How to shine my matte finish laminate floors without a wax build up?
Sharon Harris
3 years ago
All my floors in my entire house with the exception of bedrooms and bathrooms are covered with this matte laminate wood flooring. The floors has grooves and cut outs to resemble actual wood and is in my opinion made of plastic since it is considered a waterproof floor. At the design center when I selected the material I had no idea it was matte finish. Is there anyway possible to get it to shine? Like I said it is everywhere!
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Sharon Harris
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Looking for Tung Oil/Wax or? for Hardwood Floor Care
Comments (18)Thank you all so very much. Seems Waterlox is the way to go. There is only one dealer in BC appearing on their website and he ain't none too close at hand! :-)) I'll keep my fingers crossed they have more and just haven't updated yet. :-)) So now, do I have this right? #1 Vacc thoroughly #2 Go over floor with a damp microfibre mop #3 Add stain to Waterlox Low Sheen (how does one decide on the amount of stain??) #4 Apply with Lambswool Applicator(s) - Just one coat? #5 Leave house for 3-4 days. :-)) I will do in late Spring so windows/doors can be open. Concern #1 - I have an elderly (20 years) cat and a not-so-puppy-anymore puppy. Puppy doesn't travel well and frankly neither does cat girl. I was thinking perhaps tenting in the backyard (Cat girl will just LOVE that -- NOT!). Does it really take 3-4 days for the odor to settle? I'm only doing the liv/din & a short set of stairs (2 down to front entrance hall). Cat girl spends her time upstairs. What kind of challenges might I have? Concern #2 I have a couple of round rings which are very dark. Something like a plant watermark but waay darker than the floor stain. No idea what its from. Should I sand those areas first do you think? Roccocogurl - if I were to try the Sofix first, what would I need to do if I decided to go with the Waterlox after the fact? My concern is I REALLY don't want any *shine* but simply the richness of old well polished wood. BTW Breezy your kitchen + floors look FAB but I'm thinking a wee bit shiny for moi. Thanks everyone for sharing. This (what to do - what to do thing) has been bothering me for some time. It's so great to have folks who don't want shiny floors offer input and ideas. Hugs Holly...See MoreAnyone have Formica matte black laminate?
Comments (8)My kitchen laminate is white, but until somebody with real-life experience comes along, here are some threads I found with posts about solid black laminate (matte or otherwise.) There are some posts in each of these threads that mention how it may show dust, water marks, etc, but this may be one of those issues that just depends on how much it bothers you personally. Show me pictures of your black (laminate) countertops! Black Counter Owners Using black formica instead of slate to get that look I do have a small wet bar area with old glossy black Formica, and that small countertop is a bear to keep looking nice because of the dust and water marks. (We don't have a water softener so water splashes can leave little white marks, which doesn't help.) DH is not a big wiper-upper. But glossy black laminate may be a different animal from matte black...?...See MoreNewly waxed floor not slippery, shows every footprint
Comments (7)I tried calling Osmo North America today. No answer at the tech support line and the mailbox was full. I left a voicemail on the sales line. I did clean with Wash & Care first, and the floor seemed clean and dry after. Seems like I probably did use too much. I tried to use 2 teaspoons per square meter but I was eyeballing it. I had found those same instructions and gotten the impression that I would be applying it, then removing some during the buffing. But it seems like it didn't dry and can't be wiped off enough. Since it has kind of an oily look, I just tried cleaning a small test area with Dawn dish soap (soapy paper towel --> wet paper towel --> dry paper towel), and that actually looks more like I expected. I might try that on a larger area before resorting to mineral spirits, but thanks for the info that that's the solvent to try. If Osmo calls back I'll ask them too. I'll report back in a few days when I have time to work on this again. Thanks so much for the responses!...See MoreWeird white marks on my laminate floor - how do I get this off?!
Comments (2)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....See More
SJ McCarthy
3 years agoSharon Harris
3 years agoSJ McCarthy
3 years agoSharon Harris
3 years agoChris Shemonek Hettinga
3 years agoSharon Harris
3 years agoChris Shemonek Hettinga
3 years agoHee Sha
last year
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