FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Floor Talk! is celebrating its 1 year anniversary!

The mission of the floor Floor Talk! blog is to offer another valuable tool from the WFCA (World Floor Covering Association) that helps consumers make informed and smart choices when it comes to flooring.  Our goal is also to help those that have made flooring purchases learn more about what they have purchased as well as how to maintain their purchase.

Over the past year, Floor Talk! has offered:

• Answers to reader questions
• Maintenance tips and hints
• Advice on color trends for the year
• Findings from trade shows
• Green products and information

The most popular blogs of the past year have been:

• How to choose a grout color
• The right way to clean ceramic tile
• 2008 color trends
• The difference between vinyl and linoleum
• How to maintain hardwood flooring
• Exotic hardwood

We have thoroughly enjoyed finding the latest products to share with you, reporting on what’s hot and what’s not, sharing pictures of beautiful floors from around the world and more. We love hearing from you and writing about what you want to know -so keep the comments and questions coming!

Thanks for all of the support for a wonderful year and we look forward to another great one!

Care and Maintenance

• Floors should never be flooded with water or be allowed to have standing water. This can loosen the adhesive.

• Care should be taken with heavy furniture and appliances. Furniture protectors should be used that are at least 2” in diameter. The hard and small buttons sometimes found on the bottom of chairs and other pieces of furniture should be removed. High heeled shoes also apply here.

• Protect the floors from dirt and grit that can be tracked in by using walk off mats at every entrance.

• Do not use rubber backed mats. Certain rubber compounds can permanently stain vinyl.

• Never use vinegar, acetone or lacquer thinner to clean these floors.

• For extreme staining like nail polish , paint, dye and permanent markers try applying fingernail polish remover that contains acetone, but is not pure acetone with a soft cloth and gently rub.

• Spills should be removed immediately.

• The floor should be swept, dust mopped or vacuumed on a regular basis.

• Stubborn rubber heel marks can be removed with a soft cloth dampened with mineral spirits.

• When the floor gets build up, consult the with the manufacturer’s recommended cleaner system to see if a stripper is available.

Luxury Vinyl tile floors are a durable, affordable and attractive alternative to ceramic tile, natural stone and hardwood. Styles are available and patterns can be created for a modern or traditional look. These floors have something to offer most everyone for most applications.

Advantages to these floor include:

• Ease on joints
• More quiet underfoot than most hard surfaces
• Easy to maintain
• Available in wide variety of styles, colors and sizes
• Commercial and residential use
• Real wood, tile and stone looks
• Easier installation than ceramic or stone

If you have a flooring project and are looking for an alternative to hardwood, tile or stone click here for a retailer in your area and ask to see samples of luxury vinyl tile today!

Question:

We have just built a 20 by 14 foot four seasons sunroom in place of our deck in the Texas Hill Country. The substrate is plywood, and we will be adding a 3/8 layer on top for a smoother surface, since some of the knot holes are deep. Underneath are both insulation and a moisture barrier. The room contains a heater air conditioner, but we were planning to leave that on extreme temps of 85 F when unoccupied and about 45 or 50 in winter. The room has many sliding windows and a propane fireplace.

We have had a couple instances of leaking, hopefully repaired now. A very low maintenance, grandchild friendly floor is desired, so vinyl seems a good choice, but I cannot verify the temperatures it can handle. We can maintain good temperature for installation.

Do you have any suggestions? The local Home Depot has Allure by Traffic Master, and another local store would order Armstrong. Though I think the cushion kind would not be good with animals and kid ride on toys.

Any suggestions you have will be much appreciated!

Answer: To determine what floors are suitable for temperatures like 85 degrees, it really is best to check with each individual manufacturer’s specific guidelines or ask a trusted retailer. (For store locaters in your area, click here.) Other products you might want to consider are cork and products like Mannington’s Adura.

For a general guideline on vinyl : All resilient products must be stored in a protected interior location, ideally one that can be climate controlled.

Optimum storage temperatures are between a low of 65ºF and high of 100ºF. Additionally, the humidity of the

storage area should be controlled and maintained between 30% and 70%.

For the entire life of the floor, the temperature should never fall below 55°F or exceed 90°F. If this minimum temperature

cannot be maintained, the performance of the flooring products and adhesives can be adversely affected. Ideally

the job site relative humidity will be maintained in the 40% to 50% range.

Cork can definitely be used in warmer temperatures because it is used in hot yoga rooms all the time! Another great benefit of cork is its retention and cushioned feeling. This would be a great choice for the kids with toys if your design style coordinates with cork.