Having new hardwood flooring (white oak), I would appreciate knowing what you have found to be the dent best protection on furniture legs, etc. especially whenever the furniture needs to be moved for cleaning. Seems there is a selection of – felt pads – plastic caps – single tray for each leg. Do not like the look of the single tray nor do they stay affixed when moving. Some furniture came with a small plastic cap affixed to bottom of leg which we replaced with a larger plastic cap thinking larger was better?? Felt pads being used in some areas, but will these not eventually wear down or off??
I just do not want to wait for dents/scratches to appear to learn a product should not have been used & there was abetter product available. Many thanks for your input.
Replies
Hi, Sadie.
I have laminate floors and the kitchen stools had skinny iron legs with plastic caps. Knowing the weight would cause the metal to pierce the plastic, I popped them off and put in felt pads and replaced the caps on day one. I just inspected the caps, I believe they are rubber, not plastic. This is good as the rubber doesn't rough up like plastic to scratch! They have not been pierced and it's been years, so this is a tip I can recommend for that type of situation. It's been probably 4-5 years since and I've had good luck with this technique.
I do not find that felt stays well on the bottom of a furniture foot. Just checked other things and find that it is gone, but this furniture is on rugs, which probably rolled it off when moving the furniture. I just didn't notice. I think they make little cork circles like the felt, they could be worth a look. They would probably disperse the weight better as they are more rigid, but still not "rough". At least they wouldn't roll off like the felt, but just pop off. Using the right glue might help them stay as the self-adhesive seems weak for this application.
There is a website: NOFMA, which is about wood floors. Google it for the exact site and see what they say. I haven't been on a while, but seem to recall a wealth of good information and education on wood flooring there.
One idea, if you are moving a sofa, for example, might be to use those little carpet remants they sell as doormats, but they really are just carpet samples. Put the fuzzy side down, under the legs, and the furniture should move pretty easily and stay on a larger surface like this during the move.
I personally like the larger area rugs for the added design look, but also to anchor a seating area. Even if only the front legs are on the rug, it is less likely to move when someone sits down. But if you have big kids flopping down roughly, this may not help one bit! Good luck to you and enjoy your new floor! It's wonderful that you are thinking of this now, before you have a bad experience later.
Note: Dog toe nails, expecially big dogs, or lots of dogs, can do damage in a hurry. Also, avoid using water for cleaning. Water is wood's worst friend, so your flooring manufacturer's website should offer good advice on safely cleaning your floor and also how to deal with any scratches that occur. This is important to keep within the warranty. Most people find that a Swiffer or dustmop is adequate for most daily/regular care. Also, walk-off rugs at doors to the outside can help prevent tracking in grit that can damage the finish. You did not make a bad choice, you just want to know how to maintain it well and every floor type is a bit different, like with vinyl floors, they don't recommend latex backed rugs due to yellowing. Being informed should make this a good experience for you and allow you to enjoy your investment.
I'm sure you will get other tried and true ideas to help you. I'll be interested in learning some new ideas myself!
The http://www.nofma.org site provided great info. by detailing so many do's & don'ts with corrective actions. With our floors having been surface applied (3 coats of polyurethane), the contractor advised for cleaning to use a mixture of 1/4 vinegar to 3/4 water. While this seems to have cleaned well, I noticed NOFMA indicates if one can see a bead of water while cleaning, then this too much moisture. Good to know as I have used this mixture having beads all over for the past 2 months since moving in. Corrective action is to ensure mop is less damp. I believe I will begin using that Swiffter dry mop more often instead of vacuuming. I also plan to check out the Swiffter damp mop to learn if it might be better than using the above mixture; just the vinegar & water are so much less expensive!
Another area identified was do not use the vacuum beater brush as it worked faster; been doing that too! So I have another corrective action to be taken! At least I have done something right by choosing a few "felt pads" and now I know these may need replacement in 6 to 12 months (depending upon usage of course) and to check the bottoms for grit build-up. I noted NOFMA recommends using gray, non-marking rubber casters and now wonder if the few I have used are truly rubber? So I will return to the store to verify what I have purchased.
As to damage via dog's nails, I had already purchased toe nail clippers and file to hopefully prevent scratches occurring once their brakes are applied to grab that tossed ball. I suppose this is just an inevitable that pet owners must accept when permitting to allow pets to enter the house. While both pets and floors can be replaced, the floor will never provide the love given to us by our dogs. Though some folks would definitely disagree!
I truly appreciate your reply. I especially liked your idea of using the pieces of carpet. This idea may prove to be better than the felt pads especially for dining room chairs.
p.s. It has been inevitable that grit is abundant in a newly built home with new sowed grass not yet having germinated plus being on a working farm at that; even when there are rugs at all doors & throughout in many places. Again, thanks!
Dear Sadie,
I am so glad you found some useful information on the NOFMA website. I haven't been there for sometime, so I'm glad to know it's still a good resource and to know my memory is not gone yet!
I can't agree more that our pets bring more to our family to our flooring. Unfortunately, my dog has to be muzzled by a pro and they have to grind the toenails! (We didn't condition him properly as a pup - our fault, not his.) Knowing our situation and being in the business at the time, I elected for the laminate (Wilsonart) for the easier care in this instance. Some folks hate it as fake, and some like me enjoy the added durability. With the aluminum oxide finish it actually acts more like an emory board - though not much. We also had an elderly cat and some issues with carpet, so that cinched the decision for us. I've had no regrets with my choice, nor the hardwood we have in other areas. The care is similar to hardwood.
For cleaning, I have tried the Swiffer, with a dry cloth, using the manufacturer's Spray on product. It seems to work fairly well. No beading and it dries in about 5 minutes. I've tried the wet one too, but don't like it for non-vinyl floors as I see a residue. (I'm waiting for the Swiffer people to hook up with the wood floor people and the laminate people for the damp pads- unless they have and I'm in the dark.) This technique could work with your wood floor as well for regular cleaning between dusting. I may try the vinegar method in a spritzer with the wood floor and see how that turns out. The other thing is that using the right mop (usually a string mop wrung nearly dry) seems to be good for a more thorough cleaning job. I do like the "soil hiding" feature of wood tone floors. I am not the best on keeping up with the floor maintenance, may my grandmother not turn over in her grave! I think you will enjoy your choice and find it lower maintenance than you expected. Running a dust mop is sure easier than dragging out the vaccuum every time. Enjoy your floor!
P.S. You can tell if it's rubber as it feels soft and more like a rubber eraser. Plastic is hard, can rough up with moving, and you can actually feel the roughness with your fingers. So, if you don't get back to the store, or they can't answer, you'll have a comparison to check out.
Also, I wasn't referring to using pieces of carpet to replace the felt, just for moving. However, it could work out. If you do that, please let me know how it works. You've taught me some things. Thank you!