Christmas Tree Tips to Protect Hardwood Flooring
Christmas trees can damage your hardwood floor with unsightly scratches, sap stains and water spots!
Follow these handy tips to make sure you don’t have to hire Slaughterbeck Floors to sand and refinish your floor for the New Year!
Prep Hardwood Floor for Christmas Tree
What to Put Under the Christmas Tree to Protect Your Floor:
Put an old folded sheet or blanket in the space the tree will go to protect the floor. It’s also a good idea to vacuum the space beforehand. Then, place plastic (such as a cheap plastic tablecloth) over the old sheet or blanket to protect it from water damage. A large waterproof mat would also work great here. Finally place the tree stand on top of the plastic barrier. Ensure the tree stand is large enough to hold the size of the tree you have or you risk the tree tipping over.
All of this is best to do before you even leave the house to buy or cut the tree down!
Tips to Bring a Christmas Tree into a Home with Hardwood Floors
- Shake it: Before bringing the tree into your home shake it, gently, to help get rid of some of the loose needles that could be stepped on, causing scratching.
- Slide it: Place the tree on an upside-down bathmat to drag along the floor as opposed to carrying it through your home to its final resting place to further minimize needles dropping onto the floor. A sheet of plastic can be placed on top of the bathmat to capture some of the pine needles that may still fall.
- Place it: Once the tree is where it will be displayed, place it into the tree stand.
After getting the tree set up, water it daily to ensure it stays hydrated. Dehydrated trees will shed needles more frequently. Of course, immediately blot up any spilled water to ensure it doesn’t soak into your floors. Fallen needles will still occur, naturally. Use a vacuum cleaner without a brush beater to clean them up regularly. A broom is not recommended as the needles can scratch the floor.
Once the holidays pass, wrap the tree in the plastic skirt and reverse the process used to bring it in, dragging it back out on the flipped over bathmat.
Even when the best precautions are taken, accidents can still happen! If you need to fix any hardwood flooring damage done this holiday season (from Christmas Trees or anything else), contact Slaughterbeck Floors.