While laminate wood floors might not be solid wood, they are actually designed for durability, and to look just like solid wood without the hefty price tag. The process of layering materials and fusing them with laminate, creates a genuine wood grain appearance.
Laminate flooring is specially built with multiple layers that make them resilient to the daily grind of foot traffic. A great option for those that have many feet treading paths in the home.
There are four layers to the floor. Starting with the inner-most layer, they are: the backing layer, the inner core, the design layer, and the wear layer. By their powers combined, they make an exceptionally hardy floor.
They are all designed to lock moisture out, preventing it from causing dreaded bulbous spots, and in so doing keeps the floors flat.
The Do’s And Don’ts of Laminate Floor Care
Even though the thought alone of dusting large areas of floors may bring about a feeling of instant fatigue, it is highly recommended that this groan- worthy chore be done frequently. Let’s face it, the floors will look wonderful afterwards.
- Keep pets nails trimmed to prevent scratches on the surface of the laminate.
- Avoid treading over the laminate with shoes that have spikes.
- Laminate needs to be kept dry, so after mopping the floor must be dried immediately.
Keeping the floors dry and stain free in wet weather is a good idea. Removing shoes at the door is highly recommended. Most people would prefer to walk barefoot anyway (though that’s a little taboo in public). In a home with laminate floors however, it will ensure that the life of the floor is prolonged.
Maintaining The Shine
Laminate floors have a beautiful luster to them. This can be maintained by taking the correct steps to do so. If the shine of the floor seems less enthusiastic to please the eye, then there are a couple of things that can be done to restore its enthusiasm to please the eye again.
As you cannot use wax on laminate floors, it is recommended to invest in a good quality laminate cleaning or shine product. One such laminate cleaning product is Bona’s Stone Tile and Laminate Floor Cleaner.
Regular soap will just dull the shine, so in order to remove dirt, a mixture of one cup of distilled vinegar to one gallon of water can also be used.
Steps to restoring shine:
- Sweep the floor with a soft bristled broom.
- Remove the dirt by mopping with the vinegar mixture. The floors MUST be dried IMMEDIATELY after.
- Apply chosen laminate floor product by spreading it over the floor with a microfiber cloth. (Microfiber doesn’t pull and leave little bits of lint for you to clean up after cleaning).
- Start in one corner of the room and work back, spreading the product evenly.
Et Voila! It might take a little effort to clean a laminate floor, but as with anything, a little hard work does pay off!
Here are some products on Amazon.com that we recommend looking at:
I have a “high shine” piano finish laminate floor in Walnut thru out my main level including the kitchen…. I know ! What the hell was I thinking ? Well after trying EVERYTHING under the sun … I decided to just replace the floor with a luxury vinyl. Uggggh another 4 grand down the drain…
So yesterday I am at the dollar store in my area and see a small bottle of Armour All glass cleaner….I am always looking to keep windshields clean due to the fact that I am a smoker (working on that also). I always like to experiment with products to see if they serve a duel purpose, lately I’ve noticed that my quartz countertops have been looking a bit dull so I figure I’d try a small spot with this Armour All…Hmmm well it is shiny! I thought let me clean all the mirrors and glass table tops …. Again ! I’m wowed by the result ! So this morning while waiting on my coffee to brew, staring at the floor and thinking how If I had a can of gasoline and a match (lol) I could avoid the day long chore of cleaning today. AH HA ! AN EPIPHANY! try a small area with this Armour All! After all what do I have to lose the floor was trashed anyway. So I first clean an area using a small small drop of dawn dishwashing liquid and some water. There were a few stuck on spots so I remove those using only a plain damp Scotch-Brite green scrubbie. Those are actually great for porcelain countertops as well as they don’t scratch and was recommended to me by the manufacturer of my oven. So anyhoo after I dry it off take this Armor All and spray it on the laminate floor in an inconspicuous corner….BAM ! Clean and high shine are back in 3 seconds!!! And the best thing about it is it leaves the floor streak free! Before using all of these laminate floor cleaning things which I have invested in a fortune I would clean it and two seconds later you would see the spots return especially water spots left from my dog’s water dish. As well as any paw prints or slipper marks…But I walked over it DRAGGING my slippers across it and damn ! NOTHING!! I CALLED THE DOG OVER TO GIVE HIM A BISCUIT! AGAIN! NO PAW PRINTS !! OMG !! REALLY ? I TOOK MY HAND AND BARE FEET TO ADD SMUDGES … IT DISAPPEARED IMMEDIATELY ! GUYS ! I have no clue about any Hardwood flooring whether this works or not but I will tell you on glass surfaces and my high shine laminate flooring it did an amazing job! A M A Z I N G !!! I do not work for them I have no one in my family that works for them but I am going to give them my testimonial
This is exciting news to me.Thank you for sharing! My floors aren´t super shiny but the entry way to the deck is taking a beating. It is where we let the dogs in and out and I can´t believe the wear and tear that area has taken. I am where you were, ¨What have I got to loose?¨It is such an eye sore (at least to me) that I am desperate to get rid of it. If this works you will be my heroine of the year!!! Thank you again for sharing.
I have already dull wood floor. I am happy that there’s a way to restore it. I will follow your tips. I hope that it will work in my flooring.