Cleaning Oil Based Urethane Floors

The finish is the protective layer of your hardwood floors.

Cleaning oil based urethane floors.

Polyurethane is actually the most durable hardwood floor finish. Using vinegar and water as a homemade hardwood floor cleaning solution can have a negative effect on your hardwood floor. You ll find it in. However you still need to take special care when cleaning this type of floor as you can damage the floor or the coating if you re not careful.

After the film is hard it typically cures over a period. Here are our expert. It s important to remember that when you clean your hardwood floors you aren t actually cleaning the wood you are cleaning the chemical finish on the wood. Water based polyurethane has gained a lot of popularity over the years because of its low odor low toxicity and how easy it is to remove compared to oil based ones.

Vinegar is mildly acidic and can cut through white mineral streaks so adding a 1 4 cup or 1 2 cup of it to your dish soap cleaning solution will create a good treatment for a floor that gets a lot of foot traffic. Apply the finish in a clean well ventilated area. Both water based and oil based products give off strong fumes as they dry although oil based is decidedly worse so proper ventilation is a must. Because different floor finishes have unique care requirements the best way to clean hardwood floors will depend on the type of finish rather than the wood species e g cherry maple oak.

Polyurethane takes hours not minutes to dry. Once your new oil finished wood flooring has been installed it s necessary to vacuum up any dust dirt from the installation process and then clean the flooring with an oil refresher diluted with water using a well wrung out mop. After the initial cleaning you can clean your oiled floor by simply vacuuming on a regular basis. The guidelines that apply to cleaning an oil based hardwood floor finish also apply to water based.

The biggest difference is in appearance. Low ph cleaners can dull a polyurethane finish but some stains need more cleaning power than water and dish soap can provide. Unlike oil based polyurethane water based polyurethane does not add color to the wood and will preserve its natural tone. That s a lot of time for dust to settle or bugs to land on the surface marring the final product.

A polyurethane or acrylic coating after you apply a water based finish to a floor and the water evaporates the film that remains is either polyurethane or acrylic which are both plastics.