Congratulations on the purchase of your beautiful Riveroaks Hardwood floor. Below you will find the steps necessary to maintain the new floor for a lifetime.
Preventive Maintenance:
This begins with temperature control. Temperatures should be kept between 60 to 80 degrees F. and the relative humidity should be between 35 – 50% at all times. For Bamboo floors the relative humidity level should be between 50 – 60% at all times.
To collect dirt and moisture and prevent it from being tracked on the floor please use exterior and interior doormats at all entrances. Area rugs are also a great way to protect your floor and recommended at all pivot points and within high traffic areas such as kitchen sinks and hallways. However, do not use rugs with rubber or vinyl backing. This will prevent staining and entrapment of moisture. Use only non slip pads recommended for use on wood floors. Use furniture leg protector pads (felt or indoor outdoor carpet type) under all furniture that is placed on your new floor. Make sure to remove any metal or hard plastic caps that are on the bottom of the legs prior to applying furniture protectors. Make certain to keep them clean and well maintained. Chairs with plastic casters should be replaced with rubber caster wheels. Make sure to keep pets nails trimmed. Do not roll, or drag heavy objects across your floor. Do not wear shoes having heel taps, spikes, cleats, rocks, gravel or sharp objects protruding from the sole.
Routine Maintenance:
To help eliminate fine particles or dirt/grit that act like sandpaper and will scratch any floor, vacuum or sweep as needed to avoid build up of abrasive particles. The vacuum head should be a brush or felt attachment. Do not use a vacuum with a beater bar head. Make sure to vacuum interior doormats and shake debris from exterior doormats regularly. The sooner a liquid spill is removed, the easier it is to clean up and prevent tracking. The sooner a spill, pet accident, or tracked in dirt is removed the easier clean up will be. These should all be cleaned immediately. Use a recommended hardwood flooring cleaner for regular cleaning and removing grease and smudges from your floor. The above procedures will help maintain the shine of your beautiful wood floor. Never clean or wet mop with water! Water may permanently damage the floor. Do not use harsh abrasive cleaners, bleach, ammonia or vinegar based cleaners, wax or acrylic polishes, or oil soaps.
Long term Maintenance:
This depends on how well and often you clean and maintain your floor. When high traffic areas begin to show wear and become delustered (this will be noticed by a white cast and dulling of the shine), it may be time for a fresh coat of finish to be applied to your floor to enhance the longevity and beauty of your investment There are hardwood flooring product systems to recoat your floor with high quality urethane finishes. Contact your flooring retailer for details. Please not that if you purchased an Riveroaks Hardwood Bamboo or Exotics flooring the color can change with extended exposure to sunlight. To prevent fading, your floor should never be exposed to extended direct sunlight. Use curtains, blinds, window treatments or other shading techniques to help minimize the effects of exposure to the sun.
