Wood floors are known for their luxurious looks and impressive durability. However, they are more difficult to maintain than other flooring types, with scratches posing a particular threat to your wooden floor.
The good news is, there are things you can do to protect your investment and keep your wood floors scratch-free. Here, national retailer Stories Flooring shares some of the best ways to prevent scratching wooden flooring…
Keep up with daily maintenance
Scratches can occur over time on wooden floors due to general wear and tear. Debris can wear down the protective layer of the floor, leading to minor scratches. Daily maintenance helps to keep debris to a minimum, preventing these types of scratches from developing.
To keep wood flooring clean each day, use a soft brush or a vacuum with a wood setting. Never use a rolling brush when vacuuming the floor as this will lead to tiny scratches. You can also prevent debris build-up by adding entrance mats to your doorways.
Use furniture pads
Nothing will scratch wood floors quite like heavy furniture. Dragging heavy furniture across the room can cause significant scratching across the floor’s surface. Even if it isn’t moved, the weight of the furniture can cause deep gauges within the floor over time.
To prevent this type of damage, use felt furniture pads. They can easily be placed underneath the legs of heavy furniture. This protects the floor whether the furniture is moved or not.
Make use of area rugs
Area rugs are great for protecting wooden floors. They can be placed in high-traffic areas, as well as underneath furniture such as coffee tables and TV stands.
Rugs don’t just help to prevent damage to the floor, they can also add warmth and comfort too. So, identify the area’s most at risk of scratches, then see if you can cover them up with a rug.
Avoid wearing high heels
One of the most common causes of scratches in wood floors is high heels. Walking over a wood floor in high heels is never a good idea. This is because high heeled shoes tend to have sharp edges. These can easily scratch the surface of the wood and the weight can also cause dents to form.
Ideally you should avoid walking over a wood floor in any shoes. However, high heels tend to cause the biggest issues.
Trim pet claws frequently
If you have a pet in the home, keeping their claws trimmed is going to help avoid scratches. Claws can be sharp, and the longer they are the more of a problem they will be. Whether you own a pet dog or cat, keeping their claws trimmed is important for their health as well as your floor.
So, there you have it – the best ways to prevent scratches on wood flooring. Whether you have hardwood or engineered wood floors, a little daily maintenance goes a long way to keeping them looking and performing like new.
