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It’s the stuff of nightmares. You just bought a new construction home with beautiful new hardwood floors installed, or maybe an existing home with beautifully restored vintage wood floors. But as you’re moving in, someone carelessly drags a sofa leg across the floor…SCRATCH!

It might not even be that obvious. You might come to the end of moving day only to discover a whole series of scuffs and scratch marks on the floor that you swear were not there when you purchased the home. Either way, you’re barely a day in, and already your gorgeous wood floors are visibly damaged.

Thankfully, this nightmare is one that can be prevented. By implementing the following tips and tricks, you can safeguard your wood floors from damage during a move-in. Here’s what you need to know.

Make Sure the Floors are Clean First

Your floor’s number one enemy on moving day is not always heavy furniture. It’s actually a lot smaller, in the form of dirt, dust, sand and gravel. When workers or friends are busy maneuvering furniture—even if they’re being careful—their boots and shoes can scoot across the floor, grinding those tiny grains of dirt and sand into the planks and causing scrapes and scratches. So before you bring in a single box or piece of furniture, get those wood floors spotless. Go through with a soft broom or brushless vacuum (NO BEATERS) and get all traces of dust and dirt off the floor. This one step can reduce your risk of floor damage by more than half.

Use a Doormat and Cover Walkways

Once you’ve cleared the floor of dirt and sand, the next line of defense is to keep as much dirt and sand as possible from coming in on people’s shoes during the move itself. You can accomplish this with a two-step process:

  1. Set doormats in front of all entrances (and make sure people use them); and
  2. Lay protective coverings across all major walkways. (Some professional movers will lay down plastic for this purpose, but you can also accomplish this goal with strategically placed area rugs and runners.)

 

Be Careful with Wheels

Wheels and casters make heavy furniture easier to move, but that doesn’t mean they can’t damage your wood floors. Quite often, dirt and sand get lodged in these wheels and are ground into the floor the same as with the bottom of people’s shoes. Also, a caster stuck in the sideways position can do as much damage as dragging a furniture leg. Always utilize casters and wheels carefully, and go ahead and lift furniture whenever possible. When using a dolly, use one with inflatable rubber wheels rather than hard, solid rubber.

Lift. Don’t Drag or Scoot.

This one is just common sense: A furniture leg dragging on the floor is just asking for trouble. So is scooting any large piece with a heavy base, like a cabinet or large appliance. Always lift these pieces rather than drag or scoot them across the floor. If lifting is just not feasible for some reason, invest in some reusable gliders and put them under the legs before scooting.

If you do happen to get a few scratches on your wood floors during moving day, it’s not the end of the world; most scratches can be repaired by a trusted professional. If you live in Tulsa, Jenks, Catoosa, Glenpool or other places in Green Country, we are always happy to come out and evaluate the damage and give you a fair estimate for repairs. Give Renaissance Hardwood Floors a call at 918-298-4477.