How to Clean and Maintain Your Timber Floor

With the wide range of timbers, grades and constructions, you have the freedom to choose from a large range of finishes and coatings to achieve your specific design visions.

Now you have a stunning new timber floor, it takes care and regular maintenance to preserve the integrity and lifespan of your floor finish. ONE cleaning product or method does not suit ALL. But that doesn't mean you have to be a cleaning professional to keep your flooring looking great.

As timber floors have grown in popularity, ideas about how to clean a timber floor have emerged, but some of these cleaners attack and damage floor coatings, so it's important to use the methods and products that are specified by the manufacturer of your floor finish.

Some Quick Do's and Don'ts

Stay off the floor for AT LEAST 24 hours. Between 24-48 hours later, the floor can be walked on IN SOCKS, but NO SHOES.
Don't walk on the floor with wet feet or get water on the floor for the first 7 days.
Don't use detergent on the floor.
Don't pour water directly on the floor.
Don't use excessive water. Use a damp NOT wet mop.
Don't use baking soda, ammonia or abrasive cleaners.
Avoid abrasive chemical products or harsh microfibre cloths as these will damage the floor finish. Please be aware that some micro fibre cloths are extremely harsh and may strip the nutrients or oil from the floor. Cotton mops or cloths that can be removed and washed are ideal.
On completion of your floor, you will receive care and cleaning instructions and a complimentary floor cleaner concentrate and/or spray mop so you can clean and maintain your beautiful timber floor properly.

Taking Proper Care of Your Floor
Maintenance of timber floors depends on the type of coating used and the severity of traffic and wear. Floors benefit greatly from regular care and maintenance, lengthening the life of your flooring.

Oiled floors will benefit from frequent applications of products like oil refreshers, 'maintenance oils and soaps', building additional wear layers to the surface of the flooring.

NEWLY FINISHED FLOORS

Although a floor may be walked on after initial curing/hardening of the coating, some precautions are necessary until the coating system has fully hardened. This may take several days to several weeks depending on the coating option chosen and weather conditions at the time of flooring application.

As stated above, floors should ONLY be walked on with socks. No shoes for 24 hours. 48 hours is better.
Do not walk on the floor with wet feet or get water on the floor for 7 days. This is very important. Issues such as ‘Ghosting’ can occur. (Over time as the coating darkens with UV, these marks show up as a lighter cloudy appearance. Sometimes imprints only become obvious after one year or so.) The only way to remove ghosting is a total re-sand and finish.

Floor covers like mats and rugs should not be laid immediately after laying. Allow the floor to stabilise and harden first. This usually takes a few weeks.

Wait 5-7 days before placement of furniture. Climate conditions affect how long it takes for polyurethane to reach its full strength. Generally, this time is shorter during summer months.

While light furniture can be re-placed and used during this period, ensure that felt protector pads are attached to the feet of tables, chairs etc. The moving of any furniture such as fridges and other heavy furniture should be done by lifting or wheeling on solid protective coverings e.g. plywood or hardboards over carpet. The use of carpet or cardboard is not adequate enough to prevent surface damage to your flooring.

protect your timber flooring from heating damage

PREVENTING UNNECESSARY DAMAGE

DO NOT USE: Steam Mops, Ammonia Based Cleaners, detergents, bleach, polishes, abrasive cleaning soaps, steel wool or abrasive cloths, turps or kerosene. Steam Mops can cause peeling of the floor finish, or a whitening/cloudy appearance on the floors.
Furniture: Use soft felt or protective pads applied to the feet of your furniture and tables. If you plan to move furniture around, do so by lifting or wheeling on solid protective coverings e.g. plywood or hardboards over carpet. The use of carpet or cardboard is not adequate enough to prevent surface damage of your flooring.
Rugs: If you’re concerned about wear in high traffic areas of your home, like passages, kitchen, etc. - Use rugs or mats that are made from ‘breathable’ materials, avoiding mats that have solid rubber or vinyl backings that could trap moisture under the rug. Rearranging or moving rugs on occasion will allow the flooring colour to age evenly.
Pets: Keep pet claws trimmed to avoid scratches and gouges.
Footwear: Shoes may be your preference, but keep high heels off your timber floor, keeping heels in good repair. Encourage guests to remove shoes on arrival to preserve your floor.

MAINTENANCE + CLEANING

Protecting Oil Floors: DO NOT WASH YOUR FLOOR WITH WATER!! Only use the cleaning product that is supplied to you as this is specifically designed for your flooring finish. Cleaning the floor with water will compromise and strip the floor finish.
Sand and Grit: These small particles act like sandpaper that will scratch and damage your floor, dulling the finish. Vacuum (only with soft head/broom attachment) or sweep floor with a damp micro-fibre mop as often as possible. General cleaning once every week is recommended. Mats placed both outside and inside external doors provide a simple and effective means of significantly reducing sand, dirt and grit from entering the house.
Spills and Leaks: Mop up any spills immediately. Many beverages will stain most floor finishes if left on the floor. Any leaks must be addressed immediately. Failing to attend to leaks can result in far more severe problems as water and moisture will damage your floor.

