The end of summer is nearly here, and that means it’s time for some seasonal upkeep for floors in your home. Each season in Southwestern Colorado brings a palpable change, from the heat of summer to the cold of winter. Other shifts come with the transition as well. Floors often see more water exposure during the winter. After a summer of dust and mud, it’s important to prepare them for the potential of excessive moisture. In addition, most flooring benefits significantly from periodic maintenance and each type of material will have its unique needs. This can prevent expensive repairs down the road. Commercial Floor Services has a simple four-step process to keep your floors water-resistant and looking new!
1 – Assess: The first thing you need to do is assess your floors for damage that may have gone overlooked. Damage can be anything from deep scratches in hardwood to crumbling grout in tile. Make a list of each issue in your home, so you can return later with the appropriate repair. This is important as damage makes the floor susceptible to water and other harmful factors.
2 – Repair: Now that you’ve inventoried the damaged areas, it’s time to address them. Many homes have different floors throughout, so you may have discovered multiple issues across a variety of materials, such as cracked grout between tiles, loose vinyl planks or tiles, scratched hardwood, or carpet stains. Using your list, move from area to area, addressing each problem. Many repairs are achievable by the homeowner, they just require research, the right products, and some elbow grease. For more complicated repairs, such as broken tiles or heavily scratched hardwood, hiring a professional flooring contractor is recommended to avoid damaging other areas of the floor.
3 – Clean: With the necessary repairs complete, it’s time for a deep clean. Cleaning is not only an essential annual task for your floor’s longevity, but mandatory before the final step. Like the repairs, each floor will have its specific cleaning process. A steam cleaning will help bring carpets back to life after a muddy and dusty spring and summer. The grout in between tiling can be scrubbed clean with the appropriate products, leaving them colorful and ready for an application of sealer. All hardwood floors benefit from a proper cleaning, and the correct products will not only thoroughly clean hardwood floors but won’t strip or dull the finish while simultaneously moisturizing the wood.
4 – Protect: With the previous steps completed, you are ready to finish the seasonal upkeep of your floors. It’s now time to apply powerful protective products to your flooring. These products will not only preserve the fresh look of the recently cleaned floors, but will also keep out grime and, most importantly, moisture. Both can degrade wood and grout and cause mildew and mold in carpets, leading to more maintenance.
Specific sealers and finishes are available for hardwood floors, grout and tiles, and even for carpets that did not have a protectant applied during the manufacturing process or if the protectant has lost its efficacy. Using these products seasonally will improve the life of your floor and will provide your home a refreshed appearance, just in time to be indoors for the winter. Read the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure you’re using the best product available and hire a flooring contractor when in doubt.
Professionally installed floors, properly maintained, will have a long lifespan and depending on the material can even last for the lifetime of your home. If you’re looking at a new flooring project, restoration services, or just have some basic questions, we’re here to help! Contact us at Commercial Floor Services.
