"When I bought this house, it was was filthy, smelled horrible from outside even, was rodent and roach-infested. Counters, floors were wet and rotting. Everything had to be torn out and rebuilt. Now my home is beautiful. The bathrooms are lovely. There were no short-cuts or rush jobs, or anything left unfinished. I’ve had neighbors and friends who are in building and construction admire and compliment the high quality of the work done on my home. Most people who come in comment on the beautiful flooring, or the cleanliness of the walls and ceilings. I live in a quiet, gated community and there was never a complaint about a mess outside or noise. Very clean."
Sweep daily, use appropriate cleaners, and avoid abrasive tools to maintain the shine.
Baking soda is an excellent choice for a natural dog urine neutralizer. You can sprinkle it on a stain, leave it overnight, and then vacuum it in the morning to help rid your hardwoods of the dog urine smell. Hydrogen peroxide is another odor neutralizer, but be careful not to mix it with other household cleaners.
You can embrace minimalism when it comes to cleaning vinyl plank flooring. Water or diluted vinegar both work great for mopping and are much better options than some other cleaners that can damage the protective coating on these floors. Ammonia or solvent-based polishes can both break down the top layer. Also, avoid “mop-and-shine” cleaners, which tend to leave behind residue on vinyl plank floors.
You can regularly clean your Marmoleum® flooring by sweeping, vacuuming, and damp mopping with a neutral cleaner. Avoid using highly abrasive materials or high-pH cleaners to prevent cracking, warping, or discoloration, and never wet mop, as heavy water exposure can damage the floors. Marmoleum® floors have a topcoat called TopShield preinstalled, so you do not need to polish them.
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.
The Crowell, TX homeowners’ guide to floor polishing services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Polished concrete floor costs depend on the size of the area you’re targeting and the style of concrete floor. Our guide breaks down all the cost factors.
It’s impossible to keep floors damage-free over the years. Thankfully, the cost to refinish hardwood floors is far less than the price tag to replace them altogether.