Hi. I have wood floors throughout my house, including the kitchen. My floors are refinished with 2 coats of polyurethaine (sp?) over (naturally colored) oak,and 3" planks(rather than that new floating flooring.) I have to say, I cook a lot, so my kitchen floors get dirty. I've had the floor refinished in the kitchen 2x in seven years because of my over-zelous cleaning. Don't let this happen to you. The second time I refinished them, the floor guy told me only use a white vineger and water solution (or just water) to clean wood floors. I vacuum every day in the kitchen and use a string mop with plain water every day and the vinegar solution about every two weeks. I wipe up the excess vinegar solution up with an old towel (to prevent it from looking streaky). Different rules apply for waxed floors and other types of wood flooring -- so you may want to call a reputable installer and ask their opinion if you have one of the new kinds of floors. Good luck.

First of all people should keep in mind that they should wait at least 3 weeks better will be1 month after refinishing their hardwood floors to use a rug pad. Because if the polyurethane hasn't cured yet, it will be react with the pvc or rubber based pad, amusing it to mar the floor. What to expect from a high-quality hardwood floor rug pad With so many rug pad materials on the market, finding the best rug pad for hardwood floors to protect both your carpet and wooden floor can be quite a challenge. While quality rug pad for wood floors are designed to protect and offer stability, a low-quality padding may do more harm than good. As a rule of thumb, a good rug pad should keep your carpet in place, make cleaning easier, and protect the flooring underneath. But there are other characteristics to look for when buying rug pads for hardwood floors: a high-quality padding should not smell⦠it will not stick to your floor; those that do stick to your floors or stain them are made from low-quality PVC or are cured with various chemicals that can react with your sensitive hardwood floors. Always keep in mind that you should wait at least one month after refinishing your floors before laying any type of rug pad, otherwise the finishing may react with the padding. environmentally friendly rug pads minimize landfill waste and they do not contain harmful chemicals. Thicker rug pads for hardwood floors will help prolong your a carpets life. äRreduce slippage äMake vacuuming and cleaning so much easier äOffer a soft feeling under your feet äReduce carpet wear and wrinkling äProtect your wooden floors from stains äAdd cushion, warmth, and comfort äExtend the life of your hardwood floor.

We are getting our 20 year old hardwoods refinished right now because they are trashed! Here are the "really" bad things we've noticed. Do not push your furniture across the floor! It will leave gouges. Buy tons of felt protective pads in all different sizes and put them on EVERYTHING. You also need to replace them frequently and keep the pads clean (if there is any grit or dirt on the pad the protective pad turns to sandpaper). Put an area rug under the sink/DW and water dispenser to catch drips (and shake and clean under rugs regulary so no dirt is trapped under them). Our kids have plasma cars and they have destroyed the floors so I would say no wheels at all on the floor. Don't push that piano! Swiffers or dust mops are great and help keeping it clean.

"Yes" to the original question of "Do latex/rubber backed rugs really damage wood floors?" The reason: rubber, vinyl and latex (natural or man made...doesn't matter) backings have a product added to them to make them "flexible". These additives are called "plasticizers". These plasticizers have CHEMICAL reactions to the finishes applied to wood (and vinyl, and cork, and linoleum). Urethane/Polyurethane are petroleum products. Plasticizers are petroleum products. They react to one another at a chemical level. These chemical reactions will leave both a dark brown/gold stain (looks like a nicotine stain) and a rough/sticky surface underneath...almost as if one melted into the other. Which is exactly what happened. Rug pads, such as 'Rug Pad USA', are allowed over hardwood because they are material based (like felt) rather than petroleum based. And you can find rugs that are "Safe For Use with Hardwood Floors". You just won't find them at Walmart or Target. You can find a FEW at Ikea (not all have the label) but most can be found at more expensive furniture retailers. And just to be clear, a rug (natural weave backing visible) that is large enough will also be HEAVY enough not to need a "rubber" backing. The physical weight will keep it in place. Thereby no need for rug pads.