Many people are equipping their floors with hardwood to match the aesthetic of the modern interior design of their homes. The hardwood floors add beauty and elegance to your house, making it quite gorgeous. However, even a single scratch on the hardwood floors might look odd, which minimizes the perfect charm of the floor.
Despite having a decent maintenance routine, sometimes, the hardwood floors might have scratches. There are several reasons which can cause damage to the hardwood floors. It is quite a hassle to repair or re-sand your hardwood floors. In addition to that, refinishing the wood floors can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on how much damage is caused. Hence, it is relatively crucial to prevent scratches on hardwood floors.
8 Best Tips And Tricks To Prevent Scratches On Hardwood Floors
If you want to acquire floor protection, make sure to go through stoeldopshop.nl, which provides ideal protection for almost all types of floors at a reasonable rate. Here we will talk about some of the highly beneficial tips and tricks for preventing scrapes on hardwood floors.
1. Remove your shoes
When you go outdoors, a huge amount of grains, debris, or even pebbles might get caught in the bottom of the shoes. Due to that, wearing the same shoes for both indoors and outdoors can cause scratches on the hardwood floor. In the case of pointy and high heels, they can make dents in the wood.
Thus, it is best not to keep outdoor footwear inside your home. If you want, you can install a plastic shoe rack, a rubber bin, and a carpeted protective floor near the entrance, so that it will be easy to leave the shoes.
2. Put doormats in the entrance
Water, snow, or mud are some of the most common stuff that can lead to severe tear and wear on the hardwood flooring. Due to that, you should not let outside water or muddy substances inside your house, so use doormats at the entrance. It is better to put decent-quality mats on both sides of the door.
3. Keep felt pads beneath heavy furniture
Take self-adhesive felt pads and put them under the legs of various furniture, which can prevent them from making scratches when you drag or shove the heavy furniture on your hardwood floors. These self-adhesive felt pads are inexpensive and are available at craft shops and convenience stores as well.
4. Be careful with rollers
Furniture that has caster wheels can also cause heavy damage to the wood flooring. While moving the furniture or stools with rollers, it is better to put protective wheel pads, cups or change the rollers into a new barrel-kind, flat or wide glides.
5. Use large carpets
It is better to put large carpets in areas where furniture is moved often. For example, we frequently move the chairs of the dining table to match the number of guests. In that case, putting a smooth fabric underneath the dining area will make sure not to leave scratch marks.
6. Use a hardwood floor vacuum cleaner
Here is one of the most common mistakes people make, which results in damage to the hardwood floor. As ordinary vacuum cleaners are made to pick dirt off the carpets, sometimes they tend to leave scratches on the wood floor. Due to that, make sure to get a new vacuum cleaner that is ideal for hardwood floors.
7. Make sure to keep a regular maintenance routine
It is important to clean the hardwood floors thoroughly from time to time, including corners, underneath furniture, and shallow areas as well. If you do not clean the floor properly, a lot of dust, grit, and dirt particles will build-up, which can lead to severe damage to the floors, such as dents and scratches.
8. Take care of your pets’ nails
Though a typical pet would not intentionally scrape the hardwood floors, sometimes strolling on the wood flooring can cause damage, particularly if the pet has long nails. Pets like cats and dogs have a habit of digging their claws into the floor while stretching, which may lead to scratches on the floor. Hence, it is quite crucial to trim the nails of your pets regularly. Make sure to keep the nails smooth and short.
Will The Protective Topcoats And Finishes Prevent Scratches?
Yes. One of the best ways to prevent scratches and other damages on the hardwood flooring is to select highly effective topcoats and upper finishes. Remember that it is alright to use different kinds of extra protection layers along with a powerful finish on top. Here are a few choices for safeguarding hardwood floors:
- Wax
It is one of the oldest alternatives for maintaining hardwood floors, but it is less reliable and needs regular touch-ups and repairs.
- Oil-Based Polyurethane
Oil-based polyurethane is a tough coating and applying it might be quite simple for DIY enthusiasts. It is an inexpensive alternative for preserving your hardwood floors. Remember that it contains an elevated amount of volatile organic compound (VOC), so it is necessary to wear a face mask while applying it.
- Water-Based Polyurethane
Here is another common hardwood floor finish, which is easy to apply and dries promptly. The water-based polyurethane contains less VOC content, but when it comes to protecting the floors, it is not as beneficial as oil-based polyurethane.
- Aluminum Oxide
Aluminum oxide is an excellent and also the most reliable finish for bamboo floors. However, keep in mind that this external finish is accessible only for recent and prefinished floors.
- Moisture-Cured Urethane
Moisture-cured urethane is on the list of hardest finishes, and it protects the floor and makes it extra durable. As it generates excess gases, it should be handled by only professionals.
Final Word
If you use all these preventive measures, there are high chances of curbing scratches and other damage to the hardwood flooring. Hence, try your best to follow the above-mentioned tips and tricks if you do not want to deal with refinishing, re-sanding, or repairing the hardwood floors.
