Your Award hardwood floor will add warmth and beauty to your home for years to come. In fact, Award's exclusive WEARMAX advanced ceramic finish provides superior wear and stain resistance, and easy no-wax care. Following a few simple maintenance steps, however, will help protect your investment.

Cleaning

Award Floor Care

Blot up spills and spots immediately (Standing moisture will penetrate into the wood causing irreversible discoloration and damages.)
Vacuum, dust mop, or sweep the floor to minimize abrasive grit and dirt. Note: Do not use vacuum with beater bars.
Periodically clean floor with WEARMAX HARDWOOD FLOOR CLEANER (Never use other cleaning products or detergents.)
ALWAYS WIPE DRY IMMEDIATELY until no moisture is visible on the floor.
Do not use wax, polish, oil soap, abrasive cleaners, steel wool, scouring powder, or ANY appreciable amount of water.

Protecting Your Investment

Award products are constructed of all wood and therefore are subject to change from excessive moisture, or non-conforming environmental conditions. Remove any standing water immediately, and maintain an indoor relative humidity level of 35-55% throughout the year to minimize the natural expansion and contraction of wood.
Use quality vinyl-back area rugs and doormats by outdoor entrance areas to prevent dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as water, oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer from being tracked onto your floor.
Use felt floor protectors and wide-bearing cylinder leg bases to minimize indentations. As a rule of thumb, the heavier the item, the wider the floor protector should be. DON'T USE "BALL" ROLLERS or "WHEELED" CHAIRS OF ANY KIND AS THEY WILL ACCELERATE WEAR NOT COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY.
Avoid gouges or cuts in your floor from sharp objects. While an Award floor with WEARMAX finish is the most wear-resistant floor on the market, sharp or pointed objects can nevertheless damage it.
Do not walk on your floor with "stiletto-style" heels; they will cause indentations.
Rearrange rugs and furniture periodically so the floor ages evenly. UV sunlight will change the color of different species to varying degrees.
Keep pets' nails trimmed and filed in order to minimize indentations. Any pets' nails can damage wood floors.
Use a wide base air tire dolly when moving heavy appliances or furniture. But first, put down a sheet of quarter-inch clean plywood or Masonite to protect the floor. Never try to slide or roll heavy objects across the floor without precautions.

Repairing

Minor damage can be repaired with Award Touch-up finishing putty and or the Wearmax Repair Kit. For more extensive damage, Plank replacement may be an option. (NOTE: This option dependant on product availability.)

WEARMAX Maintenance Products

WEARMAX Hardwood Floor Cleaner is specially formulated for ceramic-based wood floor finishes. Easy and safe to use, WEARMAX Hardwood Floor Cleaner is non-flammable, is not caustic to the skin, and emits no toxic or noxious vapors.

Installation Over Radiant-Heated Sub-floors

Award Hardwood Floors does allow Patina Relics flooring products to be installed over radiant-heated subfloors. The home MUST be maintained at a relative humidity year round between 35 -55%. The flooring surface temperature must not exceed 82 º F. (See Award Technical Bulletin #25 for complete details). Do not install over electric radiant heat mats. (Exposure to excess heat or dryness may cause cupping, delamination, splintering and/or face checking.)