Caring for Pinewood Floors

If you are thinking of installing some pinewood floors in your home, you need to make sure that you know the proper method of caring for them. Luckily, caring for pinewood floors isn't all that difficult. All you need to do really is ensure that you follow a few simple guidelines, and keep common sense in mind. After all, since pinewood is a fairly soft type of wood it is remarkably easy to damage the wood without even trying.

• Seal it. Perhaps one of the single most important aspects to caring for a pinewood floor is to ensure it is sealed properly. If you haven't sealed it, get it taken care of as quickly as possible. Properly sealing a pinewood floor will provide a much needed extra layer of protection against liquids, dirt, and grime.
• Use cushions. If you have any kind of furniture in the room with pinewood flooring, you need to make sure that there is a bit of cushioning between the furniture and the floor. Typically all you need to use is a bit of felt fabric. Having this cushion will help protect the floor from the weight of the furniture, and help prevent scratches from forming as well when the furniture is moved in any way.
• Limit dirt transfer. Try to limit as much dirt and grime that gets transferred or tracked into the room with pinewood flooring. This can be done in a couple of different ways. The two most popular methods is to first place a door mat next to any exterior entry way and the flooring, and second walk only in socks or bare feet on the flooring. Not only will this help prevent any dirt and grime from getting tracked in, but also help prevent accidental scratching and scoring of the floor.
• Regular cleaning. Pinewood floors should be cleaned (as in swept and mopped) as needed. Typically pinewood flooring can be swept daily, and mopped once a week to help ensure that they are in great condition. If and when you do any mopping of your flooring, make sure that you are using a product which will not harm wood flooring.
• Avoid scraping. Do not drag heavy objects across pinewood flooring, or even scuff shoe clad feet on pinewood flooring. Both activities will leave scratches, scrapes, and even gouges in the wood. While this can potentially give some "character" to a floor, it can also potentially damage the floor to the point where it needs to be replaced.

Another method for caring for pinewood floors is to periodically strip the floor, and refinish it. While this may seem like a rather drastic or excessive step, it is extremely effective at ensuring that your pinewood floor stays in the best possible shape. Keep in mind that since it is such a drastic step it is something that should only be done every four to six years.