Can I use a steam mop on a timber floor?

No. Steam forces moisture into the board joints and under the finish, causing peeling, whitening and swelling. Steam damage is not repairable by cleaning and usually needs a full re-sand.

Can I clean a timber floor with vinegar?

No. Vinegar, ammonia, bleach and all-purpose cleaners dull and etch a timber floor finish over time. Use a pH-neutral cleaner made for timber floors, such as Bona Timber Floor Cleaner.

How often should a timber floor be recoated?

Typically every 5-10 years in family homes, more often in rentals and commercial spaces. Recoat while the finish is still intact in the traffic paths. Once wear breaks through to bare timber, the only fix is a full re-sand.

How often should I mop a timber floor?

Only when dry cleaning is no longer enough, typically fortnightly to monthly. Use a well wrung-out microfibre mop with a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner. Vacuum or dust mop once or twice a week; grit is what dulls the finish.

Care and Maintenance of Timber Floors

The finish takes the wear, not the timber. Look after the finish and a sanded floor stays looking new for a decade between recoats.

TL;DR Vacuum or dust mop once or twice a week -- grit is the enemy. Damp mop only when needed, well wrung out, with a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner. Never steam mop, never wet mop, never vinegar, never silicone polish. Mats at doors, felt pads under furniture, wipe spills straight away. Recoat the traffic paths before the finish wears through -- a recoat is cheap, a re-sand is not.

Printable version

A print-ready A4 version of this guide -- ideal to leave with clients after handover, or stick inside the linen press.

Download the Timber Floor Care Guide (PDF)

The first weeks after coating

A freshly coated floor feels dry long before it is fully hard. Until the finish cures, treat it gently:

24 hours: light foot traffic in socks. No shoes, no pets.
48-72 hours: furniture back -- lifted into place, never dragged.
7-14 days: full hardness. Until then: no rugs or mats (they trap solvents and can imprint the finish), no wet cleaning.

Water-based finishes like Bona Traffic HD reach full cure in about 7 days; solvent-based polyurethane and oils can take 2 weeks or more. If in doubt, ask whoever coated the floor which product was used -- the drying time tool has the numbers for every Bona finish.

Routine cleaning

Dry cleaning does the heavy lifting

Grit and dust act like sandpaper underfoot -- they are the number one cause of fine scratching and dull traffic paths. Removing them regularly does more for the floor than anything else.

Sweep with a soft broom, run a microfibre dust mop, or vacuum with the soft brush head (never a rotating beater bar).
Once or twice a week in a normal home; daily in busy households or with pets.

Damp cleaning when it needs more

Microfibre mop, well wrung out -- damp, never wet. Water must never pool on the boards.
Use a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner diluted as directed -- Bona Timber Floor Cleaner is made exactly for this and leaves no residue. The Bona Spray Mop does the dilution for you.
The floor should be touch-dry within a minute or two of mopping.
Fortnightly to monthly is plenty for most homes -- only damp mop when dry cleaning is no longer enough.

Never use on a timber floor

Steam mops. Steam drives moisture into the joints and under the finish -- peeling, whitening, swelling. Steam damage is not cleanable; it usually means a full re-sand.
Wet mopping with a bucket and string mop. Excess water swells and cups boards.
Vinegar, ammonia, bleach, metho or all-purpose cleaners. They dull and etch the finish over time.
Silicone or oil-based supermarket "shine" polishes. They build a smeary film that contaminates the floor -- and a silicone-contaminated floor often cannot be recoated and must be fully re-sanded. Here is what silicone does to fresh finish.
Abrasive pads and scouring powders.

