"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."
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.
While every professional home cleaner will have their own preference, most will use a commercial floor cleaner specifically manufactured for laminate floors. They will also use a vacuum or microfiber cloth to remove loose grit before breaking out the mop. Some cleaners will also make a final pass with a dry and clean cloth to dry your laminate floors for a smooth shine.
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.
Most DIY floor cleaners don’t require rinsing, but you’ll want to make sure you don’t add too much dish soap or oil to the cleaner to avoid having to rinse it after cleaning. For non-wood floors, mix 8 parts warm water, 1 part vinegar, and 1 part baking soda with a few drops of dish soap. For wood floors, use olive oil in that same mixture instead of the vinegar. You can let these solutions air-dry after cleaning your floors with them, although you should manually dry your floors if they aren’t waterproof.
Yes, you can polish an existing concrete floor—as long as the slab is structurally sound and in good shape. In fact, that’s what makes this type of flooring upgrade so appealing. Polishing works best on bare concrete with minimal surface damage, although you can usually repair cracks and stains before the grinding and buffing begins. Instead of ripping out your existing concrete floor, polishing it can turn it into a high-shine showpiece that’s both practical and sleek.
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.
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.
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.