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[SleeplessinSD]

Charming2, we have Teak patio furniture; I love it. The Brazilian Teak floors you have sound beautiful. Definitely something to consider. I appreciate your taking the time to reply.......I will definitely ask for samples.

[ahoymate]

"Easy to care for"? No! They show all the dust and I have to clean them everyday! Mop, vacuum everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PiperCub]

One more suggestion (which I learned too late)...if you choose hardwoods remember the glossier the finish, the harder and more scratch-resistant the floor.

[shoekitty]

On 10/5/2014 LoopyLoo said:

On 10/5/2014 HUENEME GIRL said:

I question those who steam their floors. Water and steam can cause the wood to lift. I only use products made for hard wood on my floors and Swiffer daily!

I can fully understand your doubts, not ever having steamed your floor. But interestingly, the steam dries virtually instantly, giving the floors less contact with water than washing! I figure if it's good enough for historic buildings, it's good enough for me!

I was told by several hardwood companies not to use steam and several cleaning products that say they are for wood. . There are some hardwoods that have a hard finish baked on that are okay to do once in a while. Although the water may not leak in, the hot steam can soften the finish after repeated steamings. Merry Maids used to offer the steam cleaning on hardwoods in place of doing the Bona or mopping. They quit doing it because of repeated steam damaging the finish.

All hardwoods are different though. I would check with the manufacturer first. Some old floors actually have a shellac, which is hard!

[SleeplessinSD]

PiperCub, from your experience; I'll keep that in mind when choosing the finish.

Shoekitty, like you say; I'm sure it depends on the wood and the finish as to the best way to clean and preserve. I definitely will take the advice of the manufacturer.....

Skylands, I'm sorry you found your floors so hard to care for. That was one of my biggest concerns.

Thank you all for taking the time to offer me advice. Like I mentioned, I will be taking my Ipad to refer to all these great suggestions.

Helen

[goodstuff]

They're beautiful and work out very well until something happens to them. We had an icemaker flood in our kitchen, and the hardwoods in that area were damaged. Now we're faced with replacing all of the hardwoods on our main level if we want to fix that one area, since it's not possible to fix just the kitchen and have the repaired area match the rest of the continuous flow of hardwood throughout our lower level. Bummer. Not even sure I can face the prospect of moving all of our furniture, tearing out floors and trim, re-setting toilets, dust, destruction, and all the rest. After the floor dried, the damage is marginal, and we may just live with slightly substandard flooring in the kitchen.

I must say, there are pros and cons to hardwoods in kitchens, from my experience. Yes, they're beautiful and reasonably durable........but in kitchens you splash dishwater, spill and splatter foods and liquids, drop heavy cans and utensils.....and the traffic and use are heavy. Wood floors inevitably get dings and damage marks over time. Maybe you can think of it as "character".

[blueskies]

We installed " real " Southern Yellow Pine hardwood floors , in the entire house when we built it 25 years ago. The planks are 6" wide . A carpenter friend showed DH how to install the first room & he did the remaining six . We were a lot younger then, lol ! We stained them all with Minwax brand stain , in Golden Oak . I wanted light floors to reflect light , for a brighter interior . They turned out a warm , medium-light color . We sealed them all with a good quality Polyurethane . Years later , we removed the kitchen tile floor & installed hardwood there too . A store clerk advised us to use PolyAcrylic in the kitchen , because of possible water splashing , moisture , spills , etc. .......well , it turned out to be a big mistake . Over the next few years , that PolyAcrylic finish began to chip away , from all the foot traffic . Now the sealant is all gone. We have to re-sand it down , re-stain it & use a Polyurethane sealant like the other rooms . .........yes, pine is more susceptible to dings , wear & tear , than pricier woods like oak ....but we like the slightly worn look . To me , it makes the house look more lived in & cozy . Not to mention the cost of hardwoods in 7 rooms was very costly in oak or other pricey hardwood . I vacuum and wash them with a Haan steamer from the Q . I also wash with a wood floor cleaner , but not flooding them with water ....keeping water to the minimum but still effective. ........I have only area rugs in the living room ( 5 by 7 ) and in two bedrooms . Other smaller rugs in kitchen , bath , hallway , get tossed in the washing machine . .....overall , wood floors are better for people with allergies , because they harbor less dust . Both DS & I have dust allergies and rarely sneeze anymore , since we moved here . Good luck on your project !

[Kitlynn]

We just had our light hard wood floors replaced with all dark walnut hard wood with the wide planks and we love it. It has an oil rubbed finish and they look amazing. We have a Bichon and he goes all over them and it doesn't scratch them at all. They really warm the place up. Before with the light wood it looked sort of like a bowling alley.

[SleeplessinSD]

Kitlynn, I'm so glad you like your floors in the dark walnut. I was hesitating going too dark, but I think dark can look so rich. I have a little Shih-Tzu who's always running around, so I'm glad you haven't had to worry about scratches either. Thank you!

[SleeplessinSD]

Blueskies, I hadn't thought about allergies, so that's another good reason to get rid of our carpets and go with hardwood. I suffer with allergies seems like year round and hopefully, it will help me too.....Thanks!