Laminate flooring products are enjoying great popularity in the U.K. due to their relatively low cost and high durability. While no laminate product can match solid wood flooring for overall quality, the best laminates do come close. If you’re considering a new laminate floor, or even if you’ve had one for quite some time, there are some things you can do to increase the life of your floor and make normal maintenance easier.

Be Careful of Cleaning Agents

Just like solid wood flooring, the finish on laminate wood products is sensitive to many cleaning agents. Normal soaps and abrasive cleaners can scratch the finish and give a dull, cloudy appearance. Look for cleaning agents specifically designed for laminate flooring. Usually they are sprayed on and then removed with a dry mop or a soft cloth. In addition, avoid wet mopping a laminate floor as this can also cause damage.

Protect your Floor from Furniture

Despite the fact that laminate flooring has a tough and durable finish, furniture can be a nightmare if you’re not careful. First and foremost, never drag furniture across a laminate wood floor. You may have done this in the past with solid wood flooring, and not noticed any damage, but the nature of laminate flooring means dragging furniture across it could damage the laminate underneath the finish. It goes without saying that it can also scratch the finish as well.

For things like dining room tables and chairs, the simple motion of moving around in a chair can cause “pressure points” that will begin to show up on the floor over a period of time. The best way to avoid this “pressure point” damage is to get felt pads that are attached to the feet of tables and chairs. You can find specially made pads at most DIY or department stores and they are easily applied with glue.

Take Care of Minor Issues Right Away

Regardless of whether you’re talking about solid wood flooring or a laminate, regular maintenance and care will always extend the life of your flooring as long as possible. Take a few minutes to inspect your floors two or three times per week, addressing minor damage as soon as you see it. Touch-up kits can be purchased online, or at the same store where you bought the flooring materials. Use a touch-up kit for minor scuffs and scratches; this will do wonders for increasing the life of your floor.

Also be diligent in cleaning up spills as soon as they happen. When it comes to things like sugary drinks or liquids that can stain, it’s important not to delay clean up by even a few minutes. Grape juice, for example, can stain the floor very quickly. As soon as a spill occurs, stop what you’re doing and clean it up so it won’t further damage the floor.

Article was contributed by Nagle Flooring a solid wood flooring company specialising in a range of floors such as engineered walnut flooring. Save some money in the future by investing in a quality hardwood floor today.

How to Look After Laminate Flooring is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling

Choosing your replacement kitchen floor material is a process that requires a great deal of forethought. You should take in to account a variety of factors that might be unique for your particular situation. There are many flooring materials that are available when it comes to kitchen floor selection, the most common of which are tile, wood and linoleum. Beyond the look of your floor, you need to address the issue of long term durability while selecting your kitchen floor material. Of course you also need to take into account the cost and practicality of the floor material you choose. So ultimately it comes down to affordability, look, feel, and durability, especially given that your kitchen floor will have to deal with moisture and stain possibilities from kitchen spills.

Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tiles are a great choice when it comes to kitchen flooring. An important fact to bear in mind is that there are several tile types. Those which are unglazed may be more difficult to maintain than glazed tiles. You can also decide on your floor tiles depending on how much or how often you will be using the kitchen in your house. In a kitchen which will have potential for more spills and the resulting stains, glazed tiles almost always make a better choice. Ceramic tiles will also hold up quite well to the wear and tear of a high traffic kitchen.

When selecting and installing ceramic tiles in your kitchen make sure you are looking at and choosing floor tiles. In case you did not realize it, there is a big difference. Floor tiles are almost always thicker and therefore more durable. Ensure that your tile flooring is adequately sealed, as a failure to do so will almost assuredly results in stained grout and/or tiles.

Wood Flooring

Linoleum

The old fallback is a linoleum (aka vinyl flooring). You can go with a full sheet type linoleum flooring or linoleum tiles, and either is very likely to be a cheaper solution than either tile or wood based flooring. An drawing point of linoleum is the virtually endless choice of patterns and designs. You can even select from vinyl flooring having wood or tile finish. Additionally, linoleum withstands wear and tear quite well. Of course repairing a tear in full sheet linoleum is just a flat out pain.

Other Flooring Choices

A few other alternatives include slate, terracotta and stone. Each comes with their own advantages and drawbacks but can really accentuate a kitchen quite well. Just be aware that there are many options and don’t fall in to choosing a basic flooring because you were not aware of the wide variety or alternative. Your kitchen floor can be as dynamic as your imagination.

The beautiful tile kitchen floor in the image at the top of the post comes from Hodger’s photo stream.

Choosing Your Replacement Kitchen Flooring is a post from: Cape Cod House Remodeling