A hardwood floor can increase the beauty and longevity of a single-family rental home. But if your rental property has hardwood floors, there are some additional things you need to do to make sure they are kept in good condition. Having regular maintenance is one of these tasks. Some tenants aren’t careful when they are around hardwood, scratching and gouging floors either by accident or through negligence. This is one reason why it is necessary to maintain and care for your property’s hardwood floors and that your tenant also knows how to do it properly.
Conducting proper hardwood floor maintenance really keeps your Central rental property functional and aesthetically pleasing. But you must not leave out knowing the right way to care for a hardwood floor. For example, virtually all hardwood floors have been coated with surface finishes to help 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 to keep in mind. This is why experts use 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 aren’t that useful since they use too much water— which is bad for hardwood floors. 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.
While there are many things that a property owner can do, by far the best way to ensure that your rental property’s hardwood flooring is well-maintained is to work together with your tenants in caring for it. One of the first things you can start with is educating your tenants about proper hardwood floor maintenance and cleaning. When you teach them the proper way to clean the floor, you can extend the life and beauty of the hardwood and prevent damage simultaneously.
Another way to help keep your property’s hardwood floor in good condition is to request your tenants to place rugs in high-traffic areas. This will catch the dirt and reduce the amount of cleaning needed. Finally, tenants should use the right cleaning products and you can make sure this happens by telling them the name of the one recommended for use on your floor, or perhaps have your lease stipulate that they are required to only use approved cleaning products. This can help increase the importance of proper hardwood floor maintenance.
Even with the proper care, hardwood floors need some additional attention every few years or between tenants. Eventually, wear and tear can fade a floor’s finish and accumulate scratches or other blemishes. But if that’s all the damage you’ve gotten, then there is probably no need to completely refinish the floor. For the most part, 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 Central property owners feel that hiring a professional is well worth the cost. A flooring contractor can point out what specific flooring you have and also what the best process is 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 need to be difficult, all you need to do is to take time to do some extra planning and to enlist the help of your tenant. The key is to maintain good tenant relations. Good relations makes it more likely for them 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 Baton Rouge, we handle the lease paperwork, renter relations, professional vendors and everything else! Please contact us online or call us at 225-389-6860 to talk to a professional Central property manager today.
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