your floor.
• Refresh – your floors need to be polished to help the seal stay effective. Check your products to see which are suitable for wooden floors.

If you have wooden flooring in a weather exposed area such as timber decking in an outside area, it will need extra attention to stay nice. Outdoor timber needs to be sealed or oiled at least twice a year to prevent moisture damage and rotting. Check the recommended maintenance regime when you lay outdoor decking to make sure it is something you are willing to follow or you may lose an expensive asset.