Caring for your laminate flooring is simple if you get familiar with its structure. Laminate flooring is a multi-layer synthetic flooring product fused together with a lamination process. It’s widely used because it simulates wood with its photographic applique layer under the protective layer.

However, the above mentioned protective layer is vulnerable to dust and dirt, as these can lead to scratches if not regularly cleaned. So, try to sweep or vacuum the floor regularly to prevent scratching the finish.

Any spills should be blotted as soon as you notice them. Do not allow liquids to stay on the floor for too long, as moisture can cause the planks to wrap or swell.

For cleaning tough stains such as oil, paint or ink use nail polish remover on a clean cloth to wipe down the stain. Then, wipe it with a clean damp cloth.

For washing the floor you can use cleaning products made for laminate floor care, liquid soap diluted in water, or just pure water. Use a slightly damp mop with the cleaning solution to wash the floor surface and prevent swelling, warping and delamination. Avoid using abrasive cleaners or steel wool.

For removing candle wax or chewing gum use ice cubes to harden the spots, then scrape off with a plastic scraper.

Caring for your laminate floor will extend its life and help keeping it looking like new.

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The natural patterns and warmth that wood creates make wood floors favorable in numerous environments. These are definitely more impressive than any carpet would be.

Besides, it’s almost impossible to really clean your carpet, as stains and dust can settle deep into the fibers. On the contrary, it’s relatively easy to clean and maintain your wood floors. It’s sometimes just enough to wipe them clean.

Wood flooring comes in various colors, patterns, widths and finishes.

Stains give a natural feeling to any room. You can select them in a way matching different decors. However, stained wood can be sanded and re-stained several times to restore original colors or create new ones.

Wood species have their particular grains, color, and veining. Your choice entirely depends on your own preferences. People usually choose oak and maple species, but a common choice is also beech, cherry, walnut or some exotic woods.

Installing is also important. When laying down your wood floor, have in mind the size and shape of the room. If you install the boards lengthwise in a long room, it may look even longer, and a nice idea should be installing them diagonally.

You have a choice amongst variable widths of boards. And your preference should depend on the effect you want to create. Thinner boards make a room look longer, and wider boards make it seem shorter.

Do not forget about the accessories you are going to need, such as edgings, stairway nosings, vent flashings, and moldings to join with the walls. Their stain and finish should match your flooring’s stain and finish.

Check out what flooring types and styles are available on the market to choose the one that fits your needs.

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If the stain has not penetrated and it is on the surface, probably your finish is a hard one – such as urethane. If the stain has penetrated through to the wood, the finish is maybe a soft oiled one.

Surface stains are easy to remove. Just use a soft clean cloth to wipe the stained area. Avoid using sandpaper, steel wool or any chemicals, as those can damage the finish.

Removing marks from soft oiled finishes requires a little more attention. Treatment depends on the type of stain you try to remove. Follow our suggestions on how to easily remove marks from your hardwood floors.

Fixing white stains or water marks: Let the stain dry for two days to see if it disappears. If it is still cover the stain with a white cotton cloth and rub with a hot iron (set to no steam) for several seconds. If that doesn’t work, rub the spot with very fine steel wool pad soaked in lemon oil to prevent scratching. Then, clean the stain with odorless mineral spirits.

Dark spots and pet stains: These require more attention when penetrated deep into the finish. One of the solutions is treating the stain with bleach. Repeat after several hours and let the area rest until next day. Rinse with clear water. If the area is still dark, strip, sand and reseal the spot if possible.

Cleaning greasy stains: Such stains should come off with dish-washing detergent. Use a soft cloth to rub the stain and the detergent will break down the grease. Rinse with clear water. You may need to repeat the treatment several times.

Tips:

For regular maintenance, use a spin mop which is self-wringing. It requires no bending and wringing with your own hands. It cleans better than anything else if it is a one that wrings out very dry.

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Scratches can be caused by moving and dragging heavy furniture or appliances, or even by your pets’ toenails. However, light scratches require a different repair approach than deep scratches. See below what professionals advise.

Inspect the scratched area of the floor to determine the depth of the scratch.

Fixing surface scratches (if only the protective coating is scratched)

These are the easiest to fix because only the top protective coating has to be repaired.

First, clean the affected area using hardwood floor cleaner and a soft cloth.

Rinse with plain water and allow the area to dry.

Finally, refinish the board.

Removing light scratches (if the scratch penetrates the surface of the wood under the protective coating)

For removing light scratches you will need fine steel wool.

First, clean the surface using the above mentioned procedure.

