In the spring, it is good to do more cleaning and maintenance at home – wooden floors and, for example, kitchen surfaces can last for decades, but if they are not maintained, they will wear out in just a few years. It is important to observe that oiled, painted and varnished surfaces require different care, otherwise more harm than good will occur.
According to Mari-Liis Mihkelson, manager of the Tartu department of Puumarket, the largest wood retailer in the Baltic countries, wooden surfaces, whether they are made of oak, ash or other types of wood, should be taken care of almost as carefully as the skin on your face. “The first thing is to keep loose dirt – sand and pebbles that cause scratches and damage – off the floor. A large part is taken up by the mud mat, and the rest should simply be collected regularly with a brush or a vacuum cleaner. A completely wear-resistant natural parquet has not been invented yet, and therefore the nails of domestic animals should also be kept short,” advised Mihkelson.
“The main mistake that is made is that the parquet is chosen and installed expensively and properly, but then the top protective layer is allowed to wear off too much, following which the pigment and surface of the floor itself begins to suffer,” said Mihkelson.
Do not mix paint, varnish and oil
According to the head of Puumarket’s Tartu department, the golden rule is that the surface is maintained with the same product it is covered with, and for example oil, varnish and paint should not be mixed together. “Of the oiled and varnished parquets, the first ones are slightly more porous and therefore more delicate. If the oil layer wears off, dirt and moisture can enter the material. The same applies to, for example, wooden kitchen surfaces,” said Mihkelson.
“To clean an oiled floor, you should not only use ordinary tap water, but once a week you should add a cleaning agent intended for oiled floors to the water, which prevents excessive wear, protects once morest drying out and restores the oiled protective surface. In the case of oiled floors, it is important that the cloth is not too wet when cleaning – otherwise dark quarters will remain, which will be difficult to remove from the material later,” advised Mihkelson.
“If water damage has already occurred on the wood surface, for example from a leaking base of a flower pot, the oil and top layer should be sanded off, re-oiled or tinted if necessary. The wooden surface should generally be lightly sanded and cleaned before re-oiling. If the old layer is left unsanded, the result may be patchy. If a tinted oil with more pigment and less protection is used for processing, then it is recommended to apply a separate finishing oil with a higher protection,” said Mihkelson.
“As an interesting nuance, with time and use, matte surfaces become more shiny and vice versa. In order to restore the original appearance, it is also possible to polish the surface, which makes it shiny once more. However, when treated with mat care oil, the material becomes dull once more,” added Mihkelson.
The varnished surface also needs constant care
According to the wood expert, one of the main misconceptions is that only oiled surfaces need to be maintained regularly.
“Vacquered floors should be cleaned regularly with water and a damp mop or with a cleaning agent specially designed for varnished floors. Maintenance with it makes daily cleaning easy without damaging the protective layer of the floor. To clean a wooden surface, you should never use products intended for ceramic tiles or laminate flooring. These tools are too abrasive for natural wood, and it is more reasonable to prefer pH-neutral cleaning tools, according to the manufacturer’s instructions for use,” added Mihkelson.
“Once a month, you might also use a varnished floor refresher, which removes minor scratches, restores the shine of the varnish and protects once morest wear,” said Mihkelson.
2024-03-08 17:25:07
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