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• Strong light, particularly direct sunlight, can cause a chemical reaction in wood causing it to change colour (ageing or weathering), so move your rugs occasionally and protect the floor from direct sunlight by curtains or blinds.

• In areas where extremes of temperature or moisture variation are common, cracks may appear in the floor. Adding moisture to the air with a humidifier may be the answer. Air conditioners are rarely humidity corrected and particularly in winter can create an extremely dry atmosphere which can cause shrinkage and cracking of the floor. Call your flooring contractor if the problems persist.


• Fit protective pads to the legs of chairs and tables so that they can be moved easily without the risk of scuffing the floor. If you have furniture with castors it is preferable that they are the barrel type as ball castors may cause damage.

• To remove surface dirt and grit the floor must be regularly vacuumed or swept with an electrostatic mop.

• Use only quality floor mops and thoroughly wash new mops to remove any lint remaining from the manufacturing process.

To remove ground in dirt and grit it is necessary to damp mop the floor. A positive emulsion cleaner made specifically for timber floors should be used as it will remove the dirt without damaging the surface seal.

It is important to ensure that the mop is wrung out to ensure that as little solution as possible wets the floor. Boral Timber uses sophisticated processing technology for all kiln dried timber and rigorous floor placement procedures to control the moisture content. Over wetting your floor when mopping can change the moisture balance and cause your floor to expand. In some cases this may result in cupping.

Under no circumstances use household detergents as these may contain harsh chemicals that will damage the finish.

• High heel shoes, especially worn ones, will dent any hard floor surface, even concrete. It is interesting to note that figures supplied by the National Wood Flooring Association of America indicate that an exposed heel spike can exert up to 13,790kPa (2000 ppsi) pressure on the floor when worn by a woman weighing 55kg. (When weight distribution is considered this is more than a two tonne truck or an elephant).

• Keep dirt off the floor. Dust, mop or vacuum regularly. Keep the door mats clean.

• Wipe up spills promptly with a dry cloth or dry paper towel. For sticky substances, moisten the cloth slightly.


Floor Finishes

There are a number of finishes for contemporary timber floors, including solvent based polyurethane*, oil based sealer and more recently developed water based urethanes.

We recommend you discuss floor care with your flooring installer and if possible obtain maintenance procedure data sheets from the manufacturer of your chosen floor finish, however the following hints will help you to keep them looking their best.


Oil and Urethane finishes

Modern acrylic polishes take the hard work out of oil and urethane finishes. It is essential, however that the floor is kept free of dirt and grit, by sweeping it thoroughly with an electrostatic sweep mop.

Note: Oil impregnated sweep mops must not be used as residues may be left and these could cause slip hazards. Electrostatic mops must always be kept clean.

If available, a high speed burnisher (Polivac or similar), will help remove ground in dirt and also harden and re-level acrylic polishes.


Polishing
Less frequently, and depending upon foot traffic levels, it will be necessary to scrub the floor with a suitable cleaner and once dry, apply a coat/s of polish with a mop. In domestic applications the floor should be dry buffed from time to time.

In commercial situations, planned maintenance schedules usually call for regular dry buffing.


Restoration
Floors with oil and urethane finishes can be easily renovated by a light sanding and the application of a suitable surface coating. Heavy machine sanding is necessary only in cases of heavy wear, but the advice of a professional is recommended.

Polyurethane

Boral Timber does not recommend the use of solvent based polyurethane sealants* however if your floor is finished with the material you may:

Cleaning

• Clean with a positive emulsion solution as described earlier

• Buff or wipe with a dry cloth

Restoration

Polyurethane floors can be fully restored to look like new. However it is essential to sand the surface back to bare timber and then re-finish as instructed by the surface coating manufacturer.

* Boral Timber does not recommend polyurethane sealants because in some situations bonding may occur between boards which can result in a "clumping" of boards with irregular, large more noticeable gaps between random groups of boards, e.g. every fifth or sixth board.