Flooring Care and Maintenance Tips
Click Below to find out Schmidt Custom Floors suggested care guidelines.
Care for Hardwood Floors · Care for Carpets · Care for Tile
Care and Maintenance
Care for Hardwood Floors
It should be noted that, with some natural wood products, slight cupping and crowning may occur naturally, and this should be tolerated. This is because the bark side of lumber shrinks and swells more than the side closest to the center of the tree. Largely seasonal in occurrence, there is generally more movement in wider hardwood planks. Make sure that you are maintaining the environment in your home. Wood floors need to have a consistent level of humidity between heating seasons in all living areas. Excessive swings in humidity will cause hardwood floors to swell, shrink, cup, crack, and have excessive gaps between boards. The use of humidifier and/or dehumidifier systems is recommended where inconsistent humidity levels occur. Not only will humidity affect your wood floors, but it will affect your doors and cabinet doors also. We recommend 40-45% relative humidity levels. Expansion and contraction can be minimized by controlling your environment. Furnaces equipped with power humidifiers (in winter) and running dehumidifiers (in summer) help minimize changes.
Recommendations for Care after Floors are Newly Finished
- Use NO Water for One Week
- Place Carpets or Other Area Rugs after One Week
- Allow 48 Hours for Furniture and Pets
- Wait Four to Six Hours before Walking on Floors with Stocking Feet and 24 Hours for Shoes
- Have Your Floors Buffed and Recoated Every Two to Three Years in High-Traffic Areas and Every Three to Five or More Years in Areas with Lower Traffic
- Use dirt-trapping walk-off mats at all exterior doors to help prevent dirt, grit, and sand from getting inside and onto your floors. Throw rugs or small area rugs just inside the entrances are also helpful. Dirt and grit are any floor’s worst enemy.
We highly recommend using EZ-Glides, which are small berber carpet buttons, on the legs of all of your furniture. Clean the EZ-Glides periodically so grit does not get caught on them, and replace them occasionally, as need.
For wheeled chairs, we recommend purchasing rubber casters which are specifically made for wood floors. We carry these in our showroom or check them out at castercity.com.
Vacuum regularly, as often as you would vacuum carpets. A brush attachment works well. Dust mopping also works well, but DO NOT use a household dust treatment on your mop, as this may cause your floor to become slick or dull the finish. Such dust treatments can also leave a film that can impair the bonding of future recoats.
For damp mopping, we recommend and offer our Schmidt Wood Flooring and Finishes Cleaner, used with one of our micro-mops. Call our office for more information about these products. DO NOT use wax, oil-based soaps, or household dusting products on your floors. Wipe up any spills with a damp cloth.
DO NOT walk on your floors with cleats, ice skates, or damaged high heels. Keep high heels in good repair. Heels that have worn down or lost protective caps may have exposed steel support rods in the heel which can dent any floor surface.
DO NOT drag furniture across floors or roll refrigerators on floors without sufficient protection.
Care for Carpets
We recommend that all carpets are cleaned professionally every 18-24 months to ensure carpet manufacturers will honor their warranties.
When Accidents Happen:
- Blot up liquids with white paper towels or an absorbent cloth. Scoop up solids with the end of a knife or spoon.
- Apply spot removal agent to a clean towel or cloth, not directly to the spot. Use small quantities at a time. Always work inward from the edge. DO NOT rub this may cause the spot to spread or distort the pile. DO NOT over-wet the carpet pile.
- Blog as dry as possible with a clean towel.
- A good detergent solution is made from the following: one teaspoon of clear dish washing liquid or detergent powder (containing no bleaches or strong alkalis) with a cup of warm water. This solution must be well rinsed with clear water.
Care for Tile
For Newly-Installed Tile:
- Remove loose dirt by sweeping or vacuuming.
- Damp mop with Swiffer Cleaner according to the instructions listed above for damp wiping your hardwood floors.
- For added protection of a cement-based grout, a grout sealer may be applied in accordance with the grout manufacturer’s instructions. Generally, grout sealers are not intended to change the appearance of the grout. Always test in an inconspicuous area first to verify the desired appearance results.