In this blog, we will be delving into 3 steps when cleaning dark or light oak hardwood floors once they have been sanded.
Are dark or light oak hardwood floors better for cleaning?
Light or even grey parquet floors will look incredibly beautiful in their surroundings but they will likely require slightly more cleaning and brushing compared with dark oak wooden flooring. That is because the marks and debris are likely to be more visible.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t have your floor refinished to a lighter colour than its current state, but please keep this in mind as it is often overlooked.
Of course, there are preventative measures you can put in place to minimise the level of debris and marks that can become present on your flooring.
Read our blog ‘Will dark oak wooden flooring go out of style?’ to hear the strengths and weaknesses when choosing light or dark hardwood flooring. I hope it helps you make a decision about which would be best for you and your requirements.
So let’s now delve into our 3 steps when cleaning your floors after it has been sanded and refinished.
Step 1 Allow it to cure
Cleaning should not be completed until the floor has completely cured. In other words until the treatment whether that be lacquer, oils etc. has properly dried.
The floor will usually take around 7 days to cure properly.
You however will be able to walk on the floor 4-5 hours after the refinishing has been completed. This should be gentle walking though, nothing with too much impact.
Heavy and sharp objects can damage the floor even after it has fully cured so please always lift heavy objects rather than dragging them along the floor.
Traipsing dirt and debris onto your floor can also be prevented by ideally taking off your shoes before walking on the wooden floor or by having a mat and the entrance of the room to take most of the brunt of water and debris from shoes.
Step 2 Prevent where you can
To prevent you from needing to clean your floor as often or having to completely repair work due to stains and damage appearing on your floors, we have some tips for you.
1: Furniture such as chairs and tables should be fitted with pads at the bottom to prevent them from scraping and damaging your floor
2: Furniture should always be lifted and not dragged along your beautiful wooden floor
3: Debris such as grit, sand, and broken glass should be removed from the floor immediately
4: Spillages should be mopped up straight away in order to avoid it penetrating the coating on the floor
5: Do not apply adhesive tape to your floor. This is used to keep rugs in place. The tape will break down over time and could soak into the coating damaging the floor.
Step 3 Pallmann hardwood floor cleaner and maintenance tips
You need to, first of all, remove any sticky residue left from chewing gum or sweets from the floor.
Large debris should then be carefully collected using your hands.
A soft brush or vacuum should then be used to scoop up any remaining debris from the floor.
For a higher level of cleaning, Pallmann recommends the following:
- Use a concentrated solution of PALLMANN CLEAN
- This should be applied by spraying the area with 100 parts water to 1 part PALLMANN CLEAN
- You can use the PALLMANN CLEAN AND GO clean kit to do this
You can also use the Pallmann floor mop when cleaning your floor. But please remember to thoroughly rinse the mop head in a fresh solution in order to avoid re-contamination during the cleaning process.
Also, please try to avoid water remaining on the floor for more than 1 minute. This will prevent the water from penetrating into the wood.
These products are all suitable for homeowners as well as commercial hardwood floor cleaning.
Long-term treatment requirements
Over the long term, the floor may require re-polishing and re-coating to bring it back to its former glory.
We would always recommend for this to be completed by professionals in order to receive a professional finish.
Sussex Floor Restoration services
If you are based in Sussex and would like your floor whether it’s light oak hardwood floors or dark wood floors sanding to remove indents and crevices, or re-lacquering/ oiling, please get in touch by calling, 01444 810505, or emailing us at info@sussexfloorrestoration.co.uk, and we can arrange an on-site assessment and discuss the different options with you.