Everyday protection

Mats at every entry. A good mat outside and inside each external door stops most grit before it reaches the floor. Avoid rubber-backed mats -- they trap moisture and can discolour the finish.
Felt pads under everything -- chairs, tables, sofas, beds. Check them every few months; a worn pad with grit embedded in it scratches worse than no pad.
Lift, never drag furniture and appliances.
Office chairs: a chair mat, or soft polyurethane castors. Standard hard castors chew through finish fast.
Heels and pets: stiletto heels dent even hardened timber; keep pet claws trimmed and a mat under water bowls.
Spills: wipe immediately, then dry. Standing liquid finds the joints.
Pot plants: always on a waterproof tray. Slow leaks are the classic cause of black water stains.
Rugs: breathable underlay, and move them occasionally so UV colour change stays even.

Sun, heat and humidity

UV changes timber colour -- most Australian species mellow or darken. Rotate rugs and furniture; curtains or tinting on harsh western sun keep the change even.
Timber moves with the seasons. Small gaps opening in dry months and closing in humid months are normal behaviour, not a defect.
Aim for indoor relative humidity around 40-60%. Long dry-heated winters or persistent damp cause gapping and cupping -- here is what moisture movement looks like.

Know your finish

The daily routine above suits every finish. Long-term care depends on which family the floor is coated with:

Finish	How to tell	Long-term care
Polyurethane / lacquer (most Australian floors)	A sealed film on top of the timber. Water beads on the surface. Matt to gloss sheens.	Clean as above. An occasional Bona Refresher coat renews sheen and covers fine scratches. Recoat every 5-10 years in homes, before wear breaks through.
Penetrating oil	Natural matt look, open grain feel. Water briefly darkens the spot rather than beading.	Periodic re-oiling with the maker's maintenance oil -- little and often, typically every 1-2 years in busy areas. Only use cleaners made for oiled floors; ordinary cleaners strip the oil.
Hard-wax oil	Similar natural look, slightly more sheen and water resistance.	Clean with the maker's soap. Refresh worn areas with maintenance oil or wax -- spot repairs blend in well, which is this finish's big advantage.

Match the product to the finish. A polish meant for polyurethane sits on an oiled floor as a smear; a soap for oiled floors leaves residue on lacquer. Not sure what is on your floor? Ring us with the age of the floor and who did it -- we can usually tell you.

Recoat before it wears through

Finishes wear gradually: first the sheen goes in the traffic paths, then the coating thins, then it breaks through to bare timber -- grey, fibrous-looking patches that stain. The golden rule:

A recoat is cheap. A re-sand is not. While the finish is intact, a screen and recoat -- a light buff and one or two fresh coats, done in half a day -- restores full protection. Once wear reaches raw timber, the only fix is a full re-sand and refinish. Watch the hallway, the kitchen work zone and the doorways: when they turn noticeably dull or scratched, it is time.

Typical intervals: every 5-10 years for family homes, more often for rentals and commercial floors. And one more reason to bin the supermarket polish: a floor treated with silicone polish often cannot be recoated at all.

Quick troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause and what to do
Fine scratches, dull traffic paths	Grit underfoot. More dry cleaning, check mats and felt pads. A refresher coat or a screen and recoat restores it.
White or cloudy patches	Moisture in or under the finish -- steam mop or wet mopping. Stop wet cleaning; persistent marks need professional attention.
Black stains around a spot	Water has reached the timber (pot plant, leak, pet). Usually needs sanding or board replacement -- act early.
Smeary film that never looks clean	Residue from the wrong cleaner or silicone polish. Switch to a pH-neutral timber floor cleaner; heavy build-up needs a professional deep clean.
Gaps between boards in winter	Normal seasonal shrinkage. They close again when humidity returns.
Cupped (dished) boards	Moisture from below or surface water. Fix the moisture source first -- full guide here.

The right products

Sand-Aid stocks the full Bona floor care range -- Spray Mop, Timber Floor Cleaner and refills, Refresher, and Deep Clean Solution -- the matched care system for Bona-finished floors, and safe on any polyurethane-finished timber floor. Trade and retail.

Not sure what your floor needs?

Ring with the age of the floor, what it was finished with if you know, and what it looks like now. You'll get a straight answer: clean it, refresh it, recoat it, or sand it.

Call 1300 950 551