If you’re looking for commercial cleaners, just check the label to find options that say they are safe for vinyl. Otherwise, homemade cleaners work great for vinyl plank flooring. Baking soda paste works well for spot-cleaning, and vinegar mixed with water is best for all-over cleaning. You can even clean your floors with plain water, which is great for everyday maintenance.

Commonly used in garages, epoxy is a synthetic resin coating that goes over the top of concrete surfaces. If you’re deciding between polished concrete and epoxy flooring, the best choice depends on your needs and personal preference. Epoxy is durable and highly customizable, while polished concrete tends to require less maintenance. They’re both long-lasting with similar price points, and professional installation is recommended for each.    

Before starting on a full refinishing project, determine if your floors need to be completely sanded down to the bare wood or if the damage is shallow and mostly cosmetic. Deep scratches and gouges will require you to rough sand using a drum sander or belt sander, but small surface scratches or floors that have only lost their luster don’t need a complete overhaul. Instead, you can skip the rough sanding step and sand-screen the old finish with a buffer, removing only the top layer of polyurethane.

You should strip and wax hardwood floors every six months to two years. The actual length of time between stripping and waxing depends on the wear and tear that the floors see. Stripping and waxing floors can help repair hardwood floor damage and give the room a fresh look.