Does Winter Weather Pose a Hazard to Your Floors?

Winter is just around the corner! For almost all Minnesotans, this means buckling down and winterizing the exterior of their homes—from replacing siding and roofs to redoing the weatherproofing on exit doors. Preparing for the season here is no easy task.

However, due to all the focus on getting the outside of your home ready for winter, you might forget about the inside. Your flooring, in particular, might need a little help to get through the season. This might sound a little strange; after all, your floors are inside. They aren’t directly exposed to the cold or the snow, so what else is there to damage them?

Quite a bit, it turns out. UB Hardwoods, a Golden Valley provider of flooring installation services, explains further below.

It Isn’t Just Snow You Have to Worry About

All Minnesotans know how much snow can come in on our boots; that’s why we have mats by every door and are quick to mop up the water on our hardwood flooring. However, in the wintertime, we can track in a lot more than snow—in other words, a lot more that can damage our floors. This includes:

● Rock salt. Used to keep sidewalks and driveways from freezing over, this substance melts the protective finish of your hardwood floors over time, leaving those floors vulnerable to water damage such as warping. Moreover, rock salt on its own can leave difficult-to-remove stains.

● Ice. The rogue ice shard, when caught underfoot, can scrape and cut into your engineered hardwood flooring or your vinyl floors. After it scrapes, it melts, which wreaks havoc on many organic flooring types. Always take off your winter boots before setting foot on your expensive hardwood flooring!

● Sand. In some cities, sand is used as a snow-preventing agent on roads. As cars drive and grind it into the pavement, its irregular grains help break up slushy snow before it can turn into ice, making roads easier to drive on. As useful as it is, if sand is that powerful of an abrasive, imagine what it can do to your hardwood!

As you can see, when it comes to flooring, water damage isn’t the only hazard winter weather brings with it. It’s crucial that you, as a homeowner, winterize your flooring along with the rest of your exterior. Luckily, this is as simple as putting up new plastic mats and wiping your pets’ paws before they come inside.

Need Floor Refinishing? UB Hardwoods is Here to Help

Of course, if your floor needs refinishing, or you’re planning to remodel your floors altogether, it’s best to do it before wet winter weather arrives. UB Hardwoods is your one-stop shop for both of these; give us a call today at 763-807-4500 to get started.