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HOW TO...
Shop & Care For Tile, Stone & Tile Laminates, Vinyl
SHOPPING TIPS
Just like wood floor shopping or shopping for carpeting, the first step is to make lists and collect samples of your current wallcovering/curtains/upholstery. Bring it all with you when you come in and we’ll do our best to help. Use the quick square-foot estimator in the right column to get a rough estimate of the coverage you’ll need. We’ll refine it for you later.
Click to show the lists of things to consider.
SAMPLES
Samples IN— Upholstery, curtains/drapes, wallpaper, trim, wall paint. Matching the basics of the room’s colorings while at the store will help eliminate what you don’t want, right up front.
Samples OUT—Take home several of our loaner samples and lay them on your floor. Try to envision them as covering the entire surface, and see how they suit you.
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“Quick Guides”
D-I-Y Laminate/Floating Installation Notes
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Care & Maintenance
Ceramic/Stone—solid or laminate flooring
- Consider walk-off mats at entrances to trap dirt & grit.
- Area rugs can work beautifully on tile and stone, but be sure to use padding to extend rug life and prevent slipping.
- Sweep/vacuum regularly to keep grit at bay.
- Wash regularly with a mild, diluted detergent solution, rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water, and dry with a towel to remove residue and prevent filming.
- Avoid ammonia-based & oil-based cleaners.
Grout
As soon as the tiles have been installed, cleaned, and thoroughly
dried:
- Seal non-epoxy grout joints with silicone, against staining.
- Non-epoxy grout benefits from a twice-a-year treatment to maintain stain resistance.
Resilient Flooring
CORK
Cork floors are treated much like wood: vacuum regularly and often to keep grit off; avoid puddles; use floor protectors under furniture legs; avoid high-heels or other pointy objects that might cause dents. A few more care tips can be found under cork care in our Eco/Green Flooring Alternatives’ section.
VINYL
- For the first 24 hours post-installation, protect the seams from traffic. For the first 5 days, while the adhesive cures: keep the room’s temp at least 68°; don’t roll heavy objects across the floor (avoid compressing the vinyl or adhesive; once adhesive sets, the compression marks will be permanent); don’t wash the floor (just spot clean as needed).
- Replace any worn casters or rollers on furniture/appliances.
- Vacuum regularly to remove grit, preventing it from cutting the floor’s surface.
- Wipe up spills immediately; wash with luke warm water and clear ammonia.
- If your floor becomes dull try cleaning with luke warm water and clear ammonia to remove any film. Check the manufacturer’s recommendation for restoring a glossy finish.
- Never use abrasive cleaners, soaps, paste waxes, or solvents on vinyl flooring.
- As for wood floors, use mats at outside entries to help keep sand and grit from being tracked across the floor.
- Cover any gouges immediately, to keep dirt from filling in. A professional installer can likely fix it correctly, but it will be a more extensive (and expensive) repair if the cut is full of dirt and debris.
- To improve the maintainability of inexpensive PVC vinyl, or any floor with a PVC wear-layer, consider placing 2-3 coats of the recommended polish on the floor immediately.
- Place plywood, or underlayment sheets, on the floor to protect it when moving heavy objects.
