N.W. Quadrant Recreation Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Bleachers and Flooring by Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment.
Perhaps you just had a beautiful, new wood floor installed, or you realize that the wood floor you’ve had for a while could use a little TLC. One of the most popular and long-lasting flooring options is the hardwood floor, and we have tips to help you keep it looking its best for years to come.
Secure a maintenance program with your new floor. At Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment, we provide maintenance on all the hardwood flooring products we install. But no matter who does the installation for you, it’s always a worthy investment to budget at least a five-year coverage plan with your initial flooring investment. Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment’s maintenance program, for example, includes all the necessary materials and finishes required to clean, screen and recoat your flooring. The maintenance is conducted by trained personnel and we always follow manufacturer’s recommendations. You should expect nothing less from your maintenance program.
Understand what your warranty provides. Warranties are limited on most new floor installations. Customers play a vital role in ensuring that warranties remain intact by maintaining proper care of the floor and building controls throughout the agreement. Be aware that most warranties won’t cover improper maintenance, vandalism, water intrusion or damage as result of natural acts such as hurricanes or tornadoes. Furthermore, most warranties cover the wood floor system itself, and not the paint and finish. As the finish wears, your painted game lines and logo’s can become damaged—items that can be very costly to repair and are not covered by your warranty.
Consider an oil-based sealer. Oil-based sealers, also called oilmodified polyurethane finishes, offer excellent protection for wood floors. Oil-based sealers go on smoothly, and will provide your floors with a beautiful glow as well as protect your gamelines and logos from premature wear. For best results, contact Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment and ask about our maintenance programs.
Water-based sealers are a great option, too. Water-based sealers are just as easy as oil-based finishes to apply to hardwood floors, but have little odor. Additionally, as time passes, water-based sealers don’t darken or yellow (oil-based sealers often do, though modestly). Water-based sealers are a bit more costly, and don’t typically produce the ‘glow’ of an oil-based finish. Speed of re-coating and ease of clean-up adds benefit to your selection of a water-based product.
Remember that you may need to drum sand your floor every 8-10 years. Keeping up with your annual screen and recoats will allow your floor to maintain its appearance for about 10 years. After this time, the MFMA recommends that all the accumulated paint and finish be completely removed and the floor taken down to the bare wood. Trained crews will sand your floor down to bare wood and start the finishing process all over. New sealer will be applied to your newly sanded floor along with re-application of updated gameline markings and logos. Your floor will be left looking brand new! Since most wood floors can be sanded 4-5 times, this means with proper maintenance, your wood flooring system could last an amazing 50 years! Contact Southeastern Surfaces and Equipment for more information on a complete refurbish of your wood floor!
Do you wonder what kind of maintenance your hardwood floor may need? Our experts at Southeastern Surfaces & Equipment are happy to answer your questions. Give us a call at 800-644-8875 and ask us about the products we have available for care for your wood floors, our annual maintenance programsor complete refinishing of your floor. We’ll help you get the most life from your products.
You’re wise to take the time to learn more about how to care for your wood flooring. It’s a worthwhile investment that will last for decades with the proper care and maintenance.