A Lifetime of Beauty

Here are a few simple instructions to help you maintain and protect your Allwood floors, and keep them looking beautiful for a lifetime.

One of the most critical steps for prolonging the life of any hardwood floor is simply keeping it clean and free of debris that can damage the outer, protective finish layer. There are different types of finishes available (ie., lacquer, polyurethane, oil, etc.), and proper cleaning methods can vary widely between them. Using the incorrect cleaning products or techniques for a specific finish can actually harm the floor. Allwood floors are finished with either a UV Lacquer or Polyurethane coating. To make sure they stay looking amazing for years and year to come, please follow these simple steps for care and maintenance.

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Cleaning Your Allwood Floors

• Avoid scratches and excessive wear patterns. Be sure to vacuum or sweep floor regularly to remove dirt. Avoid using a vacuum with a beater bar head.
• Clean spills immediately with a dry cloth. Stickier messes can be spot cleaned with a damp cloth, not soaking wet.
• Use only approved cleaners. Clean your flooring with a product formulated specifically for hardwood with a lacquer or polyurethane finish. Avoid using wax, oil soaps, ammonias or petroleum-based cleaners.
• Remove built up dirt and debris. A soft bristle cleaning brush is optimal for removing soil in wear patterns that can build up in brushed finish floors.
• Do not wet mop or steam clean. A damp mop is fine as long as the moisture is low enough to evaporate almost immediately. But avoid using a soaking wet mop or steam cleaner, as the moister can damage the wood.

Preventative Steps To Reduce Wear

• Use felt furniture leg pads. To avoid scratching your hardwood or bamboo, use felt pads or rubber rollers on the legs of furniture.
• Pick up, Don’t slide. Avoid sliding or scooting heavy objects across your floor. If you need to move something pick it up, get help if it is heavy.
• Be mindful of your footwear. Avoid shoes with spiked heels or lodged pebbles in the soles.
• Minimize pet damage. Keep pet nails trimmed, use protective mats under water dishes and food bowls.
• Protect heavy traffic areas. Minimize dirt and grim by placing breathable mats at exterior doorways. Mats should also be placed near sinks and other areas that may attract dirt and excessive moisture.
• Clean spills as soon as possible. Avoid allowing liquids to stand on your hardwood floors.
• Avoid sun damage. Periodically moving rugs and furniture, and keeping shades on windows during intense, direct light times of the day, will allow your hardwood to age and patina evenly.
• Moderate humidity. To avoid excessive swelling and shrinking, interior relative humidity should be kept between 35% -55%, with a temperature range of 60° – 80°. A humidifier is recommended during seasonally dry weather.

Repairing Your Floors

• Most scratches are do not penetrate the protective finish layer and can be repaired relatively easily. For minor damage, hardwood flooring scratch repair kits can be purchased at most hardware stores. As an alternative, a raw walnut can eliminate minor scratches. To use this method: use the meat from one half of a walnut. Rub your finger over the scratch several times to warm the area. Rub the nut over the area a few times in a circular motion. Let the area set for 5 minutes and then buff with a soft cloth.
• Heavily gouged or damaged areas can be repaired through board replacement. You’ll want to preserve an extra box from the original installation for this purpose.
• When it comes time to add an additional protective finish to your floor, we recommend a matching sheen, two-component water based finish, such a Pallmann X, or Bona Prep. These systems clean and prepare the floor to receive the new coat. To ensure a new coating adheres correctly and gloss levels meet your expectations, Allwood recommends all finishes by applied by a licensed hardwood flooring professional.
• Contact your local hardwood flooring professionals for further repair and refurbish advice.