maintenance - crescent hardwood · maintenance tips specific to surface-type finishes (water-based...

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© 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION

N A T I O N A L W O O D F L O O R I N G A S S O C I A T I O N T E C H N I C A L P U B L I C A T I O N N o . C 1 0 0

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MAINTENANCEAND RECOATING

OF HARDWOOD FLOORS

2 © 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION


CONTENTSMAINTENANCE/RECOATING

NO GUARANTEE OR WARRANTYThe information contained in this publication represents widely accepted industry practices. There are, however, no universally approvedmethods of maintenance and recoating. The National Wood Flooring Association accepts no risk or liability for application of theinformation contained in this publication.

3INTRODUCTION

Importance of maintenance

Education of the consumer

4ALL FLOORS

General guidelines

Preventive maintenance

Humidity control

Routine maintenance

4WHAT TO USE?

Wood floor cleaning products

Prefinished floors

Job-site finished floors

5SURFACE FINISHES

Routine maintenance

Recommended cleaners

Cleaning up spills

Stubborn stains

Losing luster

5WAX FINISH

Cleaning up spills

Removing white spots

Losing luster

Conditioners and cleaners

Stripping and rewaxing

5ACRYLIC IMPREGNATED

Non-urethane-coated floors

Urethane-coated floors

6SPORTS FLOORS

General maintenance guidelines

7RECOATING

Customer reminders

Floor inspection

Determining the finish

Testing for wax

The recoating process

Prefinished floors

Aluminum-oxide finishes

Spot touch-ups

Cautioning customers about rentals

9 GLOSSARY

10 INDEX/SOURCES AND CREDITS

11RESOURCES

© 2000 NATIONAL WOOD FLOORING ASSOCIATION 3


even signed — is important. Consumers whorealize that their floors aren’t impervious to anonslaught of spills, grit and water will behappier with their floors and less likely to callback with complaints in the future. That meansexplaining proper maintenance — bothpreventive, such as using throw rugs and floorprotectors, and routine, such as the use of thecorrect wood floor cleaner. (Many contractorsinclude the cost of the cleaner in their jobestimates or offer it as the floor is beingcompleted.) Consumers need to be made awarethat using improper cleaners can void theirwarranty and also cause future problems withrecoating.

Another area where you need to be up frontwith consumers is the recoat schedule.Depending on the traffic on the floor, mostfloors will need recoating at some point during

the life of the floor. Tellthem to call a woodflooring professionalwhen they think the floormight need recoating. Ifthe floor performs asyou’ve said it will, thecustomer will feelconfident calling youwhen it’s time for arecoat.

A simple explanation ofhow humidity levels affectwood floor performancealso helps avoid typicalcomplaints about cracksbetween boards. Inaddition to a verbalexplanation, give thisinformation to thecustomer in writing.

Importance of Maintenance

Unlike most floor coverings, wood floors are along-term investment that, correctly main-tained, will last the lifetime of the home. For-

tunately for consumers, today’s wood floors offer awide spectrum of product options that are easy tomaintain. Unlike times past, when people had toget down on their knees to buff their wax floors,taking care of wood floors today requires littleeffort. The routine maintenance involves protectingthe finish from scratches and moisture. If con-sumers avoid both of those things, they’ve got ahandle on most of their wood floor care.

EDUCATION OF THE CONSUMERCreating realistic expectations of wood floormaintenance up front — before the contract is

MAINTENANCEAND RECOATING

OF HARDWOOD FLOORS

When maintainedproperly,wood floorfinishes can lookbeautiful for years tocome.



All Floors

W hile specific finish types may require dif-ferent maintenance, some guidelinesapply to the care of all wood floors.

First, before furniture is placed onto the woodfloor, floor protector pads should be installed onthe bottom of all furniture legs. Also, rugs shouldbe placed at all entrances to the area (check withthe finish manufacturer for when these can beplaced. Most should not go down on the floor forat least seven days, and sometimes more than 21days after the finish is applied). These rugs helptrap grit and also absorb moisture before eitherone has a chance to damage the finish. Rugsshould be shaken out, cleaned and thoroughlydried when they get wet. Take special precautionswith non-skid pads that are frequently placedunder area rugs. These pads may imprint theirpattern onto the finish and/or wood floor.(Natural fibers may not transfer as much assynthetic pads.) Also, be aware that area rugsmay cause color differences in the floor due todifferences in light exposure.

Consumers should expect that their floors willshrink and expand with changes in humidity,sometimes leaving small cracks between boards.To minimize the changes, it is recommended thatconsumers use some kind of humidity control intheir homes.

