Cleaning lacquered wood floors
Wood flooring is a living material: regular maintenance is necessary to keep it in as good condition as possible against the risks of wear and tear.
Find out with us how to clean your lacquered wood floor, also known as a varnished wood floor!
How to clean lacquered wood floors
The layer of lacquer on a wood floor makes it more durable and easier to clean and maintain. The thin, even film is waterproof and resistant to wear and tear, including scratches, scrapes and knocks. It is important to clean this type of wood floor on a regular basis. Sweep or vacuum every week to help maintain its shine and make it easier to remove any dirt or stains.
The step-by-step guide to cleaning lacquered wood floors:
- Regularly sweep or vacuum ;
- Soak up any spills straight away.
Get into the habit of sponging any drops of water or smears as soon as they appear so that they don’t have time to damage the wood. To thoroughly clean the floor, use a damp mop (that has been well wrung out) once a month max. after vacuuming.
Maintaining lacquered wood floors
Depending on how worn the lacquer is, you can apply a matt or satin ‘renovator’ protective layer to restore its appearance. Make sure to vacuum the floor thoroughly before applying the metallizer and do not use any more of the product than specified on the container. Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, a scratch or mark may just not budge. Read on to find out how to remove the toughest stains from your wood floor.
What products should I use to clean lacquered wood floors?
Avoid washing your wood floor more than once a month and never use a sopping wet mop – water is lacquered wood floors’ greatest enemy. When washing your floor, wring out a mop or a microfibre rag well before you start cleaning. You should also always wash lacquered wood floors with cold water.
Steam cleaners, lukewarm or hot water should be avoided at all costs.
For superficial stains, a dampened sponge or microfibre rag should suffice. If the stain still won’t budge, avoid using abrasive cleaning products that contain ammonia or silicone. A neutral detergent can be used on very stubborn stains, but to avoid any risks, opt for one of Panaget’s lacquered wood floor maintenance products, such as the special lacquered wood floor cleaner.
For scratches, gently cleaning the affected area with soap should do the trick.
If the scratch is deep, do not sand the entire surface and re-lacquer as recommended by many websites. In doing so, you lose the original hue of the lacquer applied in the Panaget factory where the finish is dried with UV. Contact one of our dealers or ambassadors for tailored advice on how to restore the wood. Alternatively, it is possible to use wood putty in a shade close to that of the wood or the knots to fill in deep scratches. This is also a cost-effective solution.
Finally, if the wood has been severely damaged by burn marks, scratches, stains or moisture, see our guide to restoring wood floors.
