A hardwood floor immediately amplifies the beauty of a single-family rental home. On top of that, it also increases its lifespan. But if your rental property has hardwood floors, then you’ll have to add some tasks to your maintenance routine to make sure the floors don’t deteriorate. Regular maintenance is one of the additional tasks. Sometimes, tenants aren’t careful around hardwood floors, scratching and gouging them either by accident or through negligence. Consequently, it is crucial that both you and your tenant know what to do to take care and maintain your property’s hardwood floors.
Conducting proper hardwood floor maintenance really keeps your Wake Forest rental property functional and aesthetically pleasing. And this is why you should know the right way to care for a hardwood floor. For example, surface finishes have been applied to most hardwood floors to protect the wood from liquid spills, scratches, and other types of damage. So, making sure this finish is kept intact is the best way to ensure the long life of your floor.
Hardwood can also be damaged by using harsh cleaning products or the wrong cleaning technique. This is something that should not be overlooked. That’s why experts recommend using a soft microfiber mop or cloth to sweep dirt and dust off the floor. Even vacuum cleaners can scratch up a hardwood floor, and regular mops are just as bad since they use too much water— which isn’t also good for a hardwood floor. Now, if liquid spills on the floor, it needs to be cleaned up right away and steps should be taken to ensure that the floor is thoroughly dry.
There are quite a number of things that you, as a property owner, can do to ensure that your rental property’s hardwood flooring looks great. But the best and most effective thing you can do is to work with your tenants in caring for the home. The first thing you should look at is educating them. Make sure your tenants are trained on proper hardwood floor maintenance and cleaning. When you help them learn the right way to clean the floor, you can extend the life and beauty of the hardwood and prevent damage at the same time.
An additional way to maintain your property’s hardwood floor is to ask your tenants to place rugs in high-traffic areas. The dirt will accumulate on it and it would lessen the amount of cleaning required. Finally, it would be a great help if you let your tenant use the right cleaning products by telling them the name of the one recommended for use on your floor, or even go as far as requiring that they only use the approved cleaning products listed in your lease. This can help augment the importance of proper hardwood floor maintenance.
Even with the proper care, hardwood floors need some additional attention every few years or between tenants. In time, wear and tear can fade a floor’s finish and accumulate scratches or other blemishes. But if that’s the only damage its endured, then there may be no need to completely refinish the floor. In cases like these, all a faded hardwood floor needs is a screening (which roughens up the surface of the existing finish) and a new application of a finish.
However, if your hardwood has become seriously damaged, warped, or has deep scratches or other problems, repairing and refinishing the floor may be your only option. Refinishing a floor is a long, labor-intensive task that requires specialized equipment. You can do all of these things yourself, but most Wake Forest property owners feel that hiring a professional is well worth the cost. A flooring contractor can tell you what specific flooring you have and what process you should do to restore it. Different kinds of wood require different techniques and engineered or wood laminate simply won’t tolerate heavy refinishing as solid hardwood does. For cases like this, any restoration work is best left to a professional.
Taking care of hardwood floors doesn’t have to be difficult; if you take the time to do some extra planning and enlist the help of your tenant, it would be a lot easier. The important part to make this solution succeed is maintaining good tenant relations. The better the relationship, the more likely they will be to help you keep your valuable hardwood floor in the best possible condition.
Take the headache and hassle out of managing your rental properties. At Real Property Management Raleigh, we handle the lease paperwork, renter relations, professional vendors and everything else! To talk to a professional Wake Forest property manager today, please contact us online or give us a ring at 919-481-0008.
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