Laminate | Maintenance

Laminate’s construction makes it inherently durable, but you’ll want to remember a few basics of routine care, protection, and repair. Depend on us to let you know all about these methods for keeping your laminate floor at its most attractive.

• Entry mats will help collect the dirt, sand, grit, and other substances such as oil, asphalt, or driveway sealer that might otherwise be tracked onto your floor.
• To prevent slippage of area rugs, use an approved rug underlayment.
• Use floor protectors and wide-load bearing leg bases/rollers to minimize the chance of indentations and scratches from heavy objects. As a rule, the heavier the object, the wider the floor protector.
• Maintain a normal indoor humidity level; keep your thermostat between 60 and 80 degrees throughout the year to minimize the expansion and contraction of the laminate. This applies even when your home is not occupied.
• Never try to slide heavy objects across the floor.
• Follow routine maintenance guidelines to clean your laminate flooring
• Use a damp cloth to blot up spills as soon as they happen. Never allow liquids to stand on your floor.
• For tough spots, such as oil, paint, markers, lipstick, ink, or tar, use acetone/nail polish remover on a clean white cloth, then wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove any remaining residue.
• Sweep, dust, or vacuum the floor regularly with the hard floor attachment (not the beater bar) to prevent accumulation of dirt and grit that can scratch or dull the floor finish.
• Periodically clean the floor with cleaning products made specifically for laminate floor care.
• Do not wash or wet mop the floor with soap, water or oil-soap detergent. This could cause swelling, warping, delamination, and joint-line separation, and void the warranty.
• Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or strong ammonia based or chlorinated type cleaners.
• Do not use any type of buffing or polishing machine.
• For spots such as candle wax or chewing gum, harden the spot with ice and then gently scrape with a plastic scraper, such as a credit card. Be careful not to scratch the flooring surface. Wipe clean with a damp cloth.
• A more frequent dust-mopping or vacuuming schedule may be required in very sandy areas such as a beach home.

Repairing your laminate flooring when damage occurs...

In the event that accidental damage occurs to one of the planks, minor scratches or dents can be repaired using a Flooring Touch up or Color-fill Kit. This special touch up kit is a filler material, color coordinated to the color of your floor so that, when used properly, the repaired area is often invisible. The repaired area will hold up to foot traffic and wear just like the rest of your laminate flooring. If greater damage has occurred please contact one of our friendly sales staff they can look at the issue and estimate what will be needed for professional repairs.