Be A Little Cautious Before Waxing Your Hardwood Floors

 

Hardwood flooring installed before the 1970s often required wax applications to ensure floors were well-protected and retained their lustrous appearance. Most modern hardwood flooring has a protective polyurethane or urethane/acrylic topcoat that provides a layer of protection against damage and wear and tear; floors with these finishes should not be waxed.

 

Make sure wax won’t damage your hardwood floors by selecting a product that’s specially formulated for wood flooring. Sweep, dust and clean your floor surface completely before you wax, or tiny dirt and dust particles will get trapped below the freshly waxed surface.

 

Paste Wax

Select a paste wax from your local hardware or home goods store. The brand doesn’t make much difference as long as it’s specifically designed for hardwood floors and is compatible with your floor finish. Apply a small clump of paste wax with a cheesecloth or a white terrycloth rag and rub the compound into the floor. It helps to follow the grain of wood on wooden floor planks as you rub, or use a circular motion for square or patterned wood floors. Allow the wax to dry, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Buff the floors by hand with a dry pad, or use a dry-pad buffing machine.

 

Liquid Wax

Opt for a liquid hardwood floor wax if you don’t want or need to use as much elbow grease. A liquid-wax application is often easier because you don’t have to rub as much and spend more of your time spreading the substance evenly across the floor… Use terrycloth to ensure the wax sufficiently covers all the nooks and crannies in the floor’s surface. Rub in a linear fashion and follow any grains in the wood. Buff the floors once the wax has dried.

 

Follow Basic Protocol

Never use vinyl or linoleum floor waxes on hardwood floors as these waxes may contain potent chemicals that could damage your floors. Avoid abrasives and other cleaning products that might harm the natural wood characteristics that have a urethane finish

 

Consult a local flooring dealer or installer/refinisher Elegant Floors of Sunnyvale, if you aren’t sure whether wax could damage your wood flooring.

 

Call: (408) 773- 8624 | https://elegant-floors.com/

Should I Wax My Hardwood Floors?