Crafting Beautiful Floors: Greg Nichols Wood Flooring Expertise

• Wipe up spills immediately with a damp cloth.
• Sweep or dust mop daily.
• Vacuum weekly using the bare floor setting on your vacuum.
• Clean rooms with wood floors from top to bottom, meaning do the floors last.
• Always sweep with a soft bristle broom or dry microfiber mop before mopping.
• Use a Bona Hardwood Floor Cleaning kit as needed, which is a great alternative to mopping.

However, you can also use Ammonia-Free Windex.

• Spray the Windex directly on the hardwood floor in small areas and wipe with a microfiber cloth or mop head. Work around your floor in small areas spraying and wiping.
• Avoid leaving the Ammonia-Free Windex spray on the floor for extended periods of time.
• Follow a regular cleaning schedule to ensure a better performance of the floor.

DO NOT CLEAN YOUR FLOOR WITH ANY PRODUCTS OR LIQUIDS IN THE FIRST 30 DAYS, ONLY SWEEPING IS RECOMMENDED.

**If your flooring loses its luster, a quick re-coat may improve your floor's appearance. If that time comes don't hesitate to call Greg Nichols Wood Flooring at (800) 308-7246.

NEVER use any of the following products or anything similar.

• ANY kind of oils, waxes, or furniture sprays

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!

• Install felt floor protector pads on the legs of ALL furniture, chairs, and appliances.
• Keep the moving of furniture and appliances to a minimum.
• Place throw rugs at all entrances to the area, especially in sandy areas. This will help trap grit and absorb moisture before either one has the chance to affect your floor.
• Install a non-slip rug pad underneath to prevent sliding if needed.
• Frequently take rugs outside and shake them out and clean under the rug before putting them back down.
• Recommended that you wait at least 3-7 days for a complete cure before placing down large area rugs.
• Suggest replacing all steel, wood, and plastic casters with higher quality, non-marking, soft rubber or polyurethane casters.
• Recommend wearing shoes at your own discretion, high heels should never be worn on the floor.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!

Moisture of any kind and hardwood do not play well together. Hardwood flooring is like a sponge, when it absorbs moisture it expands in width, and when it depletes moisture it contracts in width. To avoid the damage associated with expansion (cupping, buckling, compression fractures) and contraction (gapping and checking), you MUST control the quantity of moisture that comes in contact with your hardwood floor.

Expansion is caused by anything classified as “wet”, this list includes but is not limited to:

• Water supply line failures
• Drain line failures
• Sink or toilet overflows
• Heavy or repeated spilling
• Pet urine or drool
• Wet mopping
• Steam mopping
• High humidity level in living environment
• High humidity level below the living environment
• Flooding of basement or crawlspace

Contraction is caused by anything classified as “dry”, this list includes but is not limited to:

• Low humidity level of the living space
• Low humidity level below the living space

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!

Improper humidity control is the most common cause of hardwood floor damage. For the best results, maintain a relative humidity level between 35% to 60% (both above and below the floor). We also strongly suggest the use of a stand-alone Hygrometer even with very sophisticated HVAC systems. We recommend this for two reasons - 1) A Hygrometer is a great backup to ensure your HVAC systems are operating properly. 2) Confusion exists between settings and readings on some HVAC systems. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers will also be beneficial.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT HUMIDITY

Spring and summer are the time of year when moisture starts to creep back into homes. When we install a new floor into your existing home or into a new construction home, we ensure that both the subflooring and the new flooring are checked for the correct moisture levels according to the National Wood Flooring standards. Before we install the flooring, if it is not in the correct specs we will not install until it is. It is the responsibility of the homeowner / contractor to maintain the proper humidity levels after the flooring is installed. Greg Nichols Wood Flooring is not responsible for expansion in the summer months or contraction or cracks in the winter months of the wood flooring. It is highly recommended that dehumidifiers be used in the summer months that typically run through May, June, July, and August is not limited to that time. When you turn on the heat in the Fall, that is when the humidifiers should come on as well. The more you maintain consistent humidity levels throughout the year, the more stable all of your building materials (flooring, doors,trim, and drywall) will stay.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us!