• Sweep or vacuum regularly to rid your floor of dust and eliminate abrasives that can scratch the finish.

• Quickly wipe spills from floor to protect wood from excess liquid.

• Use mats outside and inside entrances to prevent sand and abrasives build-up on floor. Avoid rubber or other dense mat backings that prevent airflow beneath rugs and retain abrasives and humidity.

• Use mats near sink, dishwasher and workstations to protect floor from cooking utensils, water spills, detergents, oils and other kitchen mishaps.

• Stick felt pads under any furniture or chair legs to ease movement and prevent scratches. Keep pads clean at all times and regularly check for signs of wear.

• Opt for large soft polyurethane or rubber casters rather than narrow rigid plastic ones.

• Protect your floor when moving heavy furniture. Place on a reversed mat, a smaller piece of plywood. Place furniture on this and slide smoothly over floor.

• Be careful with pointed objects such as spiked-heeled and sport shoes that may damage the finish of your floor, especially if they are worn or damaged.
Note: After water and sand, spikedheeled shoes are the worst enemies of hardwood floors. This applies to all floor surfaces, even a concrete floor.

• Maintain relative humidity level around 45% for your good health, your wood floor and furnishings. Wood is a natural material that reacts to relative humidity variations when moisture is absorbed or released.
During humid periods, wood absorbs excess humidity and expands, which cause
cupping or buckling Control humidity level with a dehumidifier or heating system and good
ventilation. During dry periods, wood releases humidity, contracts and shrinks, which cause gapping between strips Use a humidifier to minimize excessive shrinking of wood strips.

• Keep pet claws trimmed to avoid scratching floors. Scratches are less visible on low-gloss finished floors.