Keep Scratches From Forming On Your Wood Floor
Keep Scratches From Forming On Your Wood Floor
You want that elegance that your wood floor has to remain for long. That characteristic charm that brings a warm look and feel to the space is a huge part of the reason why you went with wood for the floor, right? It’s also a durable structure, capable of standing up to high levels of traffic. However, the scratches that develop over time take away the appeal of the installation. Let’s look into the common causes of the scratches, and how you can protect your floor to retain its beauty for longer.
- Furniture
The furniture is core to the décor, but those heavy sofas, bookshelves, tables and armchairs can easily create scratches, especially if they are being frequently slid across the surface. Whenever the furniture needs to be moved, it should be lifted and carried, instead of dragging it on the floor, otherwise scratches and gouges will form. This is typically a two-person job, so you’ll need help when moving the heavy furniture.
There are also minimal movements that occur during the normal usage of the sofas and other furniture items. Initially, the effect will be minuscule, but over time this will build up to be glaring blemishes on the floor. Placing pads under the chair, table and sofa legs will go a long way in protecting the floor underneath. Felt furniture pads will aid in enabling you to move the coffee tables and chairs smoothly across the surface.
Area rugs come in to give your floor additional protection. The rugs are placed around the room as needed, and with the extra benefit of adding colour and pomp to the space.
- Shoes
This is particularly of concern for the wood floors in high traffic establishments. The dirt and debris that is grinded into the floor underfoot slowly abrades the finish coats over time. There are also types of shoes that increase the risk to the floor, such as stilettoes and cleats due to their sharp edges.
To reduce the impact that the foot traffic has on the floor, routine cleaning is needed to get rid of the dirt and debris. It is also recommended that you prevent household members from walking indoors with the shoes that they were with while outside. Placing a shoe rack at the entrance, as well as sandals that they can switch to once they get into the house will reduce the amount of material that gets transferred into the building.
- Pets
With dogs and cats in the household, then scratches are virtually inevitable. As your furry friend moves around the house with claws drawn out, these will scratch the surface. The claws dig into the wood especially when the pet is running to provide traction. Keeping the claws trimmed such as by taking the pet regularly to the groomer or investing in a nail file designed for pets, will aid in protecting your elegant wood floor. Floor sections where the pets tread a lot can benefit from area rugs, protecting the floor underneath while still enabling your furry friend to navigate easily.
Turn to the Bona Traffic HD To Add To Your Floor’s Durability
To maximise the protection for your floor, investing in a quality finish is key. This is a formulation that creates a barrier between the floor and the barrage of abuse that comes down on it on a daily basis, preserving the structural integrity and enabling it to last for longer. One of the popular formulations in the market is Bona Traffic HD, renowned for its effectiveness in delivering on its mandate.
This two-component lacquer is used to provide a durable barrier of protection for very high traffic areas. Its superior protection makes it ideal for use in shopping malls, airports, schools, restaurants, public venues and other spaces that handle high levels of footfall on a daily basis. Given that the floor will be ready to use in 24 hours, it minimises downtime in such establishments, a critical factor when selecting the formulations to be used for the floor maintenance.
Speaking of drying time, the waterborne Bona Traffic HD’s fast drying also comes in handy during the application process. For instance, you only need to give the first coat applied onto the floor 2-3 hours before another coat can be added onto it. The faster curing time is both beneficial to the contractor as well as the owners of the building. It will have cured 80% within the first day, and 100% within three days. Note that it is recommended that you don’t place back area rugs onto the floor until the treatment has fully cured.
When it comes to aesthetics, the Bona Traffic HD enhances the natural look of the floor, though you can also choose to have a wood stain applied first to set your preferred hue. The resultant effect gets to be maintained for longer, and you also won’t have to dread about a yellow tint forming, as is a common concern with oil-based polyurethanes.
The Bona Traffic HD comes with enhanced absorption properties making it easier for the personnel spreading it onto the floor to achieve a uniform coat. In addition, the abrading between the Bona waterborne sealer and the finish coats being applied is not necessary, unless it’s already over 48 hours since the previous coat was applied. For the tools, one can work with rollers, the Boa Floor Coater or Cut-In pads, depending on the size of the area being worked on and the preferred mode of approach. Note that when the finish and hardener mixture is prepared, it should be used within 4 hours.
When it comes to indoor air quality, the Bona Traffic HD is one of the safest lacquers to use. It has very low VOC emissions, which is proven by the formulation attaining the GREENGUARD Gold certification, which means that it can be used in environments like schools and nursing homes where there are stricter standards on the permitted products.