Let’s find out how tape affects wood floors.
Have you been thinking about renovating your home? If you are, then grabbing painter’s tape is one of the smartest things you could do. That is unless you are working with wood floors. Let’s find out how tape affects wood floors.
Damaging the Finish
The main problem with this kind of tape is that it can damage the finish of your wood floors. By extension, it can also affect the integrity of the floor itself. Aging floors will start to peel and flake, leaving unsightly cracks that you will need to fill in or patch. Also, lower-quality tapes will leave more residue behind after you pull it up. The issue here is that it increases dirt and dust accumulation, and will leave scratches too.
Clean It Up
In case you’ve already used painter’s tape on your wood floor, you can clean up the residue it leaves behind. Once you’ve used some specially-formulated cleaner, test the wood floor by rubbing it with your hand to feel for any remaining residue; the residue can turn to grime that will darken your floor and prevent it from being as shiny as you want it to be.
What to Do Next
Sometimes, you’ll have no other choice but the use some tape on your beautiful wood floors. In case that happens, there are still some things you can do to minimize any potential damage. For instance, choose the highest-quality painter’s tape that you can find. Then, stick the tape onto the finish, but don’t put any pressure on it. Once you’ve done, leave the tape where it is, but pull it up within the next day or two. Start pulling the tape away slowly and carefully, so you don’t leave any marks – for best results, pull at a forty-five-degree angle.
Make sure the tape isn’t exposed to sunlight for hours at a time. With summer almost over and fall on the way, cloudier days should make this step easier to accomplish. Then use the tape on a different part of your floor where’s it not as visible – if the finish doesn’t pull away, then you should be in good shape to continue.
Ready for a Beautiful Hardwood Floor? You Can Trust John K Eareckson & Co.!
When you work with John K Eareckson & Co. Flooring, we will ensure your hardwood floors undergo a stress-free acclimation process and that they sparkle for years to come. From a seamless and beautiful installation to years of maintenance, John K Eareckson & Co. Flooring has the expertise to care for your home’s hardwood floors. For a consultation and more information visit us online or give us a call at 410-788-4200. You can also look for us on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.