Intro & Questions

[pascal_floor]

Hi guys !

First time around on this forum so let me know if there is a better thread for me to post my question in.

We are first time home owners (bought the house 3 years ago) and this summer we wanted to start properly taking care of our wooden floor. These are the original floors that came with the house (built in 2016) and according to the box of leftover we have downstair it seems to be oiled maple floors.

We didn’t know much about floor care so after looking at some reviews online we bought a steam mop and did the whole main floor. Needless to say this was a huge mistake as now there seems to be "permanent" faint marks (almost looks like a discoloration, see pictures).

We have two toddlers so we were planning on getting the floors sanded and re-oiled/tainted by professionnals in a few years but in the mean time I come seeking guidance on two things :

1. In the short term, what can we do to "lessen" the marks that we see ? The floors pretty much looks like its permanently dirty.

1. More importantly, from a general maintenance standpoint where can I find reliable info on how to clean and maintain oiled maple floors.

Looking foward to be part of this community !

Thank you in advance for your generous time and guidance. Cheers

 

[C.J.]

In general oiled floors get maintained with more oil. Have you googled your specific floors cleaning and maintenance instructions yet. They may have a specific oil they recommend to use and should have some cleaning instructions as well.

 

[pascal_floor]

In general oiled floors get maintained with more oil. Have you googled your specific floors cleaning and maintenance instructions yet. They may have a specific oil they recommend to use and should have some cleaning instructions as well.

Hi C.J, unfortunately there isnt much info about our floor (see picture, sorry its in french). It almost feels like this was bought in bulk / surplus at a renovating center or something since there isnt any manufacturer tags / stickers on the box.

What can i do to find out what oil to use on the floor ? Could i bring a spare piece to a specialised flooring store and get it analyzed ?

 

[C.J.]

In the case of not knowing what the manufacturer recommends I would choose a hardwood floor cleaning and maintenance system for oil finished floors from a well known company. Bona is probably the best we’ll known and makes excellent products. Woca is another brand. Heck, you could even bust a move with some Murphy’s oil soap to help bring the look back.

You did throw out the steam cleaner didn’t you.

 

[pascal_floor]

In the case of not knowing what the manufacturer recommends I would choose a hardwood floor cleaning and maintenance system for oil finished floors from a well known company. Bona is probably the best we’ll known and makes excellent products. Woca is another brand. Heck, you could even bust a move with some Murphy’s oil soap to help bring the look back.

You did throw out the steam cleaner didn’t you.

First off CJ I really appreciate your help on this one.

I've heard about Bona before (I believe its available at Home Depot) but after looking at there website I did not find anything specific for oil floors (seems to be "generic" hardwoord floor product), so perhaps in Canada in only have access to a smaller pool of their product ?

Woca however seems to have a whole bunch of oiled floor related product such as maintenance oil, oil refresher but only seems to be selling direct via their website. Could still definitely be good option to look into but I would need to find guidance on what to buy.

The Murphy's oil soap recommendation is interesting and seems to be available at any big box store. What would be typical way of using this product on oiled floors (ie: should i use a damp vileda bee mop or something else ?)

Lastly you can be sure we got rid of the steam mop. We sent it back to amazon and asked for a refund... that thing ruined out floor and there isn't a single warning regarding using the mop on wood floors. That will teach me a lesson about checking "cleaning reviews" on YouTube and not following common sense. I'm used to the lawncare world where there is plenty of reliable info across the web but when it comes to flooring its a whole other ball game it seems (at least I found this great forum now).

 

[C.J.]

Pick a product you like the best and follow their instructions.

Oiled hardwoods are real easy to maintain but they do require maintenance more frequently. No biggie as long as you know what’s up with how to maintain them. When they start to lose their luster, just hit it with a pop of oil and your floor is back looking good as new and you didn’t have to sand em or anything. Just clean the floor then give it a little love (oil) and that’s it.

 

[pascal_floor]

Pick a product you like the best and follow their instructions.

Oiled hardwoods are real easy to maintain but they do require maintenance more frequently. No biggie as long as you know what’s up with how to maintain them. When they start to lose their luster, just hit it with a pop of oil and your floor is back looking good as new and you didn’t have to sand em or anything. Just clean the floor then give it a little love (oil) and that’s it.

Ok thank you CJ. I did send an email to the WOCA team to get a bit more guidance on their product and method of application.

Speaking of cleaning floors what tool do you personally use ? I see contradicting info online on whether or not to use a mop vs a pad vs a damp cloth. Some say never put water on your oiled floor other says light water / solution is fine as long as it doesn't sit there for too long. Looking at WOCA's application method video for their oil refresher they are basically using a wring sting mop and saying to let the floor dry for 2 hours (which does sound counter intuitive to what I read online).

Apologies for all the specifics question but when you start from scratch its pretty hard to know what is right or wrong even on the most basic elements. Hopefully my learning curve will be quick.

Cheers

 

[C.J.]

I’m not a fan of wet mopping like Mrs. Cunningham used to do. I use a micro fiber floor cleaner thingy and I don’t get the floor any wetter than beyond a spritz of cleaning solution. Most of the time the manufacturers will recommend you spritz the micro fiber mop as opposed to the floor itself.

Sometimes if the floor is really dirty it’s just faster for me to get down on the ol hands n knees and clean the floor.

 

[pascal_floor]

I’m not a fan of wet mopping like Mrs. Cunningham used to do. I use a micro fiber floor cleaner thingy and I don’t get the floor any wetter than beyond a spritz of cleaning solution. Most of the time the manufacturers will recommend you spritz the micro fiber mop as opposed to the floor itself.

Sometimes if the floor is really dirty it’s just faster for me to get down on the ol hands n knees and clean the floor.

Great thanks for the info. I'll keep you guys posted on the before / after. Cheers !