WOODCARVING & ACCESSORIES

Maintaining And Cleaning Your Wood Flooring

You popped down to your hardwood flooring supplier, bought gorgeous wide oak flooring for your home, it looked fabulous, but now you need to clean it. What’s the best way to clean your floor without ruining it?

Actually, cleaning oak flooring is easy and the good news is that it won’t need much maintenance over the years. The ease of maintenance is actually a good reason that people choose a wooden floor. It will however need to be cared for or you may do irrreparable damage.

You can get away with quick, weekly cleaning with a regular bigger clean once a month.

Ideally you should dust the floor boards once a week. This can be done with a vacuum cleaner, duster, soft mop or broom. Don’t use anything that can cause scratches or you will damage your floor, and this includes the beater bars of your vacuum cleaner. The soft brush attachment should be fine and will help you to get into the more awkward places.

When doing the dusting, make sure you get out all the dust, grit and sand from uderneath rugs because it can collect there.

For a bigger clean of the floor, once you have dusted (which removes abrasive grit), use a damp cloth (i.e. slightly damp) to wipe over the floor twice. Do not use a fully wet cloth because the water will damage the wood, particularly if the wood is untreated.

You don’t need to use any special products as hot water with vinegar will do well. Special cleaners can be bought but they must be p-H neutral and suitable for wood. (strong detergents can dry and damage the floorboards). Once the floor has been wiped, you can give it a shine by buffing it with a soft, dry cloth.

Whether you floor is due a clean or not, any spills of drinks on the floor will need to be wiped up immediately. For this you will need a soft, dry cloth and you will need to absorb as much liquid as possible as soon as you can. Any heavy dirt should also be treated quickly to keep you floor looking fantastic.

Sometimes, there are things on the floor that cleaning will not sort out. If the wood has been damaged by stilettos or abrasive cleaners, it will never be the same again.

You can protect your hardwood flooring from getting scratches in the first place by avoiding wearing high heels on it and by putting felt protectors underneath your furniture.

Additionally, if the humidity of your house is outside of 30-50%, you will probably do well to purchase a humidifier or de-humidifier to stop the wood getting too dry or moist.
Wood carving – Carving a mascaron in wood

Victorinox 12-Inch Granton Edge Slicing Knife with Fibrox Handle $39.95 Nothing is worse than going to cut with your cutlery, and having the handle slip around in your hand. To combat this potential for injury, Victorinox has created this Fibrox beef slicing knife. The Fibrox® handle is textured and provides a firm grip, even when wet, and does not slip or slide around. It is comfortable and fits naturally to the shape of your hand, and provides an attractive and mod…

Victorinox 47521 10-Inch Chef’s Knife, Black Fibrox Handle $25.92 Nothing is worse than going to cut with your cutlery, and having the handle slip around in your hand. To combat this potential for injury, Victorinox has created this Fibrox chef’s knife. The Fibrox® handle is textured and provides a firm grip, even when wet, and does not slip or slide around. It is comfortable and fits naturally to the shape of your hand, and provides an attractive and modern st…

Fred and Friends OCD Cutting Board $17.79 For obsessive chopping + dicing! If you are one of those folks for whom things must be “just so”, then this cutting board is for you! Our OCD Chef Cutting Board, a 9″ x 12″ cutting board made of strong, long-wearing beechwood, spells out the most precise measurements in exacting detail. So, don’t worry…it’s OK to go a little overboard. And if you want to wash it twenty times after you use it, we…

Dremel 290-01 0.2 Amp 7,200 Stroke Per Minute Engraver includes Letter and Number Template $17.46 Ideal for identifying and personalizing your valuables as well as decorative engraving, Engraves wood, leather, tools, machinery, hard steel, stone, glass, ceramics, porcelain, plastics, and more, 115V, AC, 60 Hz, 0.2 amps, 7,200 strokes per minute, Includes replacement carbide steel engraver point…

Fein FMM 250Q Top Plus MultiMaster Oscillating Detail Sander Tool Kit $399.00 Designed to help you complete both professional jobs and hobby projects, the Fein MultiMaster FMM 250Q Top Plus is a multi-purpose system for interior fitting and renovation. This all-round package gives you the professional tools and accessories that you need to take on a wide range of hobbies, and interior fittings and renovation projects–from floor and tile work to renovating windows and cabin…

Folding pocket knife – Japanese Carpenter Knife - Japanese Carpenter Knife is the kind used by Japanese craftsmen for centuries, with a a unique curved blade that allows precise cutting on everything from thin laminate strips, to paper, to the granny smith in your lunch box. No one is better known or respected than the Japanese for their wood joinery and precision craftsmanship. A tool they rely on is worth a second look by anyone who works with …

The Complete Guide to Sharpening $14.13 Lee, a well-known tool manufacturer, covers the practical and technical information to sharpen tools quickly, efficiently and safely. Descriptive photos, clear line drawings and step-by-step instructions show exactly how to improve the performance and safety of any cutting tool. 255 photos….

Whittling Twigs & Branches: Unique Birds, Flowers, Trees & More from Easy-To-Find Wood $7.98 This complete reference details the unique whittling technique invented and mastered by Chris Lubkemann for producing perfect curls of wood that can be used for carving birds, evergreen trees, and flowers. Photos and drawings accompany detailed instructions for producing amazingly convincing feathers, needles, and flower petals. One “Rooster” project guides carvers step-by-step through the entire …

Dream Carver $9.61 Mateo and his father carve juguetes, small wooden animals his family sells at the fiestas in Oaxaca. But Mateo wants to carve much larger animals-goats as pink as bougainvillea with cactus-green speckles, and purple cats with corn-yellow spots. When he tells his father how he longs to bring these large animals to life, his father only scowls, but Mateo perseveres. Including an informative afterwor…

Flexcut Carvin Jack, Right Hand $103.25 Carry a complete carving kit in your pocket! The blades of this unique carving tool fold into their handle just like a pocket knifes blades. Professional carvers will love the high quality edge-holding features of Flexcuts resilient spring steel blades. The Carvin Jack features six tools: 3/4″ #7 sweep knife blade, 3/8″ #6 scorp, 3/8″ #11 gouge, 3/8″ #1 straight chisel, 1-3/8″ detail carving knife…

ABC Products – 56 Piece Set ~ All-Purpose ~ Hobby – Knife Blade Set (a Blade for Every Job). $22.87 Includes: 41 blades, 7 metal handles, 1 PVC handle, 6 scribes, 1 stone, and a molded PVC case ~~ Each blade, handle, and stone also has it’s own recessed holding place ~~ There is a blade for all your needs ~~ Cut, scratch, etch, scrape, layout, and make models….