Good Advice: How to Care for Wood Floors and Surfaces to Keep Them Fresh for Years
In spring, it's a good time to do a major cleaning and maintenance in the home – wooden floors and, for example, kitchen countertops can last for decades, but if left unmaintained, they can deteriorate in just a few years. It's important to remember that oiled, painted, and lacquered surfaces require different types of care, otherwise you'll cause more damage than good.
According to Mari-Liis Mihkelson, manager of the Tartu branch of Puumarket, the largest timber retailer in the Baltic states, wooden surfaces, whether made of oak, ash, or other types of wood, should be cared for almost as carefully as your own facial skin. "The most important thing is to keep loose dirt – sand and small stones that cause scratches and damage – away from the floor. A door mat catches a large portion of this, and the rest should simply be regularly collected with a broom or vacuum. A completely wear-resistant natural parquet hasn't been invented yet, and that's why you should also keep your pets' claws short," Mihkelson advised.
"The main mistake that's made is that parquet is chosen and installed expensively and properly, but then the top protective layer is allowed to wear away too much, after which the floor's own pigment and surface begin to suffer," said Mihkelson.
Paint, lacquer, and oil should not be mixed together
According to the manager of Puumarket's Tartu branch, the golden rule is that a surface is maintained with the same product that it's covered with, and for example, oil, lacquer, and paint should not be mixed together. "Oiled and lacquered parquets are slightly more porous and therefore more delicate. When the oil layer wears away, dirt and moisture have an opportunity to get into the material. The same applies, for example, to wooden kitchen countertops," said Mihkelson.
"To clean an oiled floor, you shouldn't use just plain tap water, but once a week you should add a cleaning product designed for oiled floors to the water, which prevents excessive wear, protects against drying out, and restores the oiled protective surface. With oiled floors, it's important that the cloth isn't too wet when cleaning – otherwise dark water stains will remain, which are difficult to get out of the material later," Mihkelson advised.
"If water damage has already occurred on a wooden surface, for example from a leaking plant pot base, then you should sand down the oil and top layer, re-oil, or if necessary, stain it. The wooden surface should generally be lightly sanded and cleaned before re-oiling. If the old layer is left unsanded, the result can be patchy. If tinted oil is used for treatment, which contains more pigment and has less protective capacity, then it's recommended to additionally apply a separate finishing oil on top, which has greater protective capacity," said Mihkelson.
"As an interesting nuance, matte surfaces become shinier over time and with use, and vice versa. To restore the original appearance, it's also possible to polish the surface, which makes it shiny again. When treated with matte maintenance oil, the material becomes dull again," Mihkelson added.
Lacquered surfaces also require constant care
According to the wood expert, one of the main misconceptions is that only oiled surfaces need to be regularly maintained.
"Lacquered floors should be regularly cleaned with water and a damp mop or with a cleaning product specially designed for lacquered floors. Maintaining it this way makes daily cleaning simple without damaging the floor's protective layer. You should never use products designed for ceramic tile or laminate flooring to clean wooden surfaces. These products are too abrasive for natural wood, and it's more sensible to prefer pH-neutral cleaning products, according to the manufacturer's instructions," added Mihkelson.
"Once a month, you could also use a lacquered floor refresher, which removes minor scratches that have developed, restores the shine of the lacquer, and protects against wear," said Mihkelson.
