When I chose the floors I thought they would be a very shiny-finish cherry, however, their finish is very dull and, in my opinion, unattractive. Is there a product that I can apply to them which will make them shiny on a permanent basis? Is this something I could do myself or should I hire a professional to do it? If I use wax how often would I have to reapply it, would it accomplish my purposes and how often would I have to strip it? Thank you in advance for your answers.
2007-01-10 05:33:13 · 6 answers · asked by comet girl...DUCK! 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Decorating & Remodeling
the appearance of laminate floors really can't be changed much. It's kind of like saying is there anything I can put on my wallpaper to make it shinier. I know Home Depot (as well as other stores) has a laminate cleanser that can help you keep your floors clean and it does make it look a little shinier (but that's not it's purpose). you can't wax your laminate floors because they aren't as durable as hardwood floors, stripping the floor would ruin the laminate so don't do it.
2007-01-10 05:45:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As I am unclear on whether you have hardwood floors or laminate floors, I have 2 different answers depending on what is applicable. :)
First off, just make sure we are on the same page, I've defined the 2 different flooring types:
Laminate - these are pictures of hardwood that have been laminated (aka glued directly under high pressure) onto core boards (either an MDF or HDF). These cannot be re-sanded or re-finished and nowadays usually comes in click-together install.
Hardwood - these are actual wood floors, made from lumber that can be plain sawn (the most common type), quarter sawn (premium type), or rift sawn. Comes in engineered, solid, and veneer. Of these three hardwood types, only the veneer cannot be re-sanded or refinished.
If you have laminate floors, do not use wax. Consult the manufacturer's maintenance instructions for the best cleaner to use. Since you want something shinier, it would be better that you get new laminates that come in a high-gloss finish.
If you have hardwood floors, again depending on the manufacturer's maintenance instructions, you may or may not use wax. If the finish used on it is water-based, you would definitely need to use a no-wax cleaner. To make it shiny, assuming it is not a veneer hardwood, you would need to re-sand and re-finish the floors with a high-gloss polyurethane finish. Bear in mind that any finish will wear out eventually, so a certain level of maintenance and care would be involved. You would also need to re-finish it after a few years.
Hope this helps. Cheers! :)
2007-01-11 22:08:36 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have wood laminate floors in my dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and family room.
On purpose, I chose a matte finish for the kitchen because I'm a bit of a klutz and spill a lot. LOL The rest of the rooms we have a shinier finish.
Do you have any of the original boards? You might want to compare one with what's laid down. Check to see if the gleam has toned down or your memory and/or expectations have ramped up. That is not meant as a joke. I used to be a financial advisor before I became too disabled. The largest part of my time was spent in managing client expectations. Yours may have veered off-course, is all.
It says right on all the cartons of the product (I used a couple of different manufacturers) that the best cleaning for laminate is clear, warm/hot water with a terry cloth flat mop followed by a wipe down to dry.
I have, on occasion (and especially in the kitchen!), had to use a shot of Mr. Clean that I have mixed up in a spritzer bottle from the Dollar Store. After spraying the cleanser, I scrub the spot, and rinse. I have two spritzer bottles. One for plain water and one for the the cleanser.
If you leave ANY kind of cleanser on the floor and allow it to dry I GUARANTEE you that the finish will become dull instantaneously. (So no answering the phone once you start the mopping, as I found out the hard way, once.)
Lanimate is a manufactured product. It CANNOT be sanded or varnished. Acrylic floor "waxes" will make the laminate unsafely slippery. All you need is for a guest to fall in your home and sue you! Judith
2007-01-10 15:19:41 · answer #3 · answered by Judith S 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
First visit a mom & pop type of carpet and flooring place or paint store and ask them for the proper product you should use and the steps YOU would have to do plus the cost to you to buy the materials... Then also ask them the price for THEM to do it. You may be surprised that it will be more than worth it to have them fix your problem...
Hope this helps but I didn't really have the "how to" of it so did the best I could to lead you in the right direction.
GOOD LUCK
2007-01-10 13:41:54 · answer #4 · answered by H.O.T. Dog 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
call a hardwood floor re-finisher and ask him if there Is anything that he can do for you. that's their business, and if your floors need to be stripped first, he would have the right equipment to do it. when we had our hardwood floors redone i asked about changing the gloss down the road if we wanted more. he said they have screens for their machines to scuff the surface, very fine, so the polyurethane finish would bond. that sounds like just what you need. good luck, hope this helps.
2007-01-10 14:45:43 · answer #5 · answered by car dude 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I live by alot of Amish, and they all have wood floors. And I don't think all of them are real wood. But anyways, thier floors are all so shiney it is unbelievable. They put LOTS of coats of varnish on them. It makes them more durable with all the coats. And all they do to clean them is use plain water! No cleaners of any kind on them! So maybe you could call a floor company to see if it is o.k. to varnish yours.
2007-01-10 13:53:18 · answer #6 · answered by Shari 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