The white oak hardwood floor has long been considered the traditional American hardwood floor because the grayish-charcoal color is reminiscent of the old castles of the European countryside. This look is also popularly known as the French Country look.

For over a hundred years, Americans have used the white oak hardwood floor to decorate their homes. The white oak hardwood floor is both strong and versatile and it can be used in combination with any décor and, for this reason, is so popular, even today, amongst so many hardwood floor fans.

Consistent Grain

The white oak hardwood floor has a consistent grain that is devoid of knots. The color is a light grayish-charcoal color that gives it a country look. The white oak hardwood floor also has wider widths and longer lengths that give it a more elegant look than traditional hardwood floors. Alternative to Antique

A white oak hardwood floor is a great alternative to an antique hardwood floor. That’s because it has the same elegance as an antique floor but it has longer lengths and is made with new materials.

Whether you’re looking to replace the flooring in your living room, kitchen, office or any other room for that matter, it would be wise to choose a white oak hardwood floor for all your flooring needs. It’s a little more expensive than traditional hardwood flooring but the cost is well worth it. If you want to give your room that elegant country look, you’ll want to find a white oak hardwood floor dealer near you.

Take Care of Your Floor

When caring for your white oak hardwood floor, you’ll want to make sure that it’s always free of dirt and grit. These substances can act like sandpaper when stepped on. They can cause scratches or other blemishes in the wood. Simply run a damp cloth or mop across the surface of your white oak hardwood floor to ensure that it’s always clean and protected. Always use water based cleaners, as these are the safest to use on hardwood flooring and always use cleaners with a neutral PH.

You’ll be very pleased with how a white oak hardwood floor makes your house or office look. You’re friends and family will notice, also. They’ll not only notice the initial beauty, but they’ll likely notice how that beauty stands up after years of heavy use.

Regular maintenance is the absolute most important factor in taking care of your hardwood flooring. Finishing your floor is incredibly important, and waxing a hardwood floor can enhance the natural beauty of the wood, as well as create a long-lasting, protective finish.

Of course the first step you must take before waxing a hardwood floor, is to decide what type of finish your floors already have. While surface finishes can be polyurethane, pre-finished floors, water based polyurethane, and catalyzed; penetrating seals can be acrylics, oils or waxes.

One way to tell is by feeling the grain of the wood; if you can actually feel the grain of it, then you most likely have a penetrating seal instead of a surface finish. Surface finishes actually cover the wood with a clear finish that will keep anything from damaging the wood. Waxing a hardwood floor will spruce up your floors and will leave the floor looking fairly new without much expense.

Disadvantages of Waxing a Hardwood Floor

Of course, there are disadvantages to waxing a hardwood floor. A primary disadvantage is that it is a difficult process and may be better to leave it up to the professionals. Another disadvantage is that it limits the options later on when you decide to refinish the floors; re-coating options are also often times limited after this, by the kind of wax you have applied to the floors.

Waxing your hardwood floor will often provide a good shine to the floor itself, but refinishing the actual floor is usually the only way to entirely regain the richness and beauty of the wood. Most people decide to wax their floors if their vacuum or dust mop does not restore the shine and luster.

A good idea is to buffer the floor extremely well while you wax, instead of just pouring on more wax. Buffing should always be tried first as it will often restore a nice shine and luster without adding another layer of waxy build-up.

Waxing does more than just add a physical appeal to the floor, it also strengthens it. The most efficient way to wax a hardwood floor is through buffering or burnishing. Buffering involves spraying the floor with a polishing solution and then buffing the floor with a rotary floor machine.

Burnishing is a somewhat newer method of cleaning floors, and is similar to buffering, except that it is a dry method. It also uses a rotary machine, but it uses a faster rotation on the machine head.

A hardwood floor is classy, fashionable, desirable and just plain beautiful – when it is brand new. To keep that new floor shimmer, be prepared to battle against scrapes, scratches and a dulled finish.

The Enemy is Dirt

A hardwood floor’s wood may be hard, but the all-important finish is a bit softer. Dirt that’s tracked in from outside can cause scratching on your hardwood floor’s finish and scratches not only look bad but can allow dampness to reach the wood. Brooms and dust mops are great for daily dirt removal but to make sure that all dirt is picked up and out of the room, use a vacuum for a hardwood floor regularly.

The best vacuum for a hardwood floor needs a canister, preferably with special hardwood attachments. An upright vacuum, though marketed as more powerful can dent your floors finish.

Dust treatments may seem as efficient as a vacuum for a hardwood floor, but the wrong treatment can make the finish dull and even cause problems when refinishing. Know what kind of finish your floor has and find out from the manufacturer what types of treatments are recommended.

This goes for damp-mopping as well as a damp mop can pick up and remove dirt as well as a vacuum for a hardwood floor can, but water cannot be allowed to pool or remain on the floor and any cleaning solution has to be appropriate for the finish. A polyurethane finish needs a vinegar-based cleaning solution while a wax finish can be stripped by vinegar.

Deeper Cleaning

Once dirt and dust is removed, you may find that the floor has some scuff marks or shallow scratches. You can remove scuff marks from a waxed floor by spraying a vinegar-based cleaner and letting it soak into the scuffed area. A light wiping with extra fine steel wool (0000-grade) will remove the scuffed surface of the finish.

Sometimes just a coat of paste wax is enough for the waxed floor. Polyurethane finished floors might be cleaned with an ordinary pencil eraser and there are touchup sticks available in colors that match your floor to cover up slight scratching.

Sometimes just an area of the floor has to be refinished. You don’t have to do the entire floor if the area is small. Use the right product to remove the finish and be sure to protect the surrounding area. Then just make your repairs and reapply your finish.

Regular use of a broom, dust mop, damp mop and a vacuum for a hardwood floor will enhance its beauty and leave you to enjoy your floor for years.