How do I get laminate wood floors shiny?

9 years ago

I know a lot of people have posted on this topic, but I am at a loss. Brand new laminate flooring was installed 4 weeks ago so I know the cause for the dull surface can't be a build up of products. I have a west facing balcony window so I get full sun from the afternoon until sunset. Right after construction my landlord sent a cleaning company to come clean up and when they left the sun was directly on them and my new floors looked lovely and shiny. A few days later I took out my steam mop and cleaned thinking I'm going to have the same nice, shiny floor - bad idea, even though I used nothing but steam the floor was so streaky and in the sunlight there was no hiding it. After much research online I found out this is a common issue with the Shark steam mop so I tried a microfiber cloth and a hot water / vinegar mix in a spray bottle. The streaking was a lot less, but it still had some streaking and didn't have a shine to it. So again, hours spent online reading reviews I decided to go try the Bona system. The store recommended the laminate version not the hardwood one so that's what I bought, and while there are no streaks it is definitely not shiny and in the bright light it almost looks like there's a layer of dust over it all - it's that dull. Other than the cleaning company until today using Bona I've used nothing but water or vinegar.

I haven't been able to get hold of the cleaning company to see what they used, but I can't see that what they did could have caused any build up. Aside from the fact that it looked really nice and shiny when they left, they barely did anything - the woman had a wet cloth, stuck it on a broom and swept the whole floor in about 4 seconds flat. At the time I was even annoyed at how little time she took to do it! But it looked lovely and shiny and I have not been able to replicate it.

I'm starting to think that maybe I should not care about the warnings other users give about using polishing products on wood laminate flooring, saying it causes build up, yellowing, etc, because this is a rental unit. I know that's not the most thoughtful approach but I'm at a loss! If I didn't have direct sunlight all afternoon on the floor I don't think I'd even think about it, but once the sun hits it every speck of dust or dirt is so noticeable along with how dull the floor is, to the point that it's distracting me every afternoon!

Any suggestions?

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Comments (4)

User
9 years ago
Sounds like the heat and steam damaged the top plastic layer. Steam is against all manufacturer's care instructions. That's gonna lose you your security deposit. Your landloris not gonna be happy if you compound your error by applying goop on the floor. Fess up, and pay for the replacement and keep water and steam the heck away from laminate. Or wood.
supercet
Original Author
9 years ago
Um, no. There's no lost security deposit here for numerous reasons, but most importantly because there's nothing to "fess up to", I didn't damage anything. I only cleaned the area that the sun hits, and it looks exactly the same as the rest of the floor that I didn't touch with the steam mop. It's just not shiny when the sun hits it and I'd like it to be. There is ZERO wrong with the floor and in regular light (without direct sunlight) it looks nice and has a faint shine. I would like it to be shiny in the sun the way it was when the cleaning company left. Not to mention, if cleaning the new floor was such a specific issue I should be given instructions from my building manager when the floor was laid down. I wasn't given any info at all on its care and maintenance so I couldn't be blamed even if I did damage it with the steam mop.

I have a unique case because of the sun. Without the sun the floors look fine. I happen to have an extremely bright, well lit living room with north, south and west facing windows / balcony doors that allow an enormous amount of direct sun, which acts like a spotlight showing up every smudge or speck of dust. To combat that I'd like it to be shiny.

