Wooden floors are a thing of beauty when they’re looked after properly. They’re the kind of timeless addition that makes any home shine, but let’s face it, they require some upkeep to maintain that status. One of the best ways to maintain that polished, good-as-new look is with the right amount of professional polishing.
But how much time should you be dedicating to wooden floor polishing? It’s important to give your floors enough love, but it’s also vital not to overdo it and strip those floors prematurely. Today, we’re breaking down how often you should polish your wooden floors and which factors might mean you need to do it more (or less) frequently.
Why Bother With Wooden Floor Polishing?
Most people think that wooden floor polishing is just about giving your floors a lovely shine, but a regular polish does more than that. It acts like a coat of armour, helping to guard against scratches, scuff marks, and general wear and tear. Not to mention, the sleeker your floors are, the easier it is to clean them and extend their lifespan.
Polishing is one of those little maintenance jobs that pays off big time in the long run, so it’s worth setting up a schedule with a company you trust or tackling it on your own every few months.
How Often Should You Polish?
The short answer? It depends. If you’re seeking a quick answer, we recommend the following as a general rule of thumb:
· High-traffic areas, like your hallways, kitchens, and living rooms – every 2 to 3 months.
· Moderate-traffic areas, like your bedrooms and home offices – every 4 to 6 months.
· Low-traffic areas, like your spare rooms and guest rooms – every 6 to 12 months.
If you’re running a busy household with kids, pets, or plenty of guests coming and going, you might want to polish your floors a little more often. If you’re more of a ‘shoes off at the door’ kind of person, then you might be able to get away with doing it less. There are a few more factors to consider here, so let’s break them down one by one.
Factors Affecting How Often You Need to Polish
Foot Traffic
Your wooden floors take a fair bit of punishment, especially in high-traffic zones like the kitchen or hallway. More foot traffic means more scuffs, scratches, and general dullness.
On top of that, if you’ve got little ones running around, a dog that thinks it owns the house, or just a lot of movement through certain areas, you’ll probably need to jump into a wooden floor polish more frequently.
Your Floor’s Finish
Not all wooden floors are created equal, and neither are their finishes. Some finishes hold up better over time, meaning you don’t have to polish as often.
Glossy floors are stunning, but they’re also fairly high maintenance. Scratches and marks show up easily, so you might need to polish these more frequently. Satin or matte floors are a lot more forgiving but still need regular polishing to maintain their protective layer.
If your floor has a high-quality polyurethane or oil-based finish, it’ll generally hold up longer, meaning you can stretch out the time between polishes.
Your Cleaning Habits
The frequency of wooden floor polishing can be hugely impacted by your regular cleaning habits. Using harsh cleaners or too much water can strip away the protective layer on your wooden floors far too quickly, making your floors look tired before their time.
When in doubt, stick with a solid wood floor cleaner for the occasional wet clean. Aside from that, sweep regularly and mop with a damp (not soaking wet!) mop.
How You’re Using Your Furniture
If you’ve got furniture that gets moved around a lot – think dining room chairs, coffee tables, or those kitchen bar stools you’re always shuffling in and out – then your wooden floors will take a beating.
One way to prevent major chips and scratches is to put some felt pads on the bottom of your furniture legs to prevent any unnecessary wear and tear. For any scratches that do happen, regular polishing will buff them out beautifully and protect your floors from moving furniture in future.
The same principle applies to rugs and mats, which you can place in your home’s high-traffic areas to reduce wear and tear. After all, it’s much easier to replace a rug than it is to do an entire wooden floor restoration!
As you can see when it comes to wooden floor polishing, the ideal frequency can vary from home to home. When in doubt, keep it simple and just take a look at the state of your floors. If they start to look dull or a bit scuffed, then it’s probably time for a polish.
By sticking to a regular maintenance routine and doing a few extra things to help each polish stretch, you can make sure your wooden floors will stay looking top-notch for years to come.
Let us tackle your wooden floor polishing.
Looking for a team of professionals to take care of your wooden floor polishing? Floorsanding NZ has got you covered, with a wide array of services aimed at keeping your floors shining for decades to come.
Get a free floor polishing quote from our team today.