Guest post contributed by Bernard Fisher
Whether you’re looking to restore the floors in your home ready for selling, or just want to revive your old floors to give them a new lease of life, giving your floors some much-needed love will certainly be worth the effort! Has your laminate, hardwood, or deck flooring suffered from general wear and tear over the years? Does your flooring require repairing, cleaning or polishing? This article, written by Bernard Fisher at 4Everdeck, will help to guide you through the process of bringing your flooring back to the standard it deserves.
Before getting into any tips, remember that it’s important to hire a great company like 4Everdeck when maintaining or repairing your floors. Look for excellent reviews when you are searching out companies like the ones you’ll find in the Melbourne area if you Google deck repair and maintenance Melbourne.
Laminate Floor Restoration
Laminate flooring is relatively low-maintenance, however, when neglected it could lead to having to replace the laminate flooring altogether and there are some simple steps that could easily prevent any future problems. Avoid a full replacement and follow these cleaning and restoration steps to give your laminate flooring a new lease of life.
For overall maintenance, you will need quality maintenance products. As well as this, you should also get organized with some day-to-day items that will help with cleaning. It might seem obvious but having items such as doormats and a soft-bristle floor brush handy will help you to keep up with the day-to-day cleaning of your laminate.
When it comes to the initial cleaning, nothing more than a damp cloth should be used, since laminate flooring isn’t waterproof. Any residue should be dried off quickly and avoid using a wet mop as this could seep into the flooring and cause it to become warped or distorted. Harsh scouring brushes should be avoided at all costs as well, as this can cause scratches to the surface. Sweeping the floor with a soft-bristle brush will help to remove any dirt or grit without causing any damage.
Once cleaned, it then comes to restoring the shine of your laminate flooring. You will need a specialist restorer solution for this, however, it’ll be well worth the investment (both time-wise and cost-wise)! A quality restorer solution is more than a laminate floor polish, it’ll clean the floor by removing any grit and grime, and then will replace the top coat of your laminate flooring with a clear finish. Just make sure to follow the instructions on the label and remember to be patient!
Hardwood Floor Restoration
Hardwood flooring can really help to add value to your home, both visually and in terms of investment. However, as soon as hardwood flooring starts to become neglected it can start to look scruffy and unkept rather quickly.
In order to carry out a domestic restoration, you will need both an Edging sander and a Drum sander. Many DIY shops will actually loan these out though so you don’t need to buy your own unless you’re thinking of making hardwood floor restoration a hobby.
The first (and maybe one of the trickiest) steps to make is actually completely emptying your room so that you have an empty surface to work from. This is often the reason why many people avoid hardwood restoration as it can be quite a long and labor-intensive process. If you’re willing to put the effort in though, the results will be very rewarding!
Then, you need to make sure no nails are protruding out from the surface. You will need to be really careful with this step, as nails could potentially damage the sander equipment. With the sanding, it’s best to start with the edges using the Edging sander and then work your way around the rest of the floor with the Drum sander. It’s generally best to sand in the direction of the grain of the wood as well.
Once all sanded, it’s time to add your floor finishing. A floor finish can either be a varnish, stain, or specialist hardwood oil. In this instance, a clear varnish is recommended as it is the most common and is quite a simple process. Before applying the varnish, ensure to remove all dirt and dust from when you’ve sanded down the flooring. Check the label of your varnish but a brush or a roller is most commonly recommended.
Deck Floor Restoration
Taking the right steps for maintaining your deck will help to keep it looking spick and span all year round and help to avoid any major restoration projects or having to completely replace the decking. Unfortunately, those who neglect deck maintenance entirely can end up with a patio that requires a full restoration.
A full restoration doesn’t always mean having to completely replace your decking though. Rather than opting for a regular deck cleaner, you’ll need to consider a deck restoring product, like a decking oil or a stain for treated wood decking. Typically, a quality decking oil can bring your decking back to life when applied properly.
To start with, you’ll need to clean your deck prior to applying the restorer. You need to remove any fungal growths like moss or algae, as well as make sure that no residue is left on your decking before you apply the restorer. Then, depending on the instructions on the label of your restorer, you will need to apply the restorer across the whole of your decking.
Once the restorer has been thoroughly applied, you’ll need to wait quite a while to allow the restorer to soak into the decking. Patience really is key when it comes to this step, and there’s usually a suggested timeframe on the instructions of your restorer so read the label carefully!
Finally, it comes to washing your decking. You won’t need to apply a lot of pressure with the water and simply using a hose will work absolutely fine. Good luck!
About the Author
This post is written by Bernard Fisher from 4Everdeck, a professional in the world of outdoor decking in South Africa. Providing a range of outdoor solutions to compliment your home, Bernard has an interest in everything associated with outdoor life.
Wood is easily the cheapest and is very popular with deck builders, but is costly to maintain. This nullifies any gains one had made at the point of construction. The other two materials are more costly to buy but are cheaper and easier to maintain; which means the initial cost of construction is recoverable very fast.