Cleaning Wood Floors With Water Based Finish

Always apply floor wax to go with the grain of the wood.

Cleaning wood floors with water based finish.

If your floor is real hardwood lightly sand it then apply a new finish to restore the wood s natural beauty. Use floor wax to revitalize and deep clean worn floors. Low ph cleaners can dull a polyurethane finish but some stains need more cleaning power than water and dish soap can provide. Still the finish highlights the wood s grain color and natural beauty.

Vinegar is mildly acidic and can cut through white mineral streaks so adding a 1 4 cup or 1 2 cup of it to your dish soap cleaning solution will create a good treatment for a floor that gets a lot of foot traffic. But what type of cleaning agent should be used in the mop bucket. Waxing these floors can make them too slippery to walk on easily. It can also make the floor dull more quickly.

I know to broom or vacuum them regularly and to clean with a damp mop. Don t overwax a wood floor. First it s important to know what type of finish you have on floor so that you have the proper type of cleaner. Some jobs are.

Polyurethane urethane varnish lacquer shellac etc these finishes sit on top of the wood and help prevent water or stain absorption. These finishes easily absorb water and water can warp wood floors so use only solvent based cleaning products instead of water based ones on floors with penetrating finishes. Is murphy s oil soap okay or is their a more gentle and or greener alternative. For more than 100 years people have been using murphy oil soap to clean wood floors for one simple reason.

Once the steam is cooled it becomes water and is unable to clean under the finish this over time will actually rot your wood. They ve been finished with a matte water based natural finish. The same plastic resin ends up on your floor whether it s carried in a water or petroleum based solvent. The end cleaning is the most essential thing to keeping your hardwood floor lasting for a long time.

I m looking for any tips on how to care for my newly refinished hardwood floors. In terms of durability the two are virtually identical. The vast majority of homeowners have some sort of surface sealed finish e g. Most water based finishes last around 5 7 years water based uv lasts around 12.

If it looks dull try buffing your hardwood floor instead. Similarly you don t need to buff or polish these floors as the polyurethane coating doesn t need it. A water based wood floor finish may cost a bit more than an oil based finish but many contractors and homeowners prefer its clarity and ease of application.