Debbie: Good common sense suggestions to prevent scratches in hardwood floors but it's surprising how many homeowners fail to follow these steps.  Suggested.

Debbie - Great tips on caring for hardwood flooring. Much needed information for anyone with or thinking about installing wood flooring straight from a professional.  Thanks for sharing your knowledge.  I hope you enjoy the day to the fullest!

Such a good point Debbie, i am my own worst enemy by not taking my shoes off!

Debbie ~ Wow, I actually do all of the above. I do have to admit, being a guy, that #5  gets me into trouble... LOL Have a GR8 day!

Good morning Debbie,

Anita is right these are good common sense suggestions that if followed will help preserve and keep your hardwood flooring in excellent shape. Thanks for sharing..a good reminder to all who want their hardwood flooring to last :).

Great tips Debbie.  And doggie nail covers?  Wow, those would not last a minute with my dog.

Well, a minute per nail...

Debbie, here in Arizona wood is becoming more common now.  Those are excellent tips I will remember to tell my buyers!

 

Oh surprise....great post...and then those are those doggy toenails.....slippers perhaps ?

Great post Deb, this is really important because the floors really look great when they are done, but he scratches often give people pause, particularly with pets.  Another tip, get your puppy a pedicure!

Floors adore this woman....floor whisperer Debbie...sharing from the floor up

#4 can be a killer on hardwood floors. Ouch! I noticed they sell rubber items to place at the bottom to avoid scratching.

So... what do you do about kitchen chairs... on hardwood (Select Red Oak) WITH pads... that slide back and forth each and every morning, at the kitchen table... the pad collect dirt... the dirt scratches... the pads work their way off... is it just an inevitability, or should we eat in the den?

I love your posts, Debbie. I always learn something new - and it's inspired me to check on the condition of the hardwoods in my rental property!

Debbie, GREAT information!  We follow most of these rules in our home to protect the red oak floors.  Felt pads on the bottom of all furniture that can take them :)

Great Post, thanks for the excellent tips, will share with my buyers. 

Hi Debbie - Great advice. Our problem is that we have 2 large, unruly Labs, compounded by the idiot who built our house using southern yellow pine, which is just slightly harder than balsa. Regular refinishing and the best floor coatings are the only way for us to deal with it.

 

Thank you for the great info!

After our boxer (Lucy) died, we had our wood floors refinished. She scratched them up pretty bad and I don't ever want that again!

I had to smile at #3.  My husband is the King of felt pads on the bottom of furniture.  We always have a large stash tucked away.  You just never know when you'll need them.

Great great simple tips to maintain a great floor. Taking off shoes is part of Asian culture but now I see many other home owners are start doing the same for the simple fact of keeping the floor in good condition and not getting the dirts from shoes inside the home.

Great tips, thank you for sharing, I will be using these.

Debbie- I love this post!  I had a client ask me just last week about caring for hardwood floors.  We had them when we lived in VA and I loved them.  And, I agree dirt is a big culprit.  I'm bookmarking this and will send to anyone who has a question. 

Hi Debbie, this is a good primer on keeping those floors shining. Very timely, spring cleaning information.

 

Thanks for this list- Like #3 using felt pads on chairs especially dining room chairs.  Off to share this with some customers who recently had their floors  done. 

Great tips!  I love the floors that are hand-scraped.  The scratches are not as noticable.  I need to have some floors re-finished.  Do you know of a good contact for me here in the Houston area?

After living in Asia for six years, we are all trained to remove shoes at my house.  I will never complain about that again!

 

Thanks for sharing Debbie. Your tips are very helpful.

I love another excuse to take off my shoes...thanks!

I love my hardwood floors, however, I do have some wicked scratches.  Good information from you- It amazes me all the great information you come up with from your point of view.

Debbie, 

LOVE this info!  We work with a lot of international clients.  A majority take off their shoes.  This makes a huge difference on keeping the floors in good shape!

All the best, Michelle

I have a good friend who decided to go with hardwood in spite of her many dogs - she chose a distressed pattern to help hide the inevitable toenail damage. It works for her - at least I've never been aware of scratches on her floors.

As for chairs - she and I spent a couple of hours one day searching hardware stores for those felt pads. (We did finally find them.)

Great suggestions on keeping floors in tip-top shape.  The felt is a good idea and I've found that to be better than the smooth plastic tabs available to put on the bottom of chairs and tables.  When I've used those, they catch the dirt and seem to increase chances of damage.

Debbie, I can truthfully say that I've done all of these. We dust the floors daily even. If only I could get the pads to stay on the bottom of Sweet Pea's feet. LOL

Debbie....GREAT advice and while most seem like comman sense it's GOOD to hear coming from a Floor EXPERT!!

Good advice for sure. I've had hardwood and it scratches. The aluminum oxide prefinished ones seem to do better. I had a friend that put sand around the stones for the patio. He had to pull it up and cement them because the sand was wearing out the floor in a short period of time.

Great post! Thanks for the info. I am bookmarking it.

Debbie~ We have hardwood floors in our kitchen, dining room and great room.  I've never made anyone take off their shoes, but maybe I will start.  Didn't think about the dirt and grit scratching the floor.

Great info Debbie! Can't wait to read your reccomendations on cleaning hardwood floors as well.

Excellent tips, that will really work with hardwood floors, Debbie!  My habit is to step out of my shoes the minute I'm inside the door.  In winter, I wear socks around the house.  By far, the most damage can come from furniture that is moved around without proper protection.  The felt protectors on the bottoms of chair legs do wonders.

Great tips Debbie.  I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this in the comments (didn't read them all the way through) but clip doggies' nails.  I see the claw marks in quite a few houses ;-)

Ah Debbie, Your a wealth of knowledge when it comes to flooring. I've seen so many nice hardwood floors that have been scratched to death, it just pains me. I wish I could discreetly leave them this post, then maybe they would get a clue.

Have an AWESOME evening!

 

Good Morning Debbie, thank you for the tips.  I find the felt pads work best for us.

Love this post.  Interesting how these things all come without saying and yet...well people don't get it. Thanks for posting

Debbie, great information for homeowners with hardwood floors.  I didn't know that tip about an extra coat of sealant.  

Hey, Debbie!  I included this post in Last Week's Favorites.  So welcome to Active Rain, and have a great week.

These are simple ways to avoid ruining a beautiful wood floor.  Very well explained too.

Having the discipline to take off your shoes and doing something as simple cleaning the floors regularly is great advice. 

I love the beauty of hard wood floors so an article on how to protect them is a great idea.

Good morning, Debbie.... fantastic post.... I think taking your shoes off at the entrance is most important.... all it takes is one small stone wedged in a sneaker sole to start scratching the floor.... everyone was in the habit of taking off their shoes in my house especially my family.... now they automatically do that in everyone's home.