Help! Wooden floor maintenance

Karin W
by Karin W
2 years ago we had our wooden floor professionally refinished and they looked beautiful! .... 2 years ago!! Even though we are using throw rugs and padding under the furniture the floor is covered with small scratches and is dull. (normal foot traffic by 3 people and 3 small dogs) Why do I have to cover the whole floor with carpet in order to keep the wood beautiful? What is the point then? I have used pure water and also Bona Wood Floor Cleaner on it. I am not happy with the results of Bona. It attracts and shows the scuff marks even more. Any advice?
  20 answers
  • Terry Sparks Terry Sparks on Jun 09, 2015
    I would first talk to the person who refinished your wood floor to find out what was used for the finish and try getting the contractor to fix the problem. Depending on what was used and if the contractor will fix it, will determine your next step. Two years for a floor finish to fail is substandard in my opinion. If you end up refinishing it again and you know what was used, see if it's compatible with Waterlox and, if you can do a very light sanding followed by several coats of their original sealer. Check out their website for infoatoon if you end up going that route. I'm not affiliated with them, I build outdoor furniture and use their products and have been very happy with the end results and ease of use.
  • Hope Williams Hope Williams on Jun 10, 2015
    I'm not one of those folks on the must have wooden floors band wagon. I think of wood floors like this: put your dining room table on the floor and use normal traffic on it. It's bound to look horrible quickly, like real wood floors! Having said that, I agree that two years is not sufficient for refinishing. The only advice I can give is with furbabies, get ceramic that looks like wood. They look real, feel real and last soooooooo muchhhhhhh longer!
  • Repurpose Diva Repurpose Diva on Jun 10, 2015
    I've used mop and go in the blue bottle on my wooden floors before and it does just what the bottle says "cleans & shines in one step".
  • Sherrie Sherrie on Jun 10, 2015
    Are these oak I can't tell by the picture? And did they sand, then polyurethane them are was it a stain and sealer all in one? On certain sealers you use certain cleaners. With Bona I can use it on my oak floors that have been sealed with Polyurethane. I have a cleaning business and we clean a lot of floors. If this is oak and if it has been sealed with Polyurethane there are several ways to clean it. Use a few drops of dish soap in a bucket of warm water, a micro fiber mop. Squeeze most of the water out of the mop, mop, then rinse, then the important part dry it. Using Bona our floors also turn out great...we again use micro fiber mops, they are wet squeeze the water out and spray the Bona on the bottom of the mop. Mop and the dry it. You are cleaning the finish not the wood. Never spray Bona cleaner on the floors it builds up. You can use a damp micro fiber mop or use a spray bottle to mist your mop head with and mop. We always dry all wood floors always we never ever leave them wet. We throw a towel down and use the micro fiber and use the towel to dry the floor. It will save your finish and your floor. We also follow manufactory guidelines on all floors. The key is not to much water, not to much cleaner. I would try the dish soap, PH balanced. If it's good for your hands it is good for your floors. Less is more. And drying makes a really big difference.
  • Wanda.ll Wanda.ll on Jun 10, 2015
    I have had the same Pine wood floors since 1978. I've never refinished them and they are still in good shape. They were beginning to show some wear after 30+ years so I contacted these people. They said use Quick and Shine. I did 3 years ago and they still look wonderful. I use their cleaner and get both at local Walmart > these people have thew greatest products. They all work due to they try them before every having in their hardware business. So check them out here is link. http://www.happyhandyman.com/product-p/120000027a.htm
    • Dee Dee on Jun 10, 2015
      @Wanda.ll Do not use quick and shine on your floors, you will ruin them. All it does it put a plastic like coating on the floor. When you go to remove the stuff you will have to scrape it off. I know several people who had to replace their floors because of this product.
  • Kathy Meador Wells Kathy Meador Wells on Jun 10, 2015
    Bruce (Brand Name) has an awesome hardwood floor product that we use on our floors. I did not want wood floors, my husband was insistent. I wish we had carpet so much easier to take care of in my opinion.
    • Pete Wells Pete Wells on Jun 10, 2015
      , @Kathy Meador Wells I had brand-new wall-to-wall carpet in my last home..that will never happen again! My refinished heart-pine floors are so much easier to care for, and especially, to clean! I have 2 small dogs, dogs and carpet do not mix well...same with cats..or ferrets (Ugh!)
