How To Tell If Hardwood Floors Are Sealed

If the water soaks in or the floor changes color it is unsealed.

How to tell if hardwood floors are sealed.

Off with the dust. When cleaning hardwood floors it is important to first determine whether or not your wood floors are finished or unfinished. A scraping test can help you distinguish between other surface finishes such as polyurethane and a penetrating oil finish but you ll need a sharper blade such as that of a utility knife. So how do you clean unsealed hardwood floors without experiencing any of these problems.

Do not use water to clean your hardwood floors. Simply grab a small glass of water and find an out of the way area to test. However some finished laminate floors have a matte or low sheen top coat and some bare flooring. A high sheen level usually indicates a protective finish.

Although cleaning unsealed vacuum floors requires extreme care and caution simple cleaning principles also apply. How do i know if hardwood floors are sealed. Inspect the floor for a glossy sheen. 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.

To tell if your laminate floor is sealed or not go to an inconspicuous area of the floor the back of a closet perhaps and start with the water bead test. Many newer homes today have sealed hardwood floors. Mopping unsealed hardwood floor with water or liquid cleaners is highly discouraged. Run the blade along the surface of an inconspicuous board and look for shavings which are the sign of a film finish such as polyurethane or shellac.

Therefore it is important to determine if your hardwood floor is sealed or unsealed before cleaning. Most laminate flooring is sold already sealed but it is obtainable in an unfinished state. If you are uncertain if your hardwood floors are sealed the quickest and easiest test you can perform is the water beading test. Testing hardwood floors with water for sealing.

Finished floors are considered sealed. However if the bead of water sinks down into the floor and makes a spot the sealant on your floors is no longer sound and water damage can and will occur. 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. Similarly hardwood floors which have not yet been sealed face the same misfortunes.

There are various ways to tell if your hardwood is properly sealed or not.