Care & Maintenance
GENERAL CARE
DO’s:
• Sweep, vacuum, or dust mop regularly.
• Immediately wipe up liquid spills with cloth or paper towels.
• Maintain with Bona hardwood floor cleaner for unwaxed/un-oiled finishes.
• Use felt protectors or furniture coasters under heavy furniture.
• Close curtains or blinds to limit direct sun exposure.
• Maintain room temperature (60-80°F).
• Maintain relative humidity in room/building between 30- 50% year round.
• A protective mat should be placed under office chairs.
• Properly trim pet claws at all times.
• In areas with icy or snowy winters, extra protection against salt and grit may be needed.
• Place mats and throw rugs at doorways, exteriors and interiors to help prevent the tracking of grit, dirt, and sand.
• Remember that cleats, sports shoes and high heels can dent any floor surface.
• Place an area rug in front of the kitchen sink to catch water.
DON’Ts:
• Drag sharp wooden legs or metal furniture legs as it can scratch/ dent hardwood floors.
• Expose to direct sunlight for extended periods of time as it may dry/ fade natural wood.
• Use steam cleaners. They are not recommended for use on natural wood flooring.
• Place porous flower pots or vases on the floor.
• Use steel wool or scourers.
• Move heavy furniture without protecting wood flooring by slipping a piece of cloth or pile under the legs or bottom of items.
• Wet-mop a wood floor. Standing water can dull the finish, damage the wood, and leave a discoloring residue. A damp mop is fine as long as the moisture is limited to an amount that will evaporate almost immediately.
WIREBRUSHED TEXTURE CARE
With a wire brushed texture, the finish on some planks may contain minor snags and raised grains. This is normal for this style. For maintenance procedures on this style, we recommend a lint-free cotton cloth mop with no loops, rather than a micro-fiber applicator.
Micro-fiber material contains very fine fibers that can catch and snag on a textured surface. To keep snags and raised grains to a minimum, maintain the relative humidity in the home to the recommended level of 30%-50% year-round and room temperature between 60°-80°F. A humidifier may be necessary to keep relative humidity within recommended levels.
UV LACQUERED FINISH
UV lacquered finish floors are quick & easy to maintain, and with a few low cost cleaning tools and a little preventative maintenance can look beautiful for years to come. In addition to maintaining a stable environment, your hardwood floor should be cleaned regularly.
Simply sweep, dust mop or vacuum to remove dirt & grit. When necessary clean your floor with a hardwood floor cleaning product.
NEVER USE a wax or oil based cleaning product on a lacquered finish.
OIL FINISH
A UV oiled finish does not require any special treatment directly after installation, however, we recommend, in addition to regular maintenance, that the floor be treated with an oil REFRESHER/wash & care product every 3 to 6 months or whenever the floor needs revitalizing
NEVER USE a cleaning product made for a Polyurethane or lacquered floor on an oil finish. Daily cleaning should be done with a vacuum cleaner fitted with felt pads to avoid scratches. Do not use vacuums with beater bar or turn off beater bar before use. Whenever necessary, the floor surface can also be cleaned with a damp mop or a special spot remover/cleaner to remove stains, grease, shoe tracks etc. Never use the traditional wax or
steel wool on your floor. When mopping with a well-wrung damp, lint free, cotton cloth mop, ensure that the residual water evaporates from the floor within 1 minute. If it takes longer, then there is too much moisture on the applicator.
CARB Phase 2 Compliant
Amador Wood Flooring Inc. commits to comply with the CARB regulation (California Air Resources Board), the most stringent regulation in the United State. It is governed by California Environmental Protection Agency and it defines the emission standards to reduce toxic air contaminants, aiming to maintain air quality and public health and being ecological friendly. Amador Wood Flooring Inc. will strictly follow the CARB rules in manufacturing processes and commits to supply environment friendly products.
Color Variation
It is important to note that the planks are natural products. Because of climate where trees grow, manufacturing processes, and natural wood characteristics, each plank has its unique color, knots, and grain patterns. Color variation, knots and grain patterns variation are natural variations of the wood and are out of people controlled. These situations are normal and no need to raise concern.
However, some species, caused by natural factors, do have less variation than others. When you are deciding wood species for your home decoration, please take your favors and wood characteristics into considerations.
After installation, we suggest you place rugs in corresponding areas or hanging opaque curtains to avoid directly sunlight and to minimize the color variation.