  • Teresa Martin Teresa Martin on Jun 10, 2015
    I used one inch thick poly on mine and cleaned with vinegar water. Check with a local carpet cleaning service or ABC CLEANING AND RESTORATION in Madison Alabama. They have a FB page and you could probably message them
  • Connie Mar Connie Mar on Jun 10, 2015
    I would contact the company that did the refinishing 2 years ago. Perhaps there was a warranty? Do you know what they used for the finish and how many coats they put on? A floor finish should last much longer than 2 years. Darker wood does get dull and show scratches more than lighter wood, I wonder if it needs to be buffed?
  • Angie Angie on Jun 10, 2015
    I used to use Johnson paste wax and a buffer when I had wood floors to keep them looking good.
  • Marion Lansford Marion Lansford on Jun 10, 2015
    Get rid of the dogs?
    • See 2 previous
    • Hope Williams Hope Williams on Jun 11, 2015
      Thank you for suggesting someone get rid of their pets when you have one yourself. I would think by the comment that you did not even like them! But I'm not the person who asked the question about their floors. I'm the person who was appalled by a comment. But thank you anyway.
  • Allison Puetz-Valentin Allison Puetz-Valentin on Jun 10, 2015
    I use rejuvenate floor restorer, very easy to apply, can't really screw it up and looks amazing! http://www.rejuvenateproducts.com/
  • Jcw Jcw on Jun 10, 2015
    I have used the Rejuvenate for Wood Floors because the Rejuvenate for Cabinets worked so great for my kitchen. Be sure of what type wood floors you have. If the wood needs to absorb the product, this will not work. I used it on the bamboo flooring in my new house and every scratch showed. Even from a plastic block that my baby granddaughter played with. There was no easy fix for this and I tried all kinds of products to remove Rejuvenate layer. Floor professional informed me of the need to use the right product. Good Luck
  • Tina RaiderTucker Tina RaiderTucker on Jun 10, 2015
    You have to use a dust mop and a polish on it weekly just like wood furniture
  • Anthony Anthony on Jun 10, 2015
    You are using the correct cleaner. I do not recommend using it every day though, more like once a week. A cap full of white vinegar per gallon of water cleans, disinfects, and leaves no residual build up that causes the surface to have a 'soft' finish that makes the floor appear to be dirty and lose it's sheen. However, using throw rugs is a big issue. A) Where the rug is, will not 'age' the same. There will be no uv fading in those areas. B) If you do not have a backing, or padding under the rug, the coarse surface will sand off the finish. C) If you do use padding, you need to use a felt padding. Any foam, plastic, or rubber pad will seep oils into the surface of the finish causing a surface that collects dust, dirt, and animal hair. Most people do not realize this. D) The best backing is a white thin cotton cloth. It protects the floor, and has no oils, or dye in it. Also, USE ONLY CLEAN COLD WATER!!!!!! Hot water causes the wood to soften just enough to allow dirt to settle in. Exactly like skin, cold water closes pores, hot water opens them. If I saw the floor in person, I would be able to advise more but from the looks, and age of the finish, have an experienced Floor Restoration Specialist come in and use a mild solution of degreaser and hot water (after a detailed cold water and vinegar scrubbing) to scrub the floor. This will remove the build up I am seeing.
  • Barbara C Barbara C on Jun 11, 2015
    Vinegar will not fill in scratches.Rejuvenate will and make it shine.
  • Mickey Duffy Mickey Duffy on Jun 11, 2015
    To fill the scratches use nuts. If the floors are very light use peanuts, rub the nut over the scratched area and it fills in with a color, so the scratches are so obvious. For dark floors use walnuts, and you can experiment with medium colored floors with almond and pecans.
  • Melissa Gutilla Melissa Gutilla on Jun 11, 2015
    I know here they put several coats of the clear finish on top to protect it. My mom had hers done a few years back and they look just like new. She doesn't use anything on them except a dust mop and mops it with a damp mop. I have Pargo floors upstairs and I hate them. They always look dirty except when I wash them with tea water. I put a couple tea bags in water for a few minutes then wash. They actually look good for about a week that way. No film, no footprints or anything.
  • Susan Susan on Jun 15, 2015
    You will hate me but the small scratches are from the dogs. Their toenails will scratch windows, floors etc. We had a patio door that was permanently scratched by dogs. If you are a true dog lover resign yourself to having less than perfect floors, if not well...
  • Karin W Karin W on Jun 15, 2015
    After I got in touch with the contractor who finished the floors 2 years ago and I told him my problem, he offered to come back and put a new finish on it. They are using a new product now. He will do all this for free. I am very grateful and hope this time the floor will stay beautiful longer ...also will try to use everybody's advice. Thank you!