PROTECT AGAINST CHANGES IN CLIMATE

Exposure to Heat: Prolonged exposure to direct heat or indirect heat from sun, heaters, fireplaces can have a detrimental effect
Air Temperature / Humidity: Endeavour to maintain a consistent level of humidity in all living areas throughout seasons. Drastic changes in humidity may cause hardwood floors to swell, cup, shrink or show excessive gaps between boards. Using a dehumidifier or similar systems will assist in achieving a consistent humidity level. Aim for an average relative humidity should be maintained between 40-70% and the average indoor temperature should be between 18-25 Degrees Celcius, not exceeding 35 Degrees Celcius.
Air Circulation: Avoid leaving rooms with timber flooring locked up for long periods of time during hot weather. Any wood flooring requires some air circulation at all times to prevent board shrinkage.
Under Floor Heating: The underfloor heating should be turned on preferably 2 weeks prior to the timber flooring being installed to assist with warming the temperature and drying out the concrete slab. From the time of timber flooring installation, the heating should be turned on with a max SLAB temperature (NOT room temperature or timber floor temperature) of 27 degrees Celsius. Ideally the slab temperature should sit at 23 degrees Celsius. For best performance, the heating system should be operating at all times, all year round to avoid the floor cooling and taking on moisture from the environment. If the underfloor heating does not run at a constant temperature all year round, more movement should be expected in the timber flooring, with gaps appearing and closing up from season to season. Once the floor has been finished it is best to slowly build the temperature up, moving it either up or down by 1 degree Celcius per day to begin. Failing to follow this recommendation, may affect the timber flooring causing it to expand, shrink or crack.

PROTECT AGAINST SUN / UV EXPOSURE

Exposure to Sunlight: Prolonged exposure to intense direct sunlight can soften the tone of different timber species to varying degrees and can accelerate the darkening of wood colouring due to a process called oxidisation. This is also known as aging or weathering. This direct sunlight can contribute to gapping or possible cupping of the floor boards (board edges being higher than the centre of the board). Filtering sunlight through curtains, blinds or UV treated windows/doors is an effective way to slow down any colour changes, control the gap widths between boards and reduces the direct heat from north facing rooms that are exposed to a lot of sun. Photo by Orlova Maria on Unsplash

ON THE BLOG

What is the best timber flooring for pets?

HOW CAN I PET PROOF MY TIMBER FLOORING?
Your flooring choices and daily habits can help you to maintain your timber flooring to years.

How many times can you re-sand timber flooring?

HOW MANY RE-SANDS CAN I GET FROM ENGINEERED FLOORING?
When it comes to re-sanding, there are some key similarities which affects a number of re-sands you'll get from your flooring.

Best timber flooring for family and children

FLOORING ADVICE: Caring for your timber flooring with indoor plants.

WHAT'S THE BEST FLOORING FOR BATHROOMS AND WET AREAS?
One important factor to consider is how much water you expect to come in contact with the floor.

HOW TIMBER FLOORING RESPONDS TO HEAT
Here are some important things that you need to know about how your timber flooring might respond to heat in your home.

CARING FOR BEACH-SIDE TIMBER FLOORING
Salt air, sun and sea can be harsh on wood floors. How can you prevent damage to your beautiful timber flooring?

WHAT IS GHOSTING?
What is ghosting and how can you prevent it? Here are some tips on how to avoid this issue with polyurethane timber floors..

CHOOSING COASTAL TIMBER FLOORING
Here are some tips on choosing the best floor for your coastal home, to ensure longevity of your timber flooring..

MINIMISE UV SUN DAMAGE TO YOUR TIMBER FLOOR
Here are some ways that you can reduce the effects of sun damage to your timber flooring..

LET'S TALK ABOUT VOC'S
Can your flooring be harming your health? Many products are now claiming to be low or 100% VOC Free. What are VOC's and should you be concerned about them?

Important Information on Moisture Content and Timber Expansion

Timber is a natural product that shrinks and/or swells depending on the weather. Therefore, adequate expansion allowance/shrinkage gaps are normal (to a degree) particularly in dry weather and may close during wetter months. Having these allowance gaps is not optional to owner(s) but are necessary to reduce potential swelling and pressure in the floor, and are a natural part of a beautiful timber floor. (Wider boards are more likely to show wider shrinkage gaps than narrower boards.)
Some owners have purchased dehumidifiers to protect the floor from absorbing this moisture. Owners who take a proactive approach at these times, have lessened or negated problems with their floors especially in the first few years of the floors service.(Refrigerative air conditioning also extracts moisture but is not as effective as dehumidifiers).

caring for your floor