# Please help: taking care of engineered wood floor **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 17, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354 "2007-06-17T13:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/1 "2007-06-17T13:29:36Z")
It is not what I would have chosen for our flooring, but that’s what we have (long story). It scratches _really_ easily. (We will be looking for runners, that’s for sure.) I am trying to figure out the best tools for keeping it clean, and have looked into electric brooms with brushed bases, but all the reviews talk about problems with pet hair clogs (we do have a cat and a dog.) I have been using a small shop vac with the attachment removed and/or a plain old broom and dustpan. It’s rather laborious and not the most efficient, it just seems to sort of make the pet hair fly around. Does anyone have any advice or recommendations? A hand vac might be good, but I have a lot of area to cover. Much thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/2 "2007-06-17T15:26:34Z")
Maintenance will be exactly the same for an engineered wood floor as a regular wood floor. Vacuum should work fine for the pet hair. Regular maintenance would be using a dry mop with a product like Bruce Hardwood Floor Cleaner. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/3 "2007-06-17T20:22:58Z")
Thanks–I would _like_ it to be exactly the same, we had hardwood floors (oak) at our old house. But this floor seems to scratch at the slightest provocation. I will figure out some sort of solution that involves a vacuum, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/4 "2007-06-17T21:14:48Z")
Why does it scratch so easily? Shouldn’t. I know several engineered wood floors that don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/5 "2007-06-18T13:07:20Z")
[QUOTE=kayT] Why does it scratch so easily? Shouldn’t. I know several engineered wood floors that don’t. [/QUOTE] I don’t know. Maybe it just somehow _shows_ more? Our oak floor in our former house was medium honey brown, while this flooring is fairly dark, about the color of black coffee. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/6 "2007-06-18T19:49:35Z")
Most engineered floors can be refinished. Usually they are designed to withstand 2 or 3 refinishings. if your case you might want to sand it down lightly to get rid of existing scratches and put a few more coats of poly on it. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-taking-care-of-engineered-wood-floor/408354/7 "2007-06-18T22:45:42Z")
[QUOTE=boytyperanma] Most engineered floors can be refinished. Usually they are designed to withstand 2 or 3 refinishings. if your case you might want to sand it down lightly to get rid of existing scratches and put a few more coats of poly on it. [/QUOTE] heh We moved in at the end of May. This is a brand new house, brand new floor. I think we just have to live with it, at least for awhile. And learn how to clean it. As I said, it was not my choice for flooring. At my old house we applied a coat of poly called “Traffic” put on that was not completely indestructible but did hold off the worst scratches. We should probably do that now, but I don’t know if I can deal with it.