An Introduction to Flooring Types and Floor Care

There are so many different types of flooring that it can be difficult to know just what to do to maintain and care for each type of floor. Here are some of the main types of flooring and some tips for caring for each kind of floor.

Vinyl composition tile is a type of resilient flooring that is used a lot in high traffic commercial buildings, including retail and grocery stores. This form of tile is quite durable and holds up quite well to high traffic volumes. However, vinyl composition tile floors do require a fair amount of maintenance in order to keep them looking good. In order to give the floors a glossy appearance, a sealer or finish needs to be applied. The floors should be swept and mopped with a neutral pH cleaning solution regularly in order to keep them looking shiny and clean. Another thing that needs to be done occasionally to resilient flooring is to strip and re-coat the floors with a finish or sealer.

There are a variety of stone floor types, including granite, marble and limestone. You need to take care when maintaining stone floors. The surfaces of these types of floors can get damaged if harmful chemicals are used on them. To keep stone floors looking good they should be swept and mopped on a daily basis. A neutral pH cleaner or stone soap should be used for mopping stone floors. Alkaline and acid cleaners can damage stone floors over time and should not be used on a regular basis.

Another type of flooring is masonry floors that come in various materials such as ceramic tile, clay tile and concrete. Ceramic and clay tiles also are available in different styles and textures. The type and amount of maintenance that you will need to perform will depend on that specific type of floor. Ceramic tiles comes either glazed or unglazed. Glazed tile have non-porous shiny surfaces that are resistant to stains and moisture. Concrete floors are growing in popularity and a wide variety of colors and textures are available. Concrete flooring should also be finished and sealed and need to be swept and mopped on a regular basis with neutral pH cleaning solution. For your regular maintenance, you should not use acid cleaners or alkalines on your masonry floors. They can damage the tile and grout in your floor over time. You will need to clean the grout in your floors occasionally with a floor machine and grit brush.

Wood floors can make a very beautiful addition to your home. To maintain your wood floors and keep them looking great, they need to be protected from moisture, stains and soil. Regular maintenance for wood floors is similar in many ways to other kinds of flooring. However, wood floors do scratch more easily and are more sensitive to moisture and water than other types of flooring. Do not drag objects over a wood floor and don't use an excessive amount of water when mopping wood floors. When it comes to mopping a wood floor the best type of mop to use is a microfiber mop or a regular well wrung mop. These kinds of mops use a lot less water than regular mops do. Commercial wood cleaners can be used on wood floors, but oil-based soaps or furniture polish should not be used. They may leave a residue behind on the flooring making them slippery.

A common flooring used in residences is laminate floors. Laminate is made of wood and cellulose. Sweeping and damp mopping should be done on a regular basis. Laminate floor cleaning products are available for cleaning. Laminate floors are sensitive to water and moisture, so when you are mopping laminate flooring avoid using an excessive amount of water.