Wooden floors look amazing and go well with a natural and lively interior. Therefore, you might also like to have them. They will completely change the look of your home. However, there is this one problem with these floors, which is scratching. Wooden floors are made from wood which is a natural material. Therefore, there is a high chance of getting scratches on it.
The good thing about hardwood floors is that they require very little maintenance. However, if you are not careful enough and the floor gets scratches, the problem won’t remain small.
The more the scratches, the rougher your floor looks. Therefore, you will have to be careful around it. Especially when it comes to areas with excessive use. For example, the dining room and living room.
So you will need some sort of floor protection. You can use mats or rugs but there are other options too. So if you want to know about different floor protections, click here.
You will easily find protectors that will prevent any sort of damage to the floor. But you should still be careful with some protectors. They work just like the protectors on our phone screens. If we are not careful enough, the accident might damage the phone screen. Just like that, even with the protectors, certain objects will give the floor a direct hit.
So here are a few tips that you can use.
1. Using pads under furniture
Scratches and marks caused by furniture are something that you can never avoid. Because you will need furniture in your home. There is no way that you can get rid of every piece of furniture from your pace. So the best option is to use the pads under your furniture. These pads prevent marks on your floor.
In addition to this, there can be another problem, when you want to move your things. This will leave a lot of marks on the floor. But we have the solution for that too. To prevent such happenings, there are self-adhesive pads available. These pads are heavy-duty and will attach to the bottom of your furniture’s legs.
You can easily buy these pads from the hardware shops. If not, you can order them online. So if you are planning a shift or changing the interior, they will be really helpful.
These pads are usually made from cork or rubber. Thus, they provide a cushioning layer to the legs. Other than shifting, you can also use these pads under your chairs. Because we tend to move our chairs a lot. You can use a theme especially under the chairs of your dining table. Because these are the chairs that move a lot.
2. Use rugs on your door
Another great way of protecting your floor is by keeping your entrances clean. One of the scratchers is the small granular particles on the soles of our shoes. When we come inside our home, the small stones and grains attached to our sole come in contact with the floor. Thus, they cause roughness and scratches on the floor too.
The solution is very simple, you need to keep your shoes clean. And the best way is to keep your doorway clean and use a rug. So you will need to do cleaning regularly. In addition to this, you can also keep the mats and rugs that act as cleaners and remove any dirt from the shoes.
Another thing that you can do is to use multiple shoes. Keep a shoe rack right next to your door. So when you enter the house, you can remove your dirty shoes and put them on the rack. Afterward, you can wear a clean pair of indoor shoes. There are soft, padded and cushioned slippers available in the market. You can buy a pair for everyone in your home and they can wear it upon entering.
Furthermore, you can also keep an extra pair for guests. So if you have an invited guest, you can ask him or her to change into home slippers.
3. Using carpets or rugs for heavy traffic areas
The most susceptible areas are those where there is heavy traffic. These areas include your dining room, TV lounge and living room. A lot of people go around those areas and therefore, they get a lot of scratches.
You cannot prevent people from going around all those places. Therefore, the best way is to use rugs. They will provide a layer to the floor and prevent direct contact with rough objects. In addition to this, there are various varieties and designs of rugs available in the market. You can buy any one of them according to the design and interior of your home.
Rugs not only protect the floor but also add extra décor to the room. Now you can also buy rugs that absorb excessive liquids. So if you have kids, you can buy such rugs. So even if you or someone else make a spill, it won’t affect the floor. Instead, the mat will absorb it.
4. Protective topcoats
There are special topcoats meant for this purpose. You can get them from the hardware shop. Furthermore, you will need to maintain a proper cleaning routine for your home. A dirty floor means there are more objects that can scuff against it.
A lot of manufacturers provide floors with protective topcoats. Therefore, you do not have to make an extra effort for that. But after a few months or years, the topcoat might wear off. At this time, you will need to provide some extra care to the floor.
You can try wax coating. Although it is less durable, it is quite easy and you can do it by yourself. Furthermore, it won’t require a professional’s touch.
Another option is to use polyurethane (water-based) and urethane (moisture-cured). Both these options are available and you can choose either one of them.