Thanks to its naturalness and beauty, actually wood floor is one of the most used floor coverings, both in domestic and in high traffic areas. Furthermore, use of innovative finishing coats, dispels the myth that wood floor is a fragile and hard to maintain product. Wood is an alive material since it reacts to area where installed and so, it is important to keep into consideration temperature and humidity. First important precaution is to verify humidity and temperature where wood floor is installed; also doors and windows must be adequate and moisture content of subfloor must be suitable. Ideal area must be in syntony both for wood floor and for people living there so, humidity must be between 45% and 60%, while temperature must be between 16° and 22°. Wood floor, depending from wood specie and kind of product choose, is usually suitable to be installed also on floor heating, commonly in use in homes. In case of traditional heating systems, is important to use apposite humidifier bowls where to fill periodically water in order to keep into the rooms an adequate humidity content and so avoid movement s of wood floor. Wood, in particularly in exotic wood species, responds to light and air, starting its natural process of oxidation, phenomenon during a short time , that gives to wood its natural colour. It is important to put into chairs and furniture bases, some felt pads and near the main entrances, a doormat (outdoor). Possible scratches or little damages on the wood floor surface, are not necessary anti-aesthetic, but give to wood floor an aged effect that could be pleasurable.
Maintenance and cleaning of wood floor
Depending from frequency, we can divide in cleaning treatments, ordinary or extraordinary maintenance. Treatments can be distinguished on the bases of finish applied on the wood floor, that can be oil or lacquer. Nowadays, the most used finish is the oiled one, this due to its features and to not reflecting properties. About cleaning, it is possible to use the same process for both finish variants while, about maintenance, are there differences between oiled and lacquered version.
Cleaning
Every time it is necessary, use a vacuum cleaner with an apposite soft broom that can pick up dust, otherwise use a soft traditional broom. It is also suitable to use soft clothes in microfiber. Avoid use of steam cleaners.
Ordinary maintenance
Not very frequently, use a soft cloth, wet but well squeezed. You can use just water, not warm, or water added with neutral cleaner for wood floors, free of solvents. Friulparchet suggests use of SOFT BALM for oiled wood floors or CLEANER or POLISH for lacquered wood floors. Never use foamy cleaners, avoid ammonia or alcoholic products, in any case each aggressive cleaner, these could damage wood floor surface. Once cleaned, on the dried wood floor, you can also polish surface, without use of products, just polishing by hand with very soft clothes, following wood veining direction.
Extra-ordinary maintenance – Protective treatments depending on coating type.
Friulparchet issues at each lot, an apposite maintenance sheet, depending from finishing treatment applied. It is very important that final customer reads carefully this sheet in order to avoid an incorrect use or maintenance of the wood floor.