Routine basic maintenance includes sweeping,vacuuming and/or dust-mopping to remove dirtand grit. (Use only vacuums that have a specialhard-surface setting.) The more that dirt and gritare allowed to accumulate, the more they will betracked over the floor, leaving scratches. Somemanufacturers recommend lightly damp-moppinga floor, while others do not. Regardless,household dust treatments should never be used.All shoes, especially high heels, should be kept ingood repair — if they lose their protective cap,they will dent the surface of any floor. Pet nails

need to be trimmed regularly to prevent finishand wood damage.

Be especially attentive to potential spill areas,such as dishwashers, sinks, icemakers and stovetops. Other potential problem spots includehousehold plants and Christmas tree stands.

Consumers see the best results if they developa cleaning schedule and stick to it. In addition totheir regular schedule, they should be aware thatnot only should they clean the floor immediatelyafter a major event, they should cleanimmediately before it. (The increased traffic onthe floor will result in more damage from any dirtor grit present on the floor.)

Those are some of the basics. For informationspecific to finish types, read the following sections.

WHAT TO USE?It is important to impress upon consumers exactlywhich directions to follow and which products touse in caring for their wood floors. Although Mr.Smith may use cleaning product X, his floor mayhave a finish totally different from Mrs. Brown’s fin-ish next door.

For prefinished wood floors, consumers shouldfollow the directions of the flooring manufacturer asto which cleaning products to use. This isextremely important, because not following thosedirections may void the manufacturer’s warranty ofthe wood floor.

Consumers with floors that were finished at thejob site should follow the maintenance directions ofthe floor finish manufacturer.

In either case, using a non-recommended productto clean the floor may ruin the appearance of the fin-ish, and also may cause problems down the roadwhen it is time for the floor to be recoated.

If it is unknown who the manufacturer is, thecustomer should follow the general guidelinesdetailed on the next page.

DO use floor protectors DO vacuum oftenDON’T use wet mops



SURFACE FINISHESMaintenance tips specific to surface-type finishes(water-based urethane, oil-modifiedpolyurethane, conversion varnish and moisture-cured urethane) include:• As with any wood floor, follow a program of

cleaning, sweeping and vacuuming to eliminateas much dirt and grit as possible, andremember that moisture should not come incontact with the floor. If it does, it should bewiped up immediately.

• Always use manufacturers’ recommendedcleaning products, which won’t leave acontaminating residue on the floor. If themanufacturer is not known, use a generichardwood floor cleaner available at local retailwood flooring stores.

• Most warranties from finish manufacturers andfactory-finished wood flooring manufacturersare voided by use of oil soap cleaners.

• Wipe up spills immediately with a lightlydampened cloth, then follow up with arecommended cleaning product.

• For stubborn stains, lightly dampen a soft clothwith a manufacturer’s recommended cleaner ora generic hardwood floor cleaner. Apply directlyto the stain and repeat as necessary.

• Never use a wax finish on top of a surfacefinish.

• When the floor loses its luster, the floor needshelp. There are options available to revive thefloor. A topcoat dressing may revive the floor’sappearance. Or, the floor may need to bescreened/padded and recoated.

WAX FINISHMaintenance tips specific to wax-type finishesinclude:• Wipe up spills immediately with a dry cloth.

Buffing may be required.• To remove white spots caused by water spills,

use a fine steel wool and a small amount ofmineral spirits. Rub gently in a circularmotion until the spot is gone, then rewax thearea and rebuff.

• When the floor loses its luster in heavy trafficareas, buff those areas with a polishing brushor pad. If that does not restore luster, rewaxonly those areas and buff. Note that too muchwax causes the floor to scuff easily.

• Conditioners and cleaners are available on themarket to be applied to wax floors, which canthen be coated over with another coat of wax.Pay careful attention to manufacturer’sdirections as to how long such cleanersshould remain on the floor.

• Eventually (after many years), the floor willneed to be stripped and rewaxed. Even ifwaxed floors are completely sanded down,they may be very difficult to coat over with asurface finish.

ACRYLIC-IMPREGNATEDAcrylic-impregnated floors are generallyavailable in two types: those with a urethanecoating and those without, and their care variesaccordingly.

Non-urethane-coated acrylic impregnatedfloors take a regular maintenance routine ofsweeping, vacuuming or dust-mopping. Beyondthat, however, their care differs significantly frommost other floor finishes:• Use a low-speed buffing machine with the

appropriate pad and recommended cleaningproduct as necessary. Depending on themanufacturer, different pads may berecommended for different steps in thecleaning process.

