Three Things You’re Doing to Ruin Your Hardwood Floors

Taking care of your hardwood floors is easy once you know what you are doing. Unfortunately, there could be a million little things that you are doing to ruin your floors, or decrease the times between having them refinished.

Keeping your rugs in place

A responsible hardwood flooring owner will see the benefits of adding a few decorative rugs around the home, especially in high traffic areas or under the furniture. But, while you are actually trying to save your floors, you could actually be damaging them. For the rugs that aren’t held down or in place by heavy furniture, you may be using something to keep the rug from moving around, scrunching up, or slipping under your feet as you walk across: don’t! Or, at least be careful what you use. Those little plastic mesh underlays could grind into your floors that when you go to move your rug, or lift it up, the underlay will be embedded in your floors and it could be hard to remove without damaging your floors in the process.

Look for organic non-slip materials to hold your rugs in place.

Protecting your hardwood floors
Don’t be fooled into thinking this huge bed won’t move about a little and scratch your hardwood floors.

Use soft pads under heavy furniture

You may think that heavy furniture, like a couch or a big dining table, won’t budge and scratch your floors, but they will. Every time you sit on a couch or sit down at the dinner table, both the couch and the table will move a little. Your weight as you sit will cause the couch to shift slightly every time, and every time it will take a little piece of your hardwood floors with it. The same for your dining room table. It may be solid and heavy, but as the whole family starts to move about, reaching for the food around the table, the table gets bumped and wiggles a little.

Put felt pads on the bottom of each leg of each piece of furniture, no matter how heavy or how light weight.

Wearing outside shoes inside

The biggest mistake we make is thinking we can quickly run into the house, grab something, and then run out again without leaving traces of dirt and mud on your floors. You may not be able to see it the first time, but over time, little grains of sand and dirt and rocks will be brought in with your shoes as you “quickly” run across your floors. It only takes one step on your floors with a rock embedded in your shoe sole to put a dent in your finish.

Keep a “no outdoor shoes indoors” policy.

Refinishing services in Colorado
Take off your boots before you run back into the house.

Hardwood flooring contractor in Colorado

For professional hardwood flooring services in Colorado, talk to one of our hardwood flooring craftsmen, stop by our showroom in Denver and Evergreen, or schedule a free design consultation.

T&G FLOORING SHOWROOMS

788 W. 8th Avenue, Denver          27965 Meadow Drive, Evergreen

Picture of Chris Keale

Chris Keale

Owner & Operator of Tongue & Groove Flooring
Wood Flooring 101 Course Creator

Chris Keale is the owner of Tongue & Groove and the creator of the Wood Floors 101 course, an educational resource that helps homeowners and design professionals make confident flooring decisions.

With a career that began in global technology and consulting, Chris traded boardrooms for floorboards, bringing his leadership skills and love of craftsmanship into the hardwood flooring industry. Since 2007, he has grown Tongue & Groove into one of Colorado’s most trusted flooring companies—built on a foundation of integrity, education and precision. 

Known for his sharp insight, dry humor and genuine commitment to his clients, Chris has helped homeowners, builders and designers through the complexities of choosing and installing hardwood floors. Whether teaching in the showroom, on a jobsite or through his Wood Floors 101, his mission remains the same: to simplify a complicated industry and deliver floors that stand the test of time.

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Whether you are searching for new hardwood floors, working on an upcoming project or looking to learn more about wood floors, we are here to help.