How To Tell If A Wood Floor Is Waxed

For example some types of modern hardwood flooring have a sealed surface that should not be waxed.

How to tell if a wood floor is waxed.

Avoid wet mopping large areas of the waxed hardwood floor with water. These finishes require a water based polish instead. Often a waxed wood feels softer and a little more slippery than an oiled wood floor. Dust clean things to think about when you dust and clean your waxed wood floor.

It is quite common to find unfinished wooden floors in older homes and apartments while finished or sealed floors are characteristic of contemporary homes with different sealing or treatment choices available. Wipe up spills as soon as they occur with a water dampened cloth then wipe dry. If your home or apartment sports a hardwood floor it is important for you to know if the floor has been treated or finished so that you can clean and care for it in the right manner. If the floor has patchy dry look to it it s possible probable even that products like mop glo were used on the flooring.

The waxed surface makes the wood floor more resistant to chemicals and wear than an oiled floor. Unfinished solid hardwood flooring has a penetrating finish which does as the name implies. It is absorbed into the floor and then topped off by a coat of floor wax. Paste wax will show up on the steel wool as a grey film.

In a very inconspicuous area rub the floor with a small piece of fine steel wool. It can cloud the wax coat or damage the wood. I just moved into a new house with hardwood floors throughout. How do you know if the floor has been waxed in the past.

How to refinish hardwood floors with wax. Care part iii how to wax furniture xoxo. Test for wax by rubbing an out of the way floorboard with the edge of a coin and looking for telltale wax buildup on the coin. Found on prefinished solid hardwood flooring surface finishes such as polyurethane form a protective layer over the floor and are some of the most common finishes in use today.

Wax you can tell if wax has been applied by lightly scraping your finger nail in a inconspicuous area to see if a scratch mark is left. Rubbing the spot with a rag moistened with minerals spirits and looking for. I ve heard that it s important to tailor cleaning methods to the type of finish on the floor but i have no idea what finish was applied by the previous owner. Be sure to use the correct type of wax for your floor and finish.

Before waxing hardwood floors carefully clean the surface with a broom or mop to remove any dust or dirt that could get trapped in the wax and impact the finish.