How To Extend The Life Of Your Flooring

You can’t buy a new car and expect it to last you over ten years without an oil change! The same can be said about your flooring. Here at Straight Edge Tile & Flooring, our floors are built to last. Our skilled installers only use the highest-quality material in our flooring installations, resulting in floors that are easy to maintain throughout the years. To keep your floors looking new for as long as possible, follow our professional guidelines on the best maintenance and cleaning practices.

Follow a Regular Cleaning Routine

The most effective way to extend the life of your flooring is through a preventative cleaning routine. It is impossible to prevent dirt, dust, mud, and hair from accumulating on your floors; especially if you have pets or live in a climate prone to rain or dust storms. Over time, dirt can damage your floors if left undisturbed, resulting in unsightly stains and scratches.

Developing and following a regular cleaning routine appropriate to your type of flooring can prevent damages resulting from dirt, dust, mud, or hair. Sweep non-carpeted flooring such as tile, vinyl, and wood planking weekly with a non-abrasive broom to collect surface level dirt and debris and use a microfiber mop to remove mud weekly. Invest in a high-quality vacuum to remove dirt, dust, and hair from carpets often. When selecting products to use on your new flooring, ensure that you purchase high-quality, non-abrasive products that are suitable for your type of flooring. Avoiding harsh chemicals and ammonia-based products can help to prevent damage to floors and extend their lifespan.

Perform Maintenance Regularly

Regular cleaning alone is not enough to keep your floors looking brand new. Depending on the type of flooring, some kind of deep cleaning or floor refinishing service is often necessary at varying time intervals.

To maintain your tile flooring, it is recommended that you reseal your tiles and deep clean your grout often. Resealing protects your tile from damages and stains, and periodic grout cleanings safeguard the structural integrity and appearance of your tile.

Wood flooring requires regular maintenance in the form of periodic polishing and refinishing to remove and prevent scratches and scruff marks in your hardwood floors. If your floors start to look dull or noticeable scuff marks and scratches have started to accumulate, it might be time for a polishing. We recommend polishing every 2 to 4 months with commercial wood polish products to renew the shine in your hardwood and to add a new protective coating that will prevent further scratches or stains from marring your floors. Every decade or so, we also recommend hiring a floor refinishing service to sand down, stain, and apply a new finish and polish to your hardwood. Hardwood floor refinishing allows you to remove signs of water damage, deep scratches and other imperfections completely from your flooring, and is a great way to get that fresh floor look without reinstalling your flooring completely.

While carpet is less hardy than tile or hardwood, its life can still be extended with the help of regular maintenance. We recommend steam cleaning your carpets every 12 to 18 months, with a higher frequency of cleanings for households with pets, children, or those with sensitive allergies. It is important to clean higher trafficked areas, such as hallways or entryways, often to maintain clean and damage-free carpeting.

Here at Straight Edge Tile & Flooring, we believe that great flooring does not end at installation. If you are in need of a good deep clean or a floor refinishing service in Gainesville, Florida, contact us today!

Minimize Moisture

While certain types of flooring are more susceptible to different types of damage, moisture is a universal threat to the integrity of your flooring. Any kind of water in your home can contribute to moisture buildup in your carpet, tile, or hardwood flooring. Everyday spills, leaks, rainy weather, and even humidity in the air can result in detrimental water buildup in your floors. Moisture not only warps, discolors, and damages the structural integrity of your flooring – it also creates the perfect dark, damp environment for mold to proliferate. Mold can discolor your floors and pose a significant health risk to your entire household, so it is especially important to prevent mold-favoring environments in your home.

Minimizing moisture can be a challenge if you live in a humid, rainy climate. If you struggle with high humidity levels in your home, Straight Edge Tile & Flooring recommends purchasing dehumidifiers and placing them in higher risk rooms with outside-facing windows or doors. Keeping windows and doors closed when it rains and ensuring your air conditioning unit is working properly are also good ways to minimize moisture in your home.

Avoid Wear & Tear

Your flooring can also become damaged from the wear and tear of daily life. High traffic areas, such as entryways, can be especially prone to damage from shoes and nails. Moving heavy furniture can also scratch and warp flooring if done improperly.

In order to minimize damage to your floors, Straight Edge Tile & Flooring recommends using protective measures, such as rugs, furniture pads, or blankets. Placing rugs in the areas of your home that are most vulnerable to damage is a good way to prevent scratches or scuffs to your tile or hardwood flooring, while furniture pads can distribute and soften the weight of heavy furniture on your flooring. If it is reasonable to do so in your home, encouraging your guests to remove their shoes before entering is another good way to minimize the wear and tear on your flooring.

Here at Straight Edge Tile & Flooring, our high quality flooring installation will leave you with flooring that is built to last. Maximize the longevity of your new flooring by following our maintenance tips or by utilizing our floor refinishing services today!