With warmer weather now upon us we instinctively wish to improve the ventilation for our homes, this means the opening up of windows and doors to improve the natural air flow throughout our homes. Where many homes now have patio or sliding doors opening onto external areas this exposure to the outdoors will invariably lead to a heightened ingress of contaminants like dusts, grit and soils. These will be transported in on shoes or by pets and the wind and will begin to cause damage to the floor. (more…)
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Protecting Your Floors From Winter Damage
Choosing a hard floor for your home or business premises is a wise choice for many reasons including the creation of a pleasing visual aspect with the benefit of having a hard wearing and durable surface finish. The installation cost of a quality hard floor may be high initially, however it will most certainly add value to property and make the interior space a lot more desirable. (more…)
The beauty of hardwood flooring – and how to preserve it
Hardwood flooring is a popular choice of flooring in both commercial and domestic settings, and came to prominence as an alternative to carpet as homeowners looked for a durable floor that was easier to maintain and would last for many years. This has not always been the case however and hardwood floors were once a luxury affordable only to a select section of society, and lack of knowledge of how to install it led originally to the perception that it wasn’t a long term option.
Solid hardwood floors now come in a wide range of dimensions and styles and real hardwood is milled from a solid piece of timbre. They were originally used for structural purposes and were installed perpendicular to the wooden support beams of a building however modern buildings do not use such structures and hardwood floors are almost exclusively used for their appearance.
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Cleaning slate floors – protect the grout
Slate floors can be a great choice for a variety of situations – it offers unique finishes in a variety of different colours and textures, is relatively slip resistant and the surface is quite durable. If carefully cared for – your slate floor should last for many years.
There are times when, despite diligent maintenance, your slate floor may acquire an uneven or unsatisfactory appearance which will not change even through regular cleaning efforts. Slate can become stained or marked, especially if there is surface scratching, and this can affect the overall appearance, but it is highly probable that the appearance is affected by staining to the grout.
Grout is a construction material which is generally used to fill voids or seal joints – just like those along the sides of tiles. In the case of slate tiles it is recommended to have the tiles professionally installed and the grout professionally applied as it can be notoriously difficult to do correctly. It is a relatively porous substance, meaning it stains easily, which consists of a mixture of cement, sand and water – and it is this grout that can be affected first.
If you take a careful look at your floor you will notice that the grout is, almost always, recessed at a slightly lower level than the surface of the tiles – so if there are any spillages – it is here that the liquid will settle. It is obviously important to clean up spillages as soon as possible, but there is a certain inevitability about the grout being stained.
Once stained, grout can be very difficult to clean, so prevention is the best approach here. It is recommended to apply a sealer to the grout, making it less permeable and offer an additional layer of protection. It should also aid cleaning efforts. Sealers can be recommended by a company that specializes in cleaning slate floors – and some versions of colour grout seal are also available to offer a uniform aspect if the appearance becomes uneven.
If the grout does become stained, if you do not desire the application of a new sealer, you would be well advised to seek professional help. A company specializing in cleaning slate floors will be able to utilize modern techniques and technology such as heat cleaning, emulsification and effective capture of waste, as well as specialized cleaning products to restore the floor to its original condition.
Wood floor cleaning – Why you may have an unsatisfactory finish
Hardwood floors are a beautiful addition to any domestic or commercial setting, and when carefully looked after and cared for, should be a long lasting and durable floor which despite the initial outlay, should offer good value for money over time. Cleaning and maintaining the floor is not always easy and there will be times when, even after due maintenance and care, that the floor still acquires a dull or unsatisfactory appearance. Why is this and, more importantly, what can be done about it?
The starting point should be to look at the floor and see why the appearance is unsatisfactory. It could be that there is surface scratching, that some of the floor has lost its ‘shine’ or that areas of the wood have become stained. When you identify what the problem is – you will need to think about previous treatment the floor has received.
The finish applied to a floor (the sealer) is a very important aspect of the floor caring process, and it is useful to know what has previously been applied. If the floor has a good sealer, it will prevent spillages from damaging the wood, and help stop staining. It effectively acts as an extra layer on top of the surface of the wood.
One or two of the problems mentioned above could be as a direct result of the condition of the sealer. If the floor is dull or has lost its shine, it is possible that in some areas (possibly where there is plenty of traffic and use) that the sealer is simply wearing down and the wood may or may not be exposed, but will offer an uneven finish.
Surface scratches and abrasions can, as well as damaging the wood, also remove this sealer and protective layer – exposing the surface of the wood. This is where staining can occur and a different solution will be needed.
If the sealer seems to be ok and the wood is not damaged or stained, it is possible that, over time, staining and layers of bacteria have simply built up to form a stain or finish which is difficult to clean. In this case a specialist wood floor cleaning company should be contacted to perform a surface clean and polishing and buffing to restore the original appearance.
If the sealer is damaged or worn at certain points, something different may be required. Exposed wood can be susceptible to staining from certain spillages or other factors, and once the wood is stained there is no cleaning solution available. A wood floor cleaning specialist would, in this case, probably need to sand the floor – essentially removing a thin layer from the top of the wood to expose a new finish, before polishing and then applying a new sealer to aid future cleaning efforts.