Sealed Vs Unsealed Wood Floors

We use a matte sealer but there is still a very slight sheen.

Sealed vs unsealed wood floors.

Do not use water to clean your hardwood floors. Similarly hardwood floors which have not yet been sealed face the same misfortunes. So how do you clean unsealed hardwood floors without experiencing any of these problems. Wax finished wood floors are a thing of the past.

A waxed floor has had several layers of wax applied instead of a sealer finish. Locate an out of the way area that is not on a seam for the hardwood boards. It is quite common to find unfinished wooden floors in older homes and apartments while finished or sealed floors are characteristic of contemporary homes with different sealing or treatment choices available in the market today. Pour a small amount on the wood.

Get a small glass of water. A sealed floor has been sanded and had a sealer applied to it. In the above photo the left side shows an example of unsealed reclaimed wood while the right side shows an example of the same reclaimed wood sealed. If it stands for 5 minutes without soaking in your hardwood floors are sealed.

Although cleaning unsealed vacuum floors requires extreme care and caution simple cleaning principles also apply. However if the bead of water sinks down into the floor and makes a spot the sealant on your floors is no longer sound and water damage can and will occur. If it touches a seam try again with a smaller amount in another area. Protip don t do this in the middle of the floor where you could stare at it for a few days.

Off with the dust. Most likely your floors have been sanded sealed and finished with polyureathane.