Use the steel wool to gently rub the scratch. Be sure to follow the grain of the wood or you’ll leave more scratches on the floor.

To smooth out the damaged area after rubbing, rub with mineral spirits.

Finally, refinish the board.

Repairing deeper scratches

Deeper scratches require some sanding. Use lightweight sandpaper to sand along the grain of the wood.

To smooth out the damaged area after rubbing, rub with mineral spirits.

Then you’ll need wood filler that matches the color of the wood. Use a plastic putty knife to apply the filler onto the scratches. After filling the scratches let the filler dry.

Once again, sand to remove the excess filler and wipe up the dust.

Once the area is clean and dry, apply a new layer of the protective coating. Refinish the board with varnish, polyurethane, or a similar product to match the rest of your floor.

Sanding and refinishing is a smart method for repairing scratches, dents and gouges that are less than 1/8 inch deep. For deeper scratches consider replacing the boards and sanding and refinishing the whole floor.

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There are a lot differences between laminate and hardwood floors but both of them have their strong points depending on the situation.

Let’s start with the price. Solid hardwood will cost you much more to buy and install than laminate flooring. Hardwood floors are difficult for non-professionals to install, while laminate installing is very easy.

Laminate wood flooring is made from composite wood pressed together at high temperatures.  And a photograph of hardwood is used to cover the composite wood to form the laminate, thus is cheaper.

Hardwood flooring is made from harvested trees and depending on how exotic the trees are the price is different.

Since it is real wood, a quality hardwood floor can last for a lifetime with proper care and refinishing, while life expectancy of laminate floors is less than 15 years. Having hardwood floors will definitely increase the price point of your home if you decide to sell.

What about scratches? Since laminate wood flooring is made from pressed wood, it is more resistible to scratches, moisture and wear than hardwood flooring. Hardwood is susceptible to scratching, moisture and wear especially in high traffic areas.

Laminate flooring has higher stain resistance and is definitely easier to clean and maintain than hardwood. It also has smaller fading effect and behaves moderately well in moist areas such as bathrooms. As a natural product hardwood can fade in the future due to sunlight, while laminate flooring is UV protected.

Laminate flooring cannot be refinished, while hardwood floors can be easily sanded and refinished many times. This is why hardwood floors can be easily repaired if they become damaged, while laminate boards have to be replaced rather than repaired.

It is not recommended to install solid hardwood flooring below-grade, while laminate can be installed below-grade.

We hope the above information was helpful for your decision to choose laminate or hardwood floors.

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However, a crumbling, messy deck isn’t pretty. To ensure lasting beauty of your deck, you should regularly care of it and clean it as well. Proper installation and care will provide years of outdoor living pleasure.

For cleaning heavily soiled areas, there are special eco-friendly decking cleaners on the market. Usually, spray in the direction of the grain to avoid damaging the wood.

For periodic maintenance cleaning, power washing of the deck boards is recommended to prevent build-up of pollen/debris.For best results, use a maximum of 3000 psi gas powered pressure washer with 25 degree fan tip. Hold the power wash wand at approximately a 30 degree angle. Spray in the direction of the length of the plank, not across or surface damage may result.

Advices:

For best results,complete cleaning during the early morning or evening hours when the board surface is cool to prevent cleaners from drying/evaporating on the deck surface.

Do not forget to read the manufacturer’s instructions before applying any cleaner.

Always take the proper safety precautions when operating a power washer.

If you happen to spill something on your deck, blot the spot as soon as possible. Use a soft, clean towel soaked in warm water to blot up the stained area. Avoid rubbing. For stubborn stains use a cleaning solution of mild dish-washing soap and warm water. Wipe it dry.

Do not use rubber or vinyl products (welcome mats, planters, etc.) on deck planks, as those can cause discoloration of the decking under the rubber/vinyl product.

For periodic maintenance cleaning, rinse deck thoroughly. A soap and water solution is a good choice for the purpose.

For ice removal, either rock salt or calcium chloride may be used without damage to the surface.

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Sometimes holes in a wood floor can appear due to warn out finish underneath your dining room chairs or where knots and screws used to be. Whatever the reason is, those unsightly holes can totally ruin the entire feeling about the floor. Here’s how to go about patching a wood floor in your home.

There are commercial wood fillers on the market. Those can successfully repair small cracks, holes and gauges. They dry fast and can be sanded and stained easily. In most cases minor blemishes, scratches and cuts in the wood can be easily hidden with the right blend of colored putties, fill sticks and graining pencils.

To determine the color of the putty to use, try it on a test piece first. On light color woods, start with a medium to dark tone color first and build the lighter color by adding successive lighter colors to the pallet.