DON’T use dust cleanerDO use throw rugs DON’T use ammonia



• Use recommended dust mop treatments toenhance dust mopping.

• For white/bleached products, always use anuntreated mop — never any water orpetroleum-based products. The floor shouldbe buffed with a low-speed buffer and arecommended product specifically forwhite/bleached floors. (More maintenance willbe required of white/bleached floors thanother colors.)

• Some manufacturers recommend that floorsthat have become dull be lightly screened, tobe followed up with a recommended cleanerand recommended conditioning product.

• Follow manufacturers’ directions for spot-cleaning stubborn stains. Methods includespot sanding or screening and then applyingthe recommended cleaner and conditioner.Other methods include using mineral spiritsor hydrogen peroxide and a hand-sized pieceof pad to remove the stain.

Note that recoating such floors with urethanewill void the manufacturer’s warranty.

Urethane-coated acrylic-impregnated floorsalso require routine maintenance of sweeping,vacuuming or dust-mopping, but they do notneed the commercial-type equipmentrecommended for non-urethane products.Recommendations include:• Damp-mop using a cleaner recommended by

urethane finish manufacturers. Damp-mopping with water should not be part ofroutine maintenance.

• For light scratches, apply a light wax coat tothe scratched area. Deeper scratches ordamage may require spot sanding, refinishingand resealing by a hardwood floorprofessional. Some manufacturers also havetouch-up kits available.

SPORTS FLOORSSports floors, from basketball courts to aerobicsstudios, usually take a beating of heavy daily use.Specific recommendations on caring for sportsfloors are available from the Maple FlooringManufacturers Association:

60 Revere Drive, Suite 500Northbrook, IL, 60062phone: 847/480-9138fax: 847/480-9282e-mail: [email protected]: www.maplefloor.org

General guidelines include the following:

• DO dry mop the floor daily with a properlytreated dust mop. Floors with especially heavyuse should be swept up to three times a day.

• DO use walk-off mats at all doorways.• DO wipe up spills or any other moisture on the

floor immediately.• DO remove heel marks using an approved wood

floor cleaner applied with a soft cloth or a dustmop.

• DO make sure the heating/ventilating/airconditioning system is working properly, withnormal humidity levels. Indoor relativehumidities should be between 35 and 50percent year-round. In areas of consistentlyhigh or low outside humidity, a 15 percentfluctuation will not adversely affect the maple.

• DO inspect the floor for abnormal tightening orshrinkage. In wet weather, carefully monitordoors and windows for water leakage.

• DO remove debris from expansion voids.

• DO NOT shut down the system for a prolongedperiod of time.

• DO NOT use household cleaning products,which damage the floor finish and also mayleave the floor slippery or sticky.

• DO NOT clean the floor with scrubbingmachinery or power scrubbers.

DO use dust mopsDO use walk-off mats DON’T track in dirt



T he savvy contractor doesn’t just leave it up to hisconsumers to decide that their floors are due fora recoat. Just like the dentist who so diligently

sends reminders every six months, wood flooring con-tractors should let their consumers know when theirfloors are due for a check-up. A simple postcard can beall the reminder the customer needs.

Before attempting a recoat, it is important toinspect the floor for wear, thus determining whatsteps will be necessary to refinish the floor. If the fin-ish is worn to the point that the color of the wood isnot uniform or that bare wood is exposed, completeresanding and finishing is necessary. If the wear isnot that severe, there are several options. Typically, abuffer is used with a screen, pad or other abrasiveand the floor is recoated. There are also various sys-tems available to clean the floor and simply coat overit, with no abrasion necessary.

When recoating, the first step is to determine whattype of finish is already on the floor. Ask the homeowner what has been used on the floor, and find out asmuch about maintenance habits as possible.

If the floor was installed or last serviced beforethe mid-’60s, you should assume the finish usedwas varnish or shellac. To determine this, scratchthe surface in an inconspicuous place with a coinor other sharp object. If the finish flakes, it isprobably shellac or varnish. These finishes arerarely used today and will need to be completelysanded down before application of a new finish.

If it is a wax finish, it may be very difficult torecoat the floor with a surface-type finish (i.e. oil-modified, waterborne, conversion varnish,moisture-cure), even with resanding. There areseveral methods to test for wax (perform the testsin an inconspicuous place, such as in a corner, in acloset or under furniture). One is to use a smallamount of mineral spirits on a clean, white rag inan area that has not been exposed to high traffic. Ifa slight yellow or brown color appears on the rag,then paste wax is probably present. Anothermethod involves taking a piece of screen orsandpaper and lightly abrading the floor. If residueballs up, it is a paraffin-based product. Yet anothertest involves putting two drops of water on the floor.If white spots appear there after about 10 minutes,the finish is probably wax (the white spots can beremoved by gently rubbing them with #000 steelwool dampened with wax). If wax is not present onthe floor, most likely the finish can be coated overwith a regular surface finish.

