How does the song go? “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” Well, maybe not for your hardwood floors. Summer can be challenging for hardwood floors. Here are 4 tips to help your hardwoods handle the heat and humidity.
Minimize Direct Exposure to Sunlight
Too much direct sunlight can cause your hardwoods to fade and discolor. Try to close blinds and draw shades or curtains to prevent unnecessary exposure. If your room faces east, for example, don’t open your blinds until the afternoon. This will also help protect furniture and other items in your room from fading.
Watch Indoor Humidity Levels
Too much or too little humidity in the air in your home will affect your wood floors. That’s because wood is naturally porous and expands and contracts with changes in moisture in its environment. Dry air makes wood shrink and humid air makes it swell. Outside air in the summertime has more humidity. But air conditioners remove humidity from the air. So your home can have too much or too little moisture in the air. Some seasonal shrinking or expanding of your floors will happen, but it’s best to try to keep the humidity level in your home between 30% and 50%.You can purchase a hygrometer at your local home improvement store to find out what your humidity level is.
Kids, Guests, and Pets Bring the Outside In All Summer
In the warmer months people come and go from inside to out and back again dozens of times a day And with them comes dirt, dust, and grime from outside. Dust and grime can build up and scratch your floor. Sweep or vacuum the high-traffic areas a little more often during summer months to keep the dirt and scratching to a minimum.
Pools and Sprinklers Mean Water Damage
If you have an inground or above ground pool at home, or even if your neighbor has a pool, or if your kids like to break out the water games and sprinkler, make sure you have a plan for all of those wet feet, swimsuits, and towels. If your bathroom floor is hardwood, be extra diligent about checking for wet items on the floor. You may want to put a basket in the corner to collect wet towels and suits, and flip flops.
At SVB Wood Floors we provide quality hardwood flooring services. From dustless refinishing to installation, residential to commercial, we are Kansas City’s wood floor experts. Give us a call at (913) 396-6769 or (816) 944-3150 to schedule a free in-home or virtual consultation.
