How To Tell If Your Hardwood Floor Is Waxed Or Polyurethane

Hardwood floor refinishing can help you get rid of those unsightly scratches and marks.

How to tell if your hardwood floor is waxed or polyurethane.

Grand children walked on wet floors carrying their fuzzy blanket. The easiest way to test a floor finish is to run your hand along the surface of the floor. If it feels rough it s probably finished with a penetrating oil which may or may not be coated with wax. Fortunately waxing hardwood floors is an economical tried and true way to restore their gleam.

Polyurethane just when you think you ve completed a flooring project you realize you have one more thing to think about. Or better yet use a formulated hardwood floor cleaner with a special hardwood floor mop to minimize the amount of water that the. If it s smooth it may still be well waxed oil but probably not. Finishes ensure that all the hard work and time you ve put into a hardwood floor shows over time and after feet paws claws and shoes track over them endlessly.

It s much more likely to be a film finish such as shellac or polyurethane. But as long as the damage is shallow in the coating and not in the wood itself you can renew the hardwood floor by adding a new coat of polyurethane right over the old finish. Remove the excess wax and buff the floor. If you can feel the graininess and texture of the wood the floor probably has a coating of penetrating oil and perhaps wax.

If you don t know the cleaning or maintenance history of the floor you want to recoat stop. My sister in law said to wax them which i did. Just vacuum your wood floor often wipe up spills as they happen and occasionally damp mop with water. Wax floor with fuzzies.

Unlike most other hardwood floor finishes penetrating oils don t leave a hard shell on top of the wood. 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. Hardwood floors add classic elegance to your home but not when they re dull dinted or dingy. For this reason a final coat of wax often tops the oil for extra protection.

If that floor has been cleaned with murray s soap oil orange glo or any acrylic waxes like future or mop glo a modern polyurethane will not bond to it. I had hardwood floors installed in 2005. Alternatively use a touch up polyurethane repair kit following manufacturer. Apply a light coating of floor wax to shallow scratches using a soft cloth.

Never use wax oil soap or acrylic floor dressings such as mop glow on your polyurethane finished wood floor.