The key to the lasting beauty of your timber flooring investment is proper maintenance. Today timber or hardwood floors can be cared for with minimal effort and in many cases, a little preventative maintenance will keep your floor looking beautiful for years to come.
No matter what kind of floor you have, or what type of finish used, there are certain steps that must be taken to maintain the beauty of the timber floor. Regular or daily maintenance requires little more than sweeping with a soft bristle broom, dust control mop, or vacuuming with a soft floor attachment. The floor surface should be cleaned regularly with a timber floor cleaning product recommended by Synteko (see below).
Synteko recommends the following tip-toe timeline after coating to ensure proper curing:
- Walk on floors after: 24 hours
- Replacing furniture on floors: 2 – 3 days
- Coverings on floor: 1 – 2 weeks
- Washing floor: 4 – 6 weeks
Synteko also recommends that floors finished with the Synteko Classic finish, even though they dry fast, take at least 60 – 90 days to cure. Therefore, treating your newly coated floor finish with a little love and care in the early stages will minimize premature scratching and scuff marks. Thus, the newly coated floor finish is more prone to damage in this early period.
Vigorous air circulation is very important help the curing process. As soon as practically possible after coating has tacked off, opening windows and doors and/or use fans to ensure fresh air circulation.
General Floor Maintenance Guide
- Vacuum / Electrostatic Dust Mop. Sand and grit will cause premature wear. Placing walk-off mats inside and outside of key entry points and near kitchen sinks will help prevent the spread of such material. Regular vacuuming and sweeping will keep premature wearing to a minimum.
- Do not use sheet vinyl or tile floor care products on wood floors finishes. Self-polishing acrylic waxes cause timber floors to become slippery and appear dull quickly.
- Do not wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood and leave a discolouring residue. Wipe up all spills immediately with a slightly dampened towel.
- Do not wash your newly coated floor for approximately six weeks, allowing ample time for the floor finish to cure and harden
- Do not over-wax a wood floor. If the floor dulls, try buffing instead. Avoid wax build up under furniture and other light traffic areas by applying wax in these spots every other waxing session.
- Fit felt floor protector pads under the legs of all furniture to prevent scuffing and scratching.
- Avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats, sports shoes and high heels. A 60kg woman walking in high heels has an impact of 900kg sq. cm. An exposed heel nail can exert up to 3,500kg sq. cm. This kind of impact can dent any floor surface.Rubber soled/sports shoes if passed across the floor surface quickly most likely will result in scuffing the surface(see FAQ’S).
- Trim your pet’s claws often to prevent small scratches and dents in the timber.
- Clean up spills immediately with damp cloths or paper towels. Excessive use of water can damage wood. Regular cleaning should be done with Synteko Super Clean diluted with warm water to achieve the best results. Do not use household cleaning products on your coated timber floor.
- Even the most well maintained floors will eventually need recoating. Prior to recoat, wash the floor with Synteko Remover followed by Synteko Super Clean.
- When moving heavy furniture/appliances, do not slide it on the wood flooring. It is best to pick up the furniture/appliances completely to protect the wood floor.
- Use a humidifier throughout the winter months to keep the timber movement and shrinkage to a minimum.
Choosing the right maintenance product for your wood floor is important to maintaining its beauty and protecting its finish. The type of floor finish that has been applied to your timber floor will dictate the products needed for regular maintenance and cleaning.
Timber floors finished with Synteko Nova Best, Top, Pro, Classic and Urethane are easy to keep clean.
Vacuum regularly and when necessary, damp mop with Synteko Super Clean 1697 diluted in warm water. Marks from rubber heels, shoe polish, lipstick, ink, hot cooking fat etc. should be removed immediately with Synteko Remover 1692. Avoid scrubbing with a coarse brush or strong detergents. Do not use Synteko Soap on these finishes.
Periodic use of Synteko New Shine 1696 applied thinly in high traffic areas will help protect the floor. Synteko New Shine can also be used to eliminate light scratchs and scuff marks.
In order to restore the sheen to its original lustre, recoat the floor with the original surface finish. The frequency of re-coating will depend on the amount of traffic over the floor.