For repairing big holes, use a round plug larger in diameter than the hole to drill out the hole until you hit the sub-floor. Then, cut a piece of timber the correct thickness and size to fill the opening, so it’s flush with the bottom of the flooring, and bond into hole with good quality bonding agent, such as wood glue.

The other way for repairing big holes includes replacing the entire damaged floor board with matching wood flooring of the same species and width, such as that found in a closet or flooring that may have been removed during renovation.

Make sure the grain lines up. Then,sand the area down to bare wood, to prevent any inconsistencies in color, and refinish the floor for the boards to match. Use a wood filler to fill small gaps.

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Continue reading to get familiar with the main types of wood flooring.

Solid and engineered wood flooring

Solid hardwood floors are one solid piece of wood from top to bottom and are generally ¾” thick.

One great benefit of solid wood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished multiple times.

Solid hardwood floors are, however, more sensitive to humidity and temperature changes than engineered wood floors. Too much moisture can cause the wood to expand and contract. So, they should only be installed on or above ground level, over a wood sub-floor, and must be nailed or stapled down.

There are different styles of solid wood flooring to choose from: strip, plank and parquet flooring.

Unlike laminate wood flooring, engineered wood floors are real wood floors that are manufactured by laminating multiple layers of different wood veneers. The top layer is of high-quality wood, while sub-layers can be of different species. The grain of each layer runs in different directions, which makes the floor very stable and reduces the expansion/contraction caused by changes in humidity and temperature.

However, engineered floors can be sanded and finished only a few times. But their biggest advantage is they can be installed on any level in the home, including over wood sub-floors, concrete slabs and in your basement. In addition, these floors come in a wide variety of widths, lengths, thicknesses and colors.

Unfinished and factory-finished wood flooring

Hardwood floors can come unfinished or pre-finished. Unfinished flooring must be sanded and finished after installation while pre-finished flooring is sanded and finished at the factory.

If you want your installer to do sanding and finishing upon the job site, you can purchase unfinished wood flooring. This option may be preferred if you need to match existing flooring or if you’re looking for a specific color.

If you buy factory-finished wood flooring, you just have to install it with no need to sand and apply a finish, as the finish has already been applied by the manufacturer.

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Unlike carpets, it is much easier to keep a hardwood floor clean. So, if you are thinking of replacing your carpet for hardwood floors, nowadays, there are three styles of hardwood floors available on the market. You can choose among strip (linear), parquet and plank flooring, which are all available in a variety of species, colors and widths.

Strip flooring is what you need, if you want to create a linear effect that gives you the illusion to find yourself in a larger, more open space. Strip flooring board width varies between one and one-half inches to two and one-fourth inches. This style of flooring is often considered to be “traditional” wood flooring.

Plank hardwood flooring is also considered a linear flooring, but it is wider than strip flooring, thus creating a more casual look. Plank flooring board width typically ranges from three inches to seven inches. You can find planks in almost every type of wood, from softwoods to hardwoods and exotics to rustics. However, choosing this style of flooring you will have concerns about what effect moisture will have on the floor.

Another style of hardwood flooring is parquet, which is wood flooring pieces. These hardwood pieces can vary in size and usually generate a geometric look. Parquet flooring is available in many modern or classic patterns and it can be very simple or complex in design. Parquet tiles are intended for glue-down installation over wood or concrete sub-floors.

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However, if your deck is at a higher level, it’s best to use railings for safety, especially if there are kids in home.

As your deck’s rails will be one of the most visible features of your new deck, it is important to choose a rail that complements your decking material and the style and color scheme of your house.

There are different materials, colors and shapes to choose from. Choosing the right type of railing is essential for a good looking deck. Building a deck with angles and curves or a multilevel deck design will make its look even more overwhelming.

You can choose railing materials amongst wood, glass, metal, vinyl, composites, cabling, etc. Most railing systems are sold as kits and are fairly easy to install yourself.

Wood is the most classic choice, but glass and cable railings are really attractive and modern looking. These are appropriate for a deck with a nice view and breezes to enjoy.

Installing metal balusters is a cost effective way to add some style to your deck.  These are usually installed on wood railings. There is a variety of color options and styles to choose from.

Composite and metal railing systems are becoming more popular, as they require low maintenance and are long-lasting.

Lattice is an often-used deck railing too. Custom versions can be created to reflect your personal deck’s style.

Besides mixing materials, patterns inside the rails, deck railings of different height, or end caps, are a way to add decorative accents to variegate the ordinary deck.

Have a look at our gallery to get inspired about your new deck’s design.

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