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In addition to the obvious care and
maintenance, hardwood floors need
protection in high traffic areas or
when furniture is moved frequently.
Today there are numerous brands on
the market for chair and or
furniture leg protection. The most
inexpensive form is your common
felt pad protectors available in
all sizes and can be found in any
hardware store or home improvement
center.
Leg protectors come in many forms.
At the low end are your basic peel
off sticky tape, apply to the bottom
side of furniture or chair legs.
These tend to be effective, however
if your chair legs are not
proportionately flat (they don't sit
without minor rocking) they will
wear out quickly. All protectors
become a dirt and grit magnet of
sorts if there is no attention to
cleaning them. In other words, when
cleaning your floors, take a look at
the bottom side of the protectors
while rubbing off any grit that may
have collected.
Area Rugs
Protective throw rugs should be used
in many parts of the home. The most
important would be exterior door
entries. Other spaces used for rugs
include high traffic areas in
hallways or foyers, water sources in
the kitchen, or if you should have
hardwood installed in powder rooms.
Larger ornamental rugs may be a good
idea in areas where you do a lot of
entertaining, but don't cover up the
entire hardwood floor:( Worth
noting, synthetic anti slip or non
skid pads used under area rugs can
cause an impression on to hardwood
floors over a period of time.
Likewise, area rugs will have an
effect on a hardwood floor color
because direct or indirect light
cannot reach underneath. All
hardwoods change color in one form
or another.
For site applied hardwood floor
finishes it is suggested to keep
area rugs off your floors for a
minimum of seven days or longer,
depending on how well the finish
itself is curing. This can be
dependant on weather conditions or
the relative humidity of your home.
Your floor finisher can best decide
when to put the rugs in place.
Walk Off Mats
Often made of bristle type material,
these mats are extremely useful for
exterior door entry
ways. Their course structure allows
for trapping grit and small stones
from entering the home. Naturally,
with any effective use of these
products they should be shaken free
of dirt frequently.
For all rug protective measures
other benefits include absorption of
moisture in kitchens or entry ways.
Snow melt can play havoc an any
hardwood floor when it is not
noticed in time. Don't expect the
rugs to eliminate the need to check
from time to time. During periods
of inclement weather it's best to
dry out your area rugs periodically.
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