How soon can you mop hardwood floors after refinishing?

generals1992

6 years ago

New wood floods were stained and had two coats of oil based poly this this week. I will have workers in and out of the house doing other work for the remainder of the week, and my contractor plans to come in on Friday or Saturday and add a final coat of poly to finish off the floors.

If the third coat of poly is added on Friday or Saturday, how soon can I mop to clean up? I’m moving back in next Wednesday or Thursday and plan to leave rugs packed for another few weeks. I do want to be able to mop and clean up dust as soon as possible but know the floors won’t be fully cured for some time. Is it safe to use a stiffer wet jet or pine sol on the floors or do I need to wait a little longer?

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generals1992
Original Author

6 years ago

Thanks everyone.

The third coat of poly is technically the last thing, save for any punch list items. I imagine with moving appliances, furniture, etc. in and people still being in and out of the house, the floors will still get dirty. With the dark floors, I know they’ll show dust, etc. and probably need a good wipe down. I’ll use a damp cloth or something to just go over them with some water.

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Comments (12)

PRO
Johnson Flooring Co Inc
6 years ago
Not sure about this question. If a coat of poly is added, why would you mop the floor? If it has fresh finish it would seem there's nothing to mop.

I'm not a fan of the wet Swiffer and I didn't know Pine Sol made a wood floor specific cleaner. Ask the person doing the work. I suspect that after three days or so it would be fine to use an approved water based cleaner but I'd wait a week. In the meantime use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment.
0
PRO
G & S Floor Service
6 years ago
Check with the mfg of the finish to see what their recommendations are. Your contractor should provide you with this info. Pine Sol is a disinfectant. You will want to keep away from disinfectants. It will strip the life of your finish away.
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User
6 years ago
Any mopping should be done prior to the third coat. IMHO, that third coat should be the final thing before moving in(after proper cure time). But, I guess a damp(not wet) mop after cure would not be a problem. Swiffer wet mop pads are WET, not damp, so those are not optimum.
0
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
6 years ago
PINE SOL??!! On a wood floor??!! You’re kidding, right?
PRO
Oak & Broad
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Use something like this Bona Wood Floor Cleaning Kit when the time comes.
tackykat
6 years ago
Yep ^^ That's what I use for overall maintenance. Don't use water on a floor - other than to wipe up a spill.
0
SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
I suggest you save the swiffer and the pinesol for tiles. That's all they are allowed on. And yes, pinesol will STRIP the finish off of your floors in a heartbeat.

I've seen instructions for water based finishes (Loba and Vermont Natural Coatings) state "Wait 14 days after final coat before installing area rugs or 'wet cleaning' products."

My suggestion would be: wait 14 days before attempting a wet clean. I like to see rugs put down around 30 days after the final coat...just to be sure. This time frame will give you lots of time to investigate and to purchase the recommended cleaners for your finish.

Please do not use wet swiffers (or even dry swiffers), pinesol, steam cleaners or (heaven to bed sheets) Murphy's Oil. All of these products have ruined hardwood floors.
jellytoast
6 years ago
How do dry swiffers ruin hardwood floors?
0
tackykat
6 years ago
I was going to ask the same thing as jellytoast. I use a dry Swiffer all the time, followed by the Bona system discussed by Oak & Broad. Not sure how it would harm the floor.
jellytoast
6 years ago
I just read that the dry swiffers contain wax. I tried using just a plain microfiber cloth attached to my swiffer sweeper and it seemed to work just as well.
tackykat
6 years ago
Good idea. ^^^ Better for the environment too!

How soon can you mop hardwood floors after refinishing?

generals1992
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Johnson Flooring Co Inc

G & S Floor Service

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How soon can you mop hardwood floors after refinishing?

generals1992Original Author

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generals1992
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