How To Care For Old Wooden Flooring During Refurbishment

There is nothing quite as welcoming, or aesthetically pleasing, as walking into a room which has a real wooden floor. They are perfect for a family home full of hustle and bustle and as well as being attractive they are easy to clean and can withstand some pretty heavy knocks as well. If you have rolled back the carpets and want to make use of those old floor boards underneath, or have moved into a house with old wooden floors that you want to bring back to their former glory then read the following tips on how to care for those old wooden floors while you are refurbishing them.

Check Them Out Properly

Old wooden floors, especially if they have just been left bare for years under a floor covering could be hiding some pretty nasty secrets. Woodworm is a big one so look for the tell-tale holes in the wood. Test them thoroughly for squeaking or any feeling of weakness. If a board feels more flexible than the others it could well be cracked underneath and will give way over time, so it may need replacing. Before you start doing any refurbishment work make sure the boards are level and there are none standing proud of the others. This will not only be annoying as you will invariably stub a toe on it, this can also leave the board more susceptible to damage.

Treating Them with Care

You need to determine whether the old wooden floor you want it refurbish is soft or hard wood. The former looks very attractive but can be marked easily with heavy furniture or even heels on shoes. Many people when they have lifted their floor covering and exposed the boards forget about things like this and drag furniture around or walk around them in their high heels. You can get those marks out of softwood once they are there, so if your floors are made of this you may need to rethink your strategy regarding how the room will be used.

Care When Sanding

Easy does it is the way to go when sanding an old wooden floor. These boards could have just been lying there for years covered in carpet and flying in there and sanding with gusto could be too much for them. Start in a small area first and see how the wood reacts to the sanding. If it groans and creaks as if in pain the industrial sander you have hired may not be the best tool for the job and although it will be a lot more work you may have to use a smaller, orbital sander and just skim lightly across the top two or three times. If the job is larger, then hiring specialists such as floorsandingexperts.co.uk may be a better idea.

Keeping It Clean

Running that mop over the top of your wooden floor may give it a nice shine, but this will quickly fade. The best way to care for an old wooden floor is to mop it with a cleaning fluid specially for wooden floors and when this is dry use a good quality polish. This not only gives a lovely, long lasting sheen but all cares for the wood and ensures it doesn’t dry out.