Next, the floor should be cleaned with a non-residue cleaner designed specifically for hardwoodfloors. Then, use a buffer with steel wool, a sandingscreen, pad or sandpaper to abrade the surface finish

RECOATING

SOME FLOORS CAN’TSIMPLY BE RECOATED...

Deep scratches that go through the finish.

Dents (these usually require board replacement).

Cupped floors.



— follow the recommendations of the manufacturer ofthe finish to be applied (steel wool should never beused with a waterborne finish). After abrading, vac-uum all dust possible and tack the floor with a lightlydampened towel.

Factory-finished wood floors can be recoated, usu-ally with the same procedures that are used for site-finished flooring. Screening/padding and recoating isrecommended to restore the finish when it showsexcessive wear but is not totally worn through. Sand-ing and refinishing is necessary only when there issevere damage, such as finish completely wornthrough, to a large area. Severe damage to just a fewboards can be repaired by replacing only those boards.

For factory-applied UV-cured aluminum-oxide-typefinishes, consult the wood flooring manufacturer’sdirections for recoating. The process for recoating suchfloors involves an adequate abrasion with a buffer andrecoat, and/or a chemical recoating system.

Spot touch-ups for small finish repairs are possi-ble, but they may not offer the same appearance as atotal recoat. Many finish manufacturers offer a con-sumer-oriented product for minor spot finish andstain repairs. Depending on the extent of the repair,however, buffing and recoating of the entire floormay be necessary.

It is important to emphasize to the consumerthat although rental sanders and buffers are read-ily available, resanding, buffing and/or recoatingof a wood floor is a job best performed by awood flooring professional.

SOME FLOORS CAN’TSIMPLY BE RECOATED...

Changes in color due to differences in light expo-sure, such as under an area rug.

Water or pet stains (pet stains may not come outeven after total resanding).

Dirty floors with finish totally worn off.

WHICH PUTS GREATERFORCE ON A FLOOR?

An elephant has a force of 50 to 100 poundsper square inch (psi) on a floor, while a 125-pound woman in high heels has the force of2,000 psi. That’s 20 times greater than theelephant. Such force can damage any floor, notjust hardwood. Exposed nailheads are especiallybrutal to a floor — their 8,000 psi is damagingenough to pulverize hardened concrete.



Abrasion Resistance That property of a surfacethat resists being worn away by a rubbing orfriction process. Abrasion resistance isn’tnecessarily related to hardness, as believed bysome, but is more closely comparable to, or canbe correlated with, toughness.

Adhesion The property that causes one materialto stick to another. Adhesion is affected by thecondition of the surface to be coated and by thecloseness of contact.

Bond The adhesion between two dissimilarmaterials.

Conversion Varnish See Swedish Finish.

Cure To change the properties of an adhesive bychemical reaction (which may be condensation,polymerization or vulcanization) and therebydevelop maximum strength. It is generallyaccomplished by the action of heat or a catalyst,with or without pressure.

Drying The act of changing from a liquid film to asolid film by the evaporation of solvents,oxidation, polymerization or by a combination ofthese phenomena.

Dry Tack-Free The stage of solidification of a filmof finishing material when it doesn’t feel sticky ortacky when a finger is drawn lightly across it in aquick continuous motion.

Durability The ability of a finishing material towithstand the conditions or destructive agentswith which it comes in contact in actual usage,without an appreciable change in appearance orother important properties.

Fading The loss of color due to exposure to light,heat or other destructive agents.

Gloss The luster, shininess or reflecting ability ofa surface.

Hardness That property of a dried film offinishing material that causes it to withstanddenting or being marked when pressure isexerted on its surface by an outside object orforce.

HVAC — Heating, ventilating and airconditioning.

Moisture-Cure Urethane A solvent-basedpolyurethane that dries by solvent evaporationand cures by a reaction of the polyurethane withatmospheric moisture.

Oil-Modified Urethane A solvent-base

polyurethane that dries by solvent evaporationand cures by a reaction of the polyurethane withdriers and air.

Peeling A defect in a dried film manifested bylarge pieces becoming detached from the undersurface and coming loose in sheets or largeflakes.

Scratches Slight incisions, breaks, tears orindentations on the surface caused by abrasivefriction.

