Special Series: Protecting Your Wood Floors During Moving and Everyday Wear

A homeowner who has a wood floor in his home will already know how challenging it is to keep the wood floor properly maintained. He will also know that hiring the services of a professional such as Go Green Wood Flooring will be an expensive yet a necessary decision. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your wood floor protected and safe so that you don’t have to call flooring services as often. Here are some wood floor protection options to always keep your hardwood safe.

Kraft Paper Most damage to your wood floors occurs when you are doing some furniture moving or repainting your walls. To protect your floors from minor damages, spread Kraft paper on your floors before you begin painting your walls. Kraft paper will prevent any paint drip from affecting your wood floors. When moving heavy furniture, you can lift it a little and put Kraft paper between your furniture legs and floor before moving again. Kraft paper will lessen the friction between your furniture and wood floor and will prevent it from scratching the wood floor.

Protective Film

A more durable way of protecting your wood floor from damage when doing painting jobs or moving furniture in your home is the protective plastic film. This is a self-sticking film that can cover almost all hard surfaces. You can use this film even to protect your tables and cabinets. Since this film is transparent, you can cover your whole wood floor with it for added protection especially on surfaces with the most foot traffic.

Neoprene Matting When you are working on a project that will involve the use of sharp tools, you can use neoprene mats to protect your wood floor in case these tools fall and damage your floors. Even if you are not working on a redecorating project, neoprene mats can also protect your wood floor for everyday use especially for the floors of children’s rooms. Children tend to play a lot and therefore may drop a lot of things on their floors. There are colorful neoprene mats that can completely cover the floor of your children’s room.

Neoprene mats is also useful for padding your floors to protect children from injury when they fall on the floor. You can always remove the neoprene mats to reveal your pristine wood floor once your children are old enough.

Here at Go Green Wood Floors, we get hardwood floor repair calls all the time when homeowners scratch their floors, many of which are caused while moving furniture. Next time you’re in a pinch and need to move something heavy, see these tips showing how to move heavy objects without scratching your wood floors.

Never Drag Furniture

First things first, if you can avoid dragging furniture, do. If it can be lifted and moved, it is always safer for your hardwood floor. But sometimes you don’t have the luxury of a burly friend or the time to find additional help. If lifting is out of the question, be careful when dragging or sliding. Always make sure there is a cushion of some sort between the furniture and the floor.

Move Furniture Slowly

Don’t be in a hurry when moving heavy objects. If it slides off its padding, damage can happen fast. It is best to keep a close eye on the part that is on the floor to avoid damage. If something feels off, you can stop easily and reduce any scratches that may have started.

Keep It Clean

First things first. One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is moving furniture before cleaning their floors. Clean my floors?! you may ask. Why? You may be surprised, but small pieces of gravel and even general dust/debris buildup under your furniture can wreak havoc if caught between a heavy piece of furniture and the floor. Always sweep your floors and make sure there is no grit especially in the pathway you will be using.

Lighten the Load

First things first: shed the weight. If you have a heavy object, you’ll want to make it as light as possible before making the move. For instance, remove the drawers from dressers or the contents from your refrigerator or the books and knickknacks from your bookshelves.

Additionally, if you have a piece with a mirror attached, take the time to unscrew a few screws and set the mirror aside to avoid potential damage and some seriously bad luck. Not only will removing drawers and other objects make the piece lighter, but it will also prevent them from sliding out and hurting your hardwood floors and toes.

Soften the Surface

Once again, this should be a no-brainer, but always put something soft between the floor and the object.

Choose something that will easily move across the floor like folded towels, thick moving blankets, small area rugs or carpet remnants with the fuzzy side toward the wood floor, or these handy moving sliders available on Amazon!

One thing to remember, if you do choose to use rugs or carpet leftovers, make sure to shake them out to avoid any grit or debris. Also, avoid using cardboard as it can be abrasive and leave dull spots.

Try It on Its Side

If it is not too big or heavy, consider laying the object on its side or back to slide it. Make sure it is on something soft and easily slidable, but extra thick and durable for the added surface area that is needing to be covered.

This can help by distributing the weight over a larger area, thus, reducing the chance of scratching. This will also put less stress on the object’s legs if it has them. Just be careful to watch the corners and legs when you lift it back up to its upright position. (We suggest having help for this option.)

Get Some Gliders

You can buy special pads called gliders that fit under your furniture for moving heavy objects with ease. There are tons of nifty options online that come in varied sizes and variety packs, and all at great prices! These are reusable and super convenient for homeowners who are known to do a little feng shui rearranging from time to time.

Refrigerator Tip

Refrigerators are notorious for scratching hardwood floors. When installing a refrigerator, we suggest laying two pieces of hardboard just in front of where the back wheels will be when it is in its final position, slide it back into place on the boards, and then carefully lean it backward to remove the boards.

Watch for Wheels

Always be careful of wheels. Just because a piece is on wheels, does not mean that those wheels will not scratch or dent your wood floors. Wheels can also get stuck in a sideways position and not roll at all, but instead scrape the floor. Place a piece of 1/4” thick hardboard on your floor and roll the wheels over it.

Don’t Use Dollies with Hard Rubber Wheels

Dollies are great for moving heavy objects, but certain kinds can be a nightmare for your hardwood floors. If you use a dolly, make sure it has inflatable rubber wheels, not hard rubber. Hard rubber wheels, plus the weight of the object, can create the perfect storm for dents and damage.

We hope these tips help keep your hardwood floors looking great. If you accidentally damage your wood floors, give us a call and our experts can make them look brand new once again!