Polyurethane Maintenance Guide

 Our goal at BHI is to educate our customers in the proper maintenance of their flooring, along with creating a life-long relationship to ensure that your floors will continue to look as good as the day they were installed or restored & refinished

New Finishes

Polyurethanes take 6-10 days minimum to fully cure, so please wait 2 weeks before placing any area rugs.  Polyurethane should be dry enough to carefully walk on within 24 hours.  The polyurethane will be soft and easy to scratch for the first 2-3 days.  Furniture, as long as it is picked-up and placed (not dragged), may be replaced as soon as the floor is dry enough to walk on; typically 24 hours after the application of the last coat.  Be sure to apply felt to the legs of every single piece of furniture that will be in contact with the flooring surface to help prevent scratching.

 

Cleaning and Maintenance

Maintenance of your polyurethane-coated hardwood flooring should include regular dust mopping & damp mopping only; do not wet mop.  We suggest using only steam mops, or damp mopping using distilled white vinegar or glass cleaner heavily diluted with water to clean your flooring. Re-coating may not be a future option if your floors have been cleaned with any type of cleaner that leaves a residue behind, as new coats will be unable to adhere properly without extensive prep work, if at all.

Preventative maintenance is imperative to ensure that your flooring lasts the life of the house it is in or even longer; each subsequent sanding/refinishing of your hardwood flooring takes life away from the floor boards.

Re-Coating

Periodic screening and re-coating of your flooring will remove most surface scratching and add a new coat(s) of polyurethane, which then renews the finished appearance and durability of your hardwood flooring. This preventative maintenance is important in preventing the need for future sanding and/or complete refinishing of your flooring, as each subsequent sanding/refinishing takes life away from the floor boards and leads to the eventual need for full replacement. Re-coating is also much more cost effective and less invasive than the full re-finishing process - in most cases, you would only lose access for a maximum of 24 hours.

 

Most high-trafficked areas will need attention every 5-10 years on average. Lesser trafficked areas, such as bedrooms, may never need re-coating if they are properly maintained and cared for. It is important to keep sand and dirt off your floors, and to monitor the sheen in high-traffic areas; the finish will develop wear in these areas over time. The goal is to re-coat before you’ve worn through the polyurethane, so that the surface of the wood is never exposed. Please feel free to call BHI at any time for a representative to inspect your flooring for wear, or to answer any questions you may have regarding proper maintenance.