One of their most popular todayflooring - laminate. It is stronger and more aesthetic than linoleum, more modern and more practical than parquet. That is why laminate is preferred in the choice of flooring. Yes, and the price is quite acceptable. Only here, unlike the same linoleum and parquet, known to us since the Soviet era, laminate causes some concerns among the owners in the matter of caring for this still unfamiliar for us flooring. However, everything is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Caring for a laminate is surprisingly simple, although it requires certain knowledge. One of the advantages of this coating can easily be called easiness in cleaning, but errors in care affect its service life. Let's try to figure out how to take care of the floor, covered with laminate, so that he served for a long time and did not start creaking a few months after stacking. For this you need only:
- clean every day;
- clean contamination correctly;
- use special detergents.
It is these moments of care for the laminate we'll consider.
What is a laminate?
Laminate - floor covering with laminatedstructure. Its most vulnerable part is the top layer. This is a thin film that protects the wood panel from mechanical damage, ultraviolet rays and moisture. This, strictly speaking, is a laminating layer, which is made of acrylic resin or melamine. In addition to protecting the laminate from external influences, this film has a dust repellent property. Therefore, daily cleaning of the floor of the laminate is limited to using a vacuum cleaner. Wet cleaning is not necessary every day and because of the ambiguous water repellent properties of the laminate. The fact is that for different rooms manufacturers offer laminate of different degree of water resistance. However, for example, in the bathroom or in the kitchen, it is desirable to lay a laminate, where a wax coating is applied to the locking joint. This will help prevent water from entering the seams between the laminated boards. And for rooms with a normal level of humidity, a less waterproof coating is suitable, and wet cleaning should be carried out not more than three times a week. However, it is also necessary to wash the laminate properly.
Washing and cleaning of laminate
How to take care of a covered floorlaminated board, doing wet cleaning? Firstly, for washing the laminate, you can use only special household chemicals. But this is only when it is necessary to remove strong contaminants, such as, for example, marks from markers, lipstick or shoe polish, greasy and sweet stains from food, glue, wax, chewing gum. Special means for washing the laminate are marked accordingly, but in an emergency you can use any detergent with a neutral ratio of PH and even acetone (only in a small amount!). How to remove different spots from a laminate coating? To do this, first apply the detergent on the stain and leave it for a few minutes. When the stain dissolves, it is peeled off with a soft cloth moistened with clean water. Then wipe the cleaned surface dry. If there is a need to remove complex contaminants, then special or alternative means are used for this.
- For organic stains (juice, blood, fat, wine) use special or neutral cleaners.
- To remove synthetic or combined contaminants (ink, markers, shoe cream, lipstick), use acetone, methyl alcohol or Laminatclear or Loba.
- To clean the laminate from wax, glue orThe chewing gum is used by the scraper, but only after the drying or hardening of the cake is completely dry. After this, the laminate is treated with a restoring paste.
At the next everyday cleaning the laminate is wipeda damp soft rag without the addition of detergents, and then wipe it dry. The most important thing when washing a laminate is to squeeze the rag well so that the water does not flow into the seams between the boards. And in order to safely wash or clean the laminate, you should never use abrasive, alkaline or acidic cleaning and detergents, as well as very hard brushes or metal washcloths. If on the laminate there are scratches, then it is necessary to use special repair (repair) compounds or special paste. This mini-repair will not only mask the scratches, but in fact, restore the lime coating. Therefore, in a house where there are small children, pets, heavy furniture or furniture on wheels, it is necessary to have a restoring paste, suitable in color to the laminate.
Elimination of deformations
Laminate flooring usually serveslong. But even such a modern and durable coating is subject to deformation. The first sign of deformation of the laminated board is the creaking that occurs when walking. Most often, the cause of the appearance of the creaking is flaws in the laying of the laminate. And no one is immune from this. Laminate can soon begin to creak and walk underfoot in new buildings, in houses with uneven floors, in violation of laying technology and when choosing a substandard or simply unsuitable substrate. But even in the absence of all these reasons to provoke deformation of the laminate, moisture can penetrate into the joints between the boards and simply the high humidity in the room. In addition to the creaking that occurs when walking on a laminate, it may appear bloated or dented from heavy furniture or strikes. And such deformation can arise both on a completely new coating, and on the one that is exploited long enough. Most of the modern laminated coatings are laid using a lock joint. This makes it possible to eliminate the scratch by replacing the deformed boards. Laminate is simply dismantled in the place where the deformation occurred and replaced with new elements. Note that this procedure can be performed several times. If, after repair, the blister appears in other places of the floor covering, then in this case it is necessary to completely shift the laminate, having previously leveled the floor, replacing the substrate and deformed boards. For laminate with glued joint, a similar procedure is possible in principle, but more time-consuming. Therefore, in order to avoid such incidents behind the laminate, it is necessary to properly care and observe the technology when laying it.
Helpful Tips
- If a dent appeared on the laminate, which onlybreaks the aesthetic appearance of the coating. In this case, the damaged bar can be replaced by the whole, changing them by places. For example, take a board from an invisible site (under the sofa or under the bed).
- If a wax coating appeared on the laminate, thatpossibly due to the reaction of the protective film with some detergents. In this case, the laminate is wiped with water, diluted with a bite (for four liters of water - a glass of bite bite). The old plaque is pre-softened with a conventional hair dryer.
- Old dirt from scratches and texturehelp remove baking soda. It is diluted with water to a paste, applied to a contaminated area, and then wiped with a damp, clean cloth.
- To make the laminate shine use a composition made from one glass of water, one glass of vinegar, half a glass of lemon juice and a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid.
- Matte strips on the laminate are easy to remove with the help of a regular stationery eraser. The eraser just erases such strips and stains from the laminate.
- In rooms where the floor gets dirty very quickly (kitchen, hallway), for daily cleaning use a mixture of two tablespoons of baby shampoo and four liters of water.
Use these tips when cleaning, and thenYour laminate flooring will always look neat, and the laminate will last long and surely. Care for laminate on the strength of any hostess. All in your hands! Good luck! We advise you to read: