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sort of OT: protecting wood floors

13 years ago

i spent over an hour today just walking around my newly waterloxed walnut floors; admiring and gazing at every wave and ripple in the grain of the wood. i thought i had found heaven. until i thought about chairs and stools and benches sliding back and forth and suddenly, i was transported to hell.

what do you do to protect your wood floors? it seems to me the felt stick-on glides can easily come off and i've heard the pvc, tack-ons can scuff the finish after a while.

i can't believe i've never had this dilemma before. i always had rugs under everything. but i never had an island ...and i'm not planning a rug under the stools -nor do i want a rug under our breakfast table.

please put my mind at ease and tell me there is a way to avoid ruining my floors!

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Comments (2)

User
13 years ago
Well, I just use the felt stick-ons, and keep a spare set in the junk drawer of the kitchen for when they wear out or fall off. I'll be watching the responses to see if anyone out there has a better solution.
blfenton
13 years ago
September 15, 2010 and I was exactly like you with regards to my beautiful maple hardwood floors. We had just moved back into our house and I'm gazing at the floors wandering around with my microfibre cloth. Every time I see a spot I rub at it with a dampened corner of the cloth and dry it up with another corner. I put on the soft-tac pads on all the chairs, tables, and bar stools (bought at Home Depot by the crate load - the soft tac pad not the bar stools) and I make people pick every thing up instead of dragging them.

Fast forward to today: The floors are marred but still beautiful, I still wander around with my damp micro-fibre cloth everyday and sweep them everyday. The marks are the result of us just living in the house and that is something I have grown to accept and love. The soft-tac pads actually work quite well and I change them every 6 months which is what is recommended. We have an area rug underneath the sitting area in the family room and in the living room - more for style and design than anything else. We don't have one in the breakfast area or in the dining room. And I have a small mat by the stove and by the clean up sink. I love the floors and I didn't want to cover them up and so I don't.

I'm probably still a little obsessive about taking care of them but have come to realize that the floors aren't being ruined but instead are being lived in/on and are being enjoyed by not covering them up.
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