GROUND CLEARENCE
These simple techniques ensure that dampness no longer ruins your wooden flooring during the rains
Maintaining a wooden floor’s new sheen is a matter of minimal upkeep. Even more so if built with hardened protective layers and finished with durable surface treatments. But with engineered floors, keeping your floors clean and scratch free is easier. Wood is a hygroscopic material, or to put in simpler terms, it tends to either pick up moisture from the air or dry-up until its own moisture content is equal to that in the air around it. This may cause it to expand or contract depending on humidity during the monsoons.
CREATE A MOISTURE BARRIER
If you’re still at the floor laying stage use a high quality PE Foam and PET Film combination on the sub floor such as concrete, sand and cement screed. This acts as a moisture and sound barrier. Wood treated with a proper floor lacquer ensures that the planks remain both clean and damage-free during regular use. Lacquered floors can be given supplementary surface treatment with additional lacquering. This prevents water penetrating the joints between the boards through a capillary action.
CLEAN WITH CAUTION
A normal vacuum cleaner will work just fine. Under no circumstance should you use a wet vacuum. Normally, a damp cloth is enough. But during monsoons the circumstances are far from normal. The moisture content in the air is already too high. Nonetheless, a damp mop or even a dry one is all that is needed to keep them going good for years to come.
A DOOR MAT IS ESSENTIAL
It’s hard to control the moisture in the air, but you can control the moisture that trails through the shoes. Use a doormat at the entrance to ensure as little dust and water on the floors as possible. This helps you control the moisture in the room and helps increase the longevity of your floors. Further, ensure that all furniture legs have felt pads to avoid scratches on the floor.