» ADVICE » Maintenance of a Varnished Floor or How to Maintain a Varnished Floor

Varnished floors are a popular choice for their beauty and durability. They are easy to clean and last for many years if properly maintained. However, regular wear and tear, spills, and scratches can take away from the shine and smoothness of a varnished floor.

However, maintaining a vanished floor can be a challenge. With the right techniques, you can keep your varnished floor looking its best for years to come. In this article, we’ll provide you with tips and tricks on how to maintain a varnished floor, so you can keep it looking like new.


Maintenance of a Varnished Floor or How to Maintain a Varnished Floor

What Causes a Varnished Floor to Age?

The main cause of aging in a varnished floor is exposure to sunlight, water, and foot traffic. Over time, these factors can cause the varnish to become dull and fade, leading to the development of scratches, scuffs, and other forms of damage. In addition, spills and stains can penetrate the varnish and cause discoloration, and dirt and debris can become trapped in the pores of the floor, leading to dullness and a rough texture.

 

The Importance of Regular Maintenance

Regular maintenance is crucial to keep your varnished floor looking its best. This includes regular sweeping or vacuuming, spot cleaning spills and stains, and applying a fresh coat of varnish every few years. By following these simple steps, you can keep your varnished floor looking like new for years to come.

 

Maintenance of a Varnished Floor or How to Maintain a Varnished Floor

 

Essential Maintenance Steps for a Varnished Floor

Use a soft-bristle vacuum regularly

The first step in maintaining a varnished floor is to use a soft-bristle vacuum frequently. This will help remove any residue that could cause an abrasive effect on your varnished floor. By removing these particles, you’ll help prevent scratches and maintain the beauty of your floor.

Maintain relative humidity and temperature

In order to stabilize the movement of your wood strips, it’s important to maintain a relative humidity of 50% and a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. This will help keep your floor in the best possible condition for as long as possible. Make sure that your heating, fans, and air conditioning devices are functional to maintain a stable environment for your hardwood floor.

Clean with the right products

To maintain a varnished floor, it’s essential to use the right cleaning products. You can purchase these from big-box stores or specialized stores. Consult our supplier section to find the right maintenance product for your floor type. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations carefully and make sure to clean your floor thoroughly before using any cleaning products.

Avoid damaging substances

When maintaining a varnished floor, it’s important to avoid using damaging substances. For example, never use wax, household detergent, or oil-based soap, as these products will alter the protective vitreous layer of your floor and make cleaning more difficult. Additionally, water and vinegar mixtures should not be used for cleaning varnished floors, as the acid content in vinegar can cause damage to your hardwood.

Protect your floor from water damage

Water can cause irreparable damage to your hardwood floor, so it’s important to protect it from water damage. One of the leading causes of water damage is placing a plant directly on your floor. To prevent this, we suggest placing mats or rugs in areas at risk of water damage. Additionally, protect exterior access points with rimmed mats, and avoid walking on your hardwood floor in high-heeled shoes, as the pressure from the heels can cause damage.

Prevent scratches and scuffs

To prevent scratches and scuffs on your hardwood floor, glue felt to the legs of your furniture and chairs. Check the condition of the felts regularly and replace any damaged ones. Additionally, avoid sliding furniture or heavy objects across the floor, and cover or curtain areas that are overexposed to the sun, as prolonged exposure to intense light can alter the color of the wood.

 

How to Clean, Preserve and Maintain a Varnished Floor?

Our extensive experience in the wood flooring industry has shown us that many people are unaware of how to maintain a varnished floor. At L’Artisan du Plancher Montreal, we believe that each of our customers should have access to a maintenance guide that would allow them to preserve their renovated floor as long as possible.

That is why we have developed a maintenance guide for your floors. It contains several recommendations that are essential for maintaining a healthy sealed floor. Please take a few minutes to consult our maintenance instructions below and follow them rigorously. You can also consult our maintenance guide for an oiled floor.

 

The Maintenance Guide for a Varnished Floor:

  • + Use a soft-bristle vacuum frequently to clean up any residue that could cause an abrasive effect on your varnished wood floor.
  • + In order to stabilize the movement of your wood strips as much as possible, please maintain a relative humidity of 50% and a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.
  • + An adequate indoor temperature will facilitate the maintenance of your varnished floors. Reasonable temperature control will keep your hardwood floor in best of the condition for as long as possible. This means that heating, fans, and air conditioning devices must be functional in order to maintain an internal environment conducive to the stability of the hardwood.
  • + To maintain a varnished floor, clean your floor with the right cleaning products for your varnished or oiled floor. You can buy them in big-box stores or in specialized stores. Consult our supplier section to find the right maintenance product for your floor type.
  • + Always spray small amounts at a time and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations carefully. Always make sure your surface is free of dirt before cleaning your varnished floor, as you could damage it. Use a clean mop: foreign objects could cause scratches on the varnish.
  • + Never use wax, household detergent, or oil-based soap to maintain a varnished floor. These products are detrimental to maintenance because they alter the protective vitreous layer of your floor and make cleaning difficult. They can also dull, attack, or oxidize your floor.
  • + Water and vinegar mixtures should not use (not recommended) for cleaning varnished or oiled floors. The acid content in vinegar acts as an aggressive agent when it comes into contact with your wood floor. It is, therefore, essential to use a cleaning product specially designed for the type of finish on your wood floor. A varnished floor cleaner will not be appropriate for cleaning an oiled floor, and vice versa.
  • + Water can create irreversible damage to your wood floorboards and can make them irrecoverable later on. Our workers encounter this one of the most common problems when sanding floors.
  • + Never place a plant directly on your wood: it will probably form a ring that will be permanent. This is one of the leading cause for water damage. When this happens, we need to repair the floor where the damage occurred. We suggest you place mats or rugs in areas with a risk of water damage.
  • + Protect exterior access points with rimmed mats. During the winter, your boots carry snow containing calcium from the salt that cities spread on the streets to melt the ice. This calcium attacks the varnish directly, drying it out and stripping it of its protective properties.
  • + Glue felt to the legs of your furniture and chairs to prevent scratches on your hardwood floor.
  • Periodically check the condition of the felts and replace any damaged ones. Avoid sliding chairs with casters on your wood surface. Slide these chairs only on a carpet or a rug specially designed for this purpose.
  • + Never walk around in high-heeled shoes on a hardwood floor. High heels are so small that the pressure can easily reach 3,500 pounds per square inch (about 250 kg/cm). Remove your shoes to walk on your surface and put on slippers. The area in contact with the floor should be smooth, non-abrasive, and preferably cushioned.
  • + Do not drag/slide furniture or heavy objects across the floor. Always lift furniture that is to be moved or transported.
  • + Cover or curtain areas that are overexposed to the sun. Prolonged or repeated exposure to intense light can alter the color of the wood. The color change of hardwood is a natural phenomenon. Wood species that are light in color may experience even more noticeable color changes.

 

Maintenance of a Varnished Floor or How to Maintain a Varnished Floor

 

Conclusion

By following these maintenance steps, you’ll be able to maintain a varnished floor that looks as beautiful as the day it was installed. Remember to use a soft-bristle vacuum regularly, maintain relative humidity and temperature, clean with the right products, protect your floor from water damage, and prevent scratches and scuffs. If you have any questions or need additional information, please consult our maintenance guide for an oiled floor.

 

*To the best of our knowledge, the information contained in this document is accurate. As conditions and maintenance methods may vary, no guarantee is given on the recommendations or on the final result. It is the responsibility of the owner/user to verify the suitability of the methods and to ensure the proper preservation of the maintained areas.