So thanks, but not very helpful. I don't need to know what I shouldn't do, I posted because I'd like suggestions on what to do, ie what will make / keep a wood laminate floor in an extremely bright room looking polished.
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You want shine? OK. No problem. First - purchase a laminate that is shiny. To get a floor to be "shiny clean" you have to start with shiny. You don't want to take a low-gloss laminate and try to make it "glossy". It doesn't work like that. And today's fashion is "matte" or low gloss. This leaves those people who need "shiny clean" in a bit of a pickle. And laminate is not wood. It is a photograph of wood (a picture) that is laid over top of fibre board. You are cleaning the photo...not wood. There are products out there (be VERY careful what you wish for) that are "polishes". These polishes can RAISE the gloss level of the floor you use it on. But BUYER BEWARE! These polishes are a NIGHTMARE to deal with after 3-4 applications. They start to peal and bubble and haze and crackle. And that normally spells the beginning of the end of the laminate. To get the polish off, you need to chemically STRIP the floor. And one thing laminates do NOT like is a lot of water/liquid chemicals. So the more you try to get it to be "shiny" the more you will cause yourself grief in the next 5 years. We have seen these polishes KILL a decent laminate. A laminate that SHOULD have lived for 20 years, was killed in less than 5 years! All because the owner wanted "shiny clean". It can be an expensive discovery. Personally, I would use a pH neutral floor cleaner for the laminate you have. And "live" with the gloss level. And then the next time you want to purchase a new floor, remember to buy one that is already shiny. Sorry but that's as good as this gets with laminate.
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Windex Original formula (with the ammonia) will most likely do the trick. Laminate finishes do VERY WELL with Windex. I've used it on finished furniture, hardwood, cork, laminate, vinyl, etc. You'll be fine. First things first: Your cleaning schedule. I'm going to bet this floor is being over cleaned (yes...there is such a thing). With rigid floors, the most important thing is sweeping. Or vacuum with a unit that does NOT have a beater bar (just suction). Here's your cleaning schedule that you will want to take up as a regular habit: 1. Sweep 1-3x per week (or vacuum...either way) 2. Damp mop (water ONLY) 1/week. Damp means so little water the microfiber mop feels 'dry'. 3. Damp "clean" = 1-2x per MONTH. A cleaning product such as water and vinegar is just fine. It should be a 20:1 ratio (20 parts water to 1 part vinegar...some people will use a small bucket of HOT water + 1 tablespoon of white vinegar = just fine). 4. For tough situations (like dried spaghetti sauce) you can use the Windex as a treatment of the area. ***Do NOT use wet swiffers!!!!! In fact the dry swiffers leave behind 'wax'. That wax, over time, can cause build up as well (weird but true). The OVER USE of cleaning products AND the mixing of chemicals (vinegar vs. Bona cleaner) have always caused 'build up' like you are showing in your photos. Relax. Breathe. You are doing fine. Build up can be reversed....with a mild 'stripper' like Windex. Remember: build up is caused by too much cleaner being LEFT BEHIND. Water EVAPORATES but dirt/cleaner does NOT. They stay behind. Over cleaning leaves +++cleaner. And then mixing in vinegar with Bona and you get the one chemical (vinegar) grabbing on to the other cleaner (bona) to create weird looking spots. The fix: use a mild degreaser/stripper like Windex to remove the issue...and start again. Windex works well because it has a HEAVY concentrate of alcohol. The alcohol evaporates VERY quickly meaning your laminate floor (which HATES water...hates, hates, hates, hates water) will not have an issue with being 'too wet'. Which is another reason to stay away from 'over cleaning' these floors. Good luck. Tell us what worked.
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User
9 years ago
Who has to be told to keep water in both liquid and vapor form away from pressed sawdust and paper with a thin plastic coating? Laminate either comes with that pia shows everything piano finish, or it doesn't. If it's a matte finish, you don't make it a shiny one by applying anything.

If it is a piano finish, and it's not shiny now, then it's been damaged, and you're not adding anything to re-create that factory plastic. It's gone for good. If you've already gooped it up and it has a dulling coating on it instead of being damaged, then an old t-shirt with mineral spirits should remove most anything.

The only thing that should touch laminate is a dust mop, or the most wrung out sponge mop possible. If you can get water out of it, it's too wet. If it's piano finish, you should follow up with a microfiber cloth to dry it streak free and not go barefoot as you'll see your footprints (and everthing else).
roof35
9 years ago
Sorry, but your defense that you didn't damage anything had me in stitches.

The net if full of information on how to properly clean every surface available. A steam cleaner isn't one of them for laminate. I know you have a computer to look it up.

How do I get laminate wood floors shiny?

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supercet
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roof35

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How do I get laminate wood floors shiny?

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supercetOriginal Author

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supercet
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