Q: I recently purchased Brazilian Cherry Floors that I installed throughout my home. Do you recommend using a wood floor buffer to maintain the sheen? If so, how often do you recommend its use?
A: Are these factory finished floors? If so, you should not be using a floor buffer on them, nor wax, oils or anything like that. What you need to do, other than regular vacuum cleanup is to wipe them down occasionally with an approved cleaner for polyurethane. For example, the product sold here: www.hardwoodcleaner.com
Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: We have oak floors through out our home. It was built in 1951. Our kitchen has linoleum. We want to tear that up and refinish the oak floors. Do we need to wax or clean the hardwood with a buffer or electric polisher? What is the best cleaning product?
A: It depends what the current condition of your floors may be, and what kind of finish is on them now. If nothing has been done to them since 1951, chances are these floors will likely need a complete resand and finish. However, if you do not wish to hire a company like mine to do this work, and if the floors are wax finished, there is a product from Dura Seal called renovator that is designed to strip, clean and prepare a waxed floor for a re waxing.
Polyurethane or varnish is meant to be buffed (abraded with a fine abrasive) and recoated with a similar type of finish. There are also specific cleaners for polyurethane finishes that leave no oily residue, or residue of any kind on the surface. Short of having such a cleaner, a mild mixture of water and vinegar may be used. Careful attention must be used that this is only a damped cloth and not dripping wet. Water and wood do not mix well.
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