Sheen The degree of luster of the dried film of afinishing material. It is usually used to describethe luster of rubbed surfaces or of flat-dryingmaterials.

Solvent A liquid that can dissolve anothersubstance.

Staining The act of changing the color of woodwithout disturbing the texture or markings,through the application of transparent orsemitransparent liquids made from dyes, finelydivided pigments or chemicals.

Swedish Finish A term sometimes used todescribe two different types of finishes. One isalso called a conversion varnish, though it’s not avarnish, but rather a two-component systemconsisting of a base coat and an acid-curing topcoat. The term is also sometimes used to refer towater-base finishes, which — like conversionvarnishes — originated in Sweden.

Urethane A synthetic chemical structure formedby one of three specific chemical reactions.

UV-Cured Polyurethane A special type ofpolyurethane that is cured by subjecting it to aspecific dosage of radiation in the form of ultravioletlight.

Water-Base Urethane A waterborne urethanethat is fully cured and dries by waterevaporation.

Wax Any of a number of resinous, pliablesubstances of plant or animal origin that areinsoluble in water, partially soluble in alcohol, ether,etc. and miscible in all proportions with oils. It isused for making polishes and other products.

Wet-Mop Mopping a floor using a mop drippingwith water. Hardwood floors should NEVER bewet-mopped.

Yellowing The tendency of a dried film to take ona yellowish cast with age.

GLOSSARY



INDEX

SOURCES AND CREDITS

Rugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

SpillsPrevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

On surface finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

On wax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Sports floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Surface finishesMaintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Recoating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Touch-ups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Vacuums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Wax finishesMaintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Testing for wax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Acrylic-impregnated floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Non-urethane coated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Urethane coated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Aluminum oxide finishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Cleaning products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Customer expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Cracks between boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Floor protectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Humidity control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Prefinished floorsCleaning products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Recoating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Recoating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Routine maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

NWFA TECHNICAL MANUAL COMMITTEE• Galen Fitzel*, 3M Co., Chair• Steve Seabaugh*, NWFA• Joe Audino, Rode Bros. Floors• Bob Bailey, Artisan Hardwood Floors• Howard Brickman, Brickman Consulting• Bill Costello*, Dura Seal• Jim Garth, Decorative Flooring• Mel Hollis*, Basic Coatings• Frank Kroupa, R&R Hardwood Flooring• Michael McSwain, McSwain’s The Hardwood

Floor Store• Mickey Moore, NOFMA• Brian Roberts, Franklin International• Paul Ruiz*, Glitsa American• Janet Sullivan*, Lenmar

*Indicates Maintenance Subcommittee Members

COMMITTEE ADVISORS• Don Bollinger, The Oak Floors of Greenbank• Chris Coates, Coates & Associates• Don Conner, Harris-Tarkett• John Goss, Woodwise/Design Hardwood Products• Woody Hilscher, BonaKemi USA• Neil Moss, Triangle Pacific Corp.

PUBLICATION EDITORS• Kim Wahlgren, Hardwood Floors magazine• Chris Michaels, Hardwood Floors magazine

ART DIRECTOR• Catherine Liewen, Hardwood Floors magazine

PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION CREDITS• Cover: Background photo courtesy of Harris-

Tarkett, Johnson City, Tenn. Inset photo byDale Hall Photography, Middleton, Wis.

• Page 3: Photo courtesy of NWFA. Hardwoodfloor by Anderson Wood Flooring, Kingston, N.H.

• Page 4: Photos on left and right courtesy ofBonaKemi USA, Aurora, Colo. Center photo byDale Hall Photography.

• Page 5: Photo on left courtesy of BonaKemiUSA. Center, right photos by Dale HallPhotography.

• Page 6: Photo on left by Dale Hall Photography.Center, right photos courtesy of BonaKemi USA.



For more information, contact:

National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)

16388 Westwoods Business Park Ellisville, MO 63021

800/422-4556 (United States)800/848-8824 (Canada)

636/391-5161 (local and international)Fax: 636/391-6137

E-mail: [email protected] Site: www.woodfloors.org

RESOURCESFor more technical information, consult the other chapters in the NWFA’s Technical Manual Series:

Look for these chapters coming in the future:

Methods of InstallationTroubleshooting

Repairs/RefinishingStairs/Vents/Trim

For more information, contact:

National Wood Flooring Association16388 Westwoods Business Park

Ellisville, MO 63011Phone: 800/422-4556 (U.S.)

800/848-8824 (Canada)636/391-5161 (Local and International)

Fax: 636/391-6137

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maintenance - crescent hardwood · maintenance tips specific to surface-type finishes (water-based...

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