Your brand hardwood floor has now been carefully installed and finished, so what is there left to do?

Thankfully, not much. The beauty of oak flooring, like any hardwood flooring, is that you will only need some basic care and maintenance to look after it and keep it in excellent condition for decades to come.

Choose the Right Finish
One of the most important things you have to do, even before your flooring is installed, is choosing the right finish to suit your home. After all, not everyone will want the same look from their flooring or have the same level of activity in their home, all of which impact which finish you should choose.

For example, a lacquer finish will give your floors anything from a flat matt to a high gloss finish, depending on what is chosen, and is very easy to look after. An oil finish, on the other hand, will give your floor a much more natural “soaked in” look that tends to leans towards more of a matt look and can be quite easily patch repaired should the need arise.

Protect Your Hardwood Floor from Furniture
Aside from pets and certain footwear, the most common cause of marks and scratches on solid oak flooring is furniture. Any time large pieces of furniture and intentionally or unintentionally moved, they can leave a permanent mark. Even something as simple as getting up from a chair can scratch your flooring if done without care. To prevent this from happening, invest in some felt covers for the bottom of your furniture. These affordable pieces of felt easily stick on to the legs of chairs, tables, and sofas, providing a gentle buffer between your furniture and the floor. It should go without saying that if you are moving any heavy pieces of furniture in a room with hardwood flooring, you should lift it rather than dragging it across the floor.

Know How to Correctly Clean Solid Oak Flooring
Cleaning solid oak flooring couldn’t be any simpler and will go a long way in keeping your hardwood floor in good condition. The first step is to sweep the floor with a brush to remove dust and dirt every few days or so depending on the level of footfall in the room. You can also do this step with a vacuum cleaner but make sure that you have an appropriate wooden floor compatible attachment before you do so, otherwise, you could scratch the finish.

For a deeper clean, you can also mop your wooden floors once every week or so but take care to use a damp mop and never a wet one.