Parquet Flooring Maintenance Guide
Once the most popular flooring type, it used to be laid in the beautiful ballrooms of castles, as well as in the homes of royals and wealthy people. Nowadays, parquet flooring from oak is living its second life, fashion-wise, because this amazing, classic and very beautiful option is loved by many. The main culprit behind this is its natural solidness and elegance. Parquet flooring is, indeed, wonderful and delightful, which is why so many people have taken a liking in it recently, choosing it for both very classic and traditional, like herringbone flooring, as well as for modern interior designs.
Parquet flooring matches, and could suit, almost every interior style in your home or workplace. You could use it to make bold, but at the same time, the unintimidating statement in every room. It could become a focal point of the entire interior style and setting. Furthermore, parquet wood flooring comes in a great variety of patterns and shapes you can choose from, allowing you to set your sights on the one that you will enjoy the most.
Parquet wood flooring cleaning
Since it is made from real wood, there are no particular differences in looking after your parquet flooring and caring for your solid/engineered wood flooring. If your cleaning routine is regular, then it will be neither time- nor energy-consuming. Generally speaking, a weekly floor vacuuming is more than enough. If your floor is faced with a high load of foot traffic, is installed in a home with small children and pets with scratchy nails, is located in a commercial premise, then you might have to clean it more often. Do not forget to use the hoover attachment meant for hard floors. Otherwise, you’d risk leaving fine scratches on the finish of your floor. You can also use a broom with soft bristles to remove all the dust and dirt from your parquet floor, to avoid scratching up.
When you see spills and fresh stains, you need to remove them immediately, otherwise, you risk leaving permanent water damage and permanent spots that can be removed only by sanding or refinishing. Otherwise, they could dramatically deteriorate the appearance and condition of your parquet flooring. To remove the stains and spills, be sure to use a dry or slightly damp cloth, carefully trying to remove the spill, starting from the outer edges to the centre.
Furthermore, if you want to add a more thorough and in-depth step to your cleaning routine because hoovering just doesn’t cut it for you, you can also occasionally clean your floor with a damp mop. Just make sure that you are using a cleaning product with a natural pH, specifically created for wood, otherwise, you risk affecting the condition of the finish. Your mop needs to be damp only, do not use an excessive amount of water, and you shouldn’t clean patches of the floor with a worn and damaged finish. Water, liquids and moisture, in general, are some of the main reasons for wood flooring issues.
Thorough and in-depth maintenance
Even when cut into floorboards, wood is still wood and it has a natural response to the surrounding environment. Moisture and humidity can make the floorboards “move”, which means that due to the porous structure material, they will expand and contract. This movement is considered natural and shouldn’t be of concern most of the time.
Wood can quickly go back its natural shape, as long as the moisture or humidity issue is resolved. However, as it sometimes happens, the wood cannot recover from dramatic changes in its environment. This is usually when your wooden floor will start experiencing serious problems, such as loose, chipping, distressed finish, along with some others. If your parquet wood flooring is struggling with issues like these, it is probably about time you consider a sanding and refinishing service.
As you probably know, sanding and refinishing are treatments that can happen a few times in the lifecycle of wooden floors. The sanding service consists of removal of the old and damaged finish layer on top, as well as a thin layer of the bare wood underneath when it’s damaged. Depending on the age, condition, and thickness of the wood, your parquet can be re-sanded up to 5 times. Right after wood floor sanding, the pores of the wood are open and it is the perfect time for the application of the new finish. When it comes to finishes, there is a lot of choices when it comes to function and appearance. You can choose either high gloss or a perfect matt, it all depends on your personal preferences.
Normally, high gloss finishes compliment parquet patterns very well, but this type of finish is pretty hard to maintain in tip-top condition. The main reason is that it does not conceal even the most miniature scratches. Generally speaking, parquet flooring is a bit of a hassle and rather stressful to sand. Unlike solid wood and engineered wood floors, parquet floors come in complex patterns, where each of the boards is fitted in a different direction, which is why they cannot be sanded straight-away. If you were to do that, the risk of sanding against the grain can’t be underestimated, as it can permanently worsen the condition of your floor. Because of that, when it comes to parquet floor sanding, hiring an experienced and knowledgeable professional for carrying out the job is necessary.