Caring For Your Wood Floor
Caring For Your Wood Floor
Getting that wood floor installed must have been exciting, right? Finally having the right setup that accentuates the interior space, bringing out your style, while giving the premises a luxurious feel. That warm and insulating effect of the wood floors, coupled with their durability that makes them capable of withstanding high levels of traffic, contributes to making them a popular flooring choice. Then there’s that natural feel, which is difficult to replicate with other kinds of floors. In fact, each wood floor has its particular character and grain patterns, and the wide range of treatment options available, from the wood stains to the lacquers, enable you to have a resultant effect that is particular to your situation. To enable your wood floor to keep looking elegant, proper care will be required. This generally includes:
- Routine Cleaning
The main threat to the floor is the substances that wind up on it, from the dirt particles to liquids spills. The dirt is abrasive, such that when people walking around the area grind the particles against the surface of the floor it causes it to gradually wear down. You will notice how those areas that are frequently walked on have developed traffic lanes. These sections have a faded appearance compared to the adjacent floor area. Spills on the other hand can easily result in permanent stains being formed on the floor.
- Finishing the surface
Protective coats are applied to the floor, with the goal of increasing the wear and stain resistance of the surface. There are numerous options to work with here, each with their pros and cons. Take oil-based polyurethanes for instance. They add character to the wood, and also provide protective attributes. However, they tend to yellow over time, and there’s also the hustle during application, since the treatment takes long to dry, and there is also a higher VOC content released in the indoor environment. Wax, which has been in use for centuries, may be easy to apply, but it gets worn out faster, and will require to be redone more often. Moisture cured treatments to water-based lacquers – you have plenty of choices to work with.
For the finishing process, we particularly recommend Tover Idrolak DR 97. This is due to the wide range of benefits that the floor lacquer brings to your wood floor, including:
- Chemical and physical resistance
The two-component Tover Idrolak DR 97 brings enhanced protection to the floor. Here, it forms a barrier of protection against the day-to-day abuse the today abuse floor receives, with wear and shock resistance properties, and withstanding the household chemicals that are used for cleaning tasks as well as the accidental spills. This preserves the structural integrity of the underlying installation, keeping your wood floor in optimal condition for longer. It is suitable for high traffic areas, warding off the abrasive effects that would have resulted. This also aids in prolonging the duration in between consecutive floor renovations, cutting down the costs that go into the maintenance of the installation. The wide application rate of the lacquer also contributes to the cost savings. Here a litre of product gets to be used on 12 – 14m² of floor surface, giving you more value from every unit purchased.
- Rich finish
The luxurious look and feel that results from applying this lacquer on the floor surface enhances the ambience of the premises. It keeps the original colour of the wood, enhancing its appeal. There are different finishing cycles that you can use depending on your particular aesthetic needs – from using it to bring out that natural character and charm of the pure wood, working with the Idrofondo H20 or Mito water based primers, or using the Tone-Up with the lacquer for a warmer effect. The Tover Idrolak DR 97 itself comes in different sheen levels, including Semi-Gloss that has a 30 gloss at 60°, Matt with a 20 gloss, and Extra Matt where the gloss is under 10. Moreover, the lacquer can be applied over oil-based wood stains, further increasing the scope that you can work with. To test the particular result that you will obtain with the different solutions that you’re working with, it is recommended that you first apply the treatment on a hidden section of the floor and assess the results. However, note that you shouldn’t mix the Tover Idrolak DR 97 with other lacquers.
- Easy application
The Tover Idrolak DR 97 has been formulated to make the treatment process a breeze. Its levelling properties make it easy to achieve a uniform coat, and you can work with different tools, including microfiber medium hair rollers. Its fast drying cuts down the application time, since the first coat will be ready for light abrasion and application of the second coat within 5 hours.
Extra tip: Should it be particularly hot during the application, humidity levels are low, or you’re working on a really huge surface, you can mix the lacquer with 5% Rallenty retardant additive. This will slow the drying process so that the treatment can cure properly. Also, note that this is a frost sensitive formulation and shouldn’t be applied when temperatures are below 10°C.
Additional protection
This will vary based on the particular situation. For instance, in the high traffic areas, you can set up an area rug to reduce the amount of wear that the floor is exposed to. When getting rugs, avoid those with rubber backings, or rubber no-slip treads. Instead, it is recommended that you go with rugs that have a felt and rubber pad combination, as these will be safe for your floors. Whichever the case, ensure that the rug being purchased has been indicated that it is particularly suitable for wood floors.
Getting furniture pads will also be key to protect the installation from getting scratched and gouged by the heavy sofas, chairs, dinner tables and other furniture pieces in the household. This is as the miniscule movements made by the furniture can leave behind marks on the surface, adding to the wearing down on the installation.