Every home has several key components in common – they all have walls, ceilings and floors. Everyone knows that not all walls are the same, but few people examine the differences in floors to determine what makes some flooring fail and what makes some flooring succeed.
The primary reason why good flooring fails is simple misuse. People do not install the flooring correctly, or they use it in the wrong part of the house, causing undo wear and stress on the floor. Here are some tips to help you avoid the classic pitfalls that many homeowners face when dealing with their flooring.
Hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are considered to be one of the nicest and most luxuries surfaces in any home. Older hardwood floors, especially, are built to last and can be several inches thick. New hardwood floors, however, are easy to scratch and tend to be very thin.
When caring for hardwood floors, many people make the mistake of mopping them. In fact, good hardwood floors should never be touched with water. Water has a tendency to warp wood and cause swelling that is irreversible.
Hardwood floors are also easy to scratch. When moving furniture, many people drag it on the floor, thinking that the marks left behind can be buffed out. While this may be true for some other types of flooring, hardwood floors will need to not only be buffed, but also refinished to truly get deep marks removed. Even so, many people find that the scratches can be so great that they need to actually replace entire planks within their floors.
Tile
Tile floors are strong, reliable and easy to clean. The most common complaints pertaining to tile floors are that: 1. The grout in between the tiles stains easily, and 2: when heavy objects are dropped on the tiles, they break too easily. To circumvent having stains in between tiles, many people opt for a darker shade of grout, such as dark grey or dark sand. Tile chipping is hard to avoid in the event that a heavy item is dropped on the tile, but taking precautions can help to avoid it.
Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring is a popular and economic options that many families invest in for their bathrooms and kitchen. However, like hardwood floors, laminate can be easily scratched. When it is scratched, entire panels or sections of the flooring must be replaced, which can cause discoloration in the entire floor.
Also, many laminate floors begin to wear after several years. As they wear, either the coloring or texture begins to fade, or the sides and corners become worn and peel up, revealing the underside of the laminate.
Carpet
Carpet used to be the most popular flooring in the modern home. However, many homeowners quickly discovered that it requires too much maintenance and presents too many health problems to make it valuable long-term.
Carpet, even treated, is easy to stain. When the carpet stains, entire panels or sections must be replaced. As carpet wears differently in different lights and footpaths, it is nearly impossible to make a seamless replacement. Many people opt, instead, to regularly have their carpet cleaned for a premium sum of money.