Hardwood floors are one of the few things in a home that genuinely get better with age — if you take care of them. Floors we sold to customers in the 1990s are still looking good today because their owners did a few simple things consistently. Floors that were neglected or cleaned with the wrong products look a decade older than they are.

Day-to-Day Cleaning

Dry methods first. Sweep or dust mop daily in high-traffic areas — this is the single most impactful thing you can do. Grit and dirt act like sandpaper underfoot, wearing down your finish faster than almost anything else. A microfiber dust mop picks up fine particles that a broom misses.

Vacuum weekly using a hardwood-safe attachment — no beater bars. Beater bars are for carpet and will scratch hardwood finishes over time.

Mopping: Less Is More

When you do mop, use a barely damp mop — not wet, not dripping. Water is the enemy of wood floors. Excess moisture can seep into seams and cause swelling, warping, or finish clouding over time. A damp mop with the right cleaner is fine. A soaking wet mop is not.

Use a pH-neutral hardwood floor cleaner. Bona is what most of our customers use and we stand behind it. Avoid anything with vinegar, ammonia, or general-purpose cleaners — these degrade the finish chemistry over time and leave a dull residue that builds up with repeated use. No steam mops. Ever. The heat and moisture combination is genuinely damaging to hardwood finishes, regardless of what the steam mop manufacturer claims.

Products to avoid: Vinegar, Murphy's Oil Soap (on finished floors), Pine-Sol, ammonia-based cleaners, steam mops, and anything marketed as a "shine restorer" that leaves a wax coating. These are hard to undo once built up.

Protecting Against Scratches

Felt pads on every piece of furniture that touches the floor. Replace them periodically — they pick up grit over time and a grit-covered felt pad is worse than no pad at all. Area rugs in high-traffic zones. Keep pet nails trimmed. Don't drag furniture.

In Southern California specifically, direct sunlight is worth thinking about. UV exposure causes hardwood finishes to yellow and the wood to discolor unevenly — you'll end up with a faded strip where sunlight hits consistently and a darker area under a rug. UV-filtering window film or curtains in sun-heavy rooms makes a real difference over time.

When the Finish Starts to Dull

Before you refinish, try a screen-and-recoat. This lighter process — lightly abrading the existing finish and applying a fresh coat of polyurethane — is significantly cheaper than a full sand-and-refinish and restores the look if the wood itself is in good shape. Full refinishing is for when actual scratches or stains go through the finish into the wood.

One of the real advantages of solid hardwood is that it can be refinished multiple times over its life. Engineered hardwood can typically be refinished once or twice depending on veneer thickness. Either way, you have options — you're not replacing the floor every time it looks tired.

Humidity in Los Angeles

LA is dry, which is mostly good news for hardwood floors. But homes with AC running constantly in summer can get extremely dry indoors, and wood responds by contracting — small gaps between planks are normal and not a cause for concern. They close back up when humidity rises. If gaps are significant, a humidifier can help maintain the 35–55% relative humidity range that hardwood prefers.

Questions about a specific floor or finish? Ask us directly or visit any of our three LA showrooms. We also cover maintenance topics in our flooring FAQ.