Polishing floors is not a new thing. Way back in history already, women used to take great pride in polishing up their wooden floors and furniture. The shinier, the better. Wooden flooring has remained throughout the years, however the prices thereof has escalated drastically. Therefore, it is good to know that there is an affordable alternative to real wood floors. This comes in the form of laminate wood flooring.
Laminate wooden flooring offers many benefits and a few of the most important ones will be mentioned below before we discuss a natural approach to polishing hard wood floors:
- Many style options to choose from
There is a seemingly endless variety of styles to choose from when shopping around for laminate flooring. This gives the home owners quite a lot of choice and freedom and ensures that they can find an option that perfectly suits the style of their home.
- Easy to clean and maintain
Real wooden floors are quite high maintenance as they need to be treated, cleaned and polished with specialist products. Laminated floors can be easily cleaned with a solution of soapy water or some vinegar in water. All home owners should note that cloths and mops used on laminated floors only need to be damp and not soaking wet.
- Cost effective
With the economy only just recovering, many home owners are looking for excellent value for their money. Laminated flooring provides a chic, low maintenance and durable flooring solution at an affordable price. Laminated flooring just makes a lot more financial sense when compared to the real wood floor alternative.
- Easy installation process
When installing real wooden floors, you would need to call in a professional. The installation process would be expensive and quite lengthy. Laminated flooring can easily be installed by home owners and the floors can be installed directly on top of the existing floors. The preparation needed is quite minimal.
- Long lasting
Laminated floors are extremely hard wearing. They are topped with a protective coat so they are not easily damaged or scratched. Real wood floors are quite easy to scratch and if you entertain often, have any children or pets then you should consider laminated floors instead.
However, if you have the money for it and you prefer the real thing over laminate flooring and especially DIY laminate wooden flooring, then you need to keep in mind that it takes a lot more polishing and maintenance than the cheaper version.
Real wooden floors have to be polished with specific products, unlike laminate wooden floors that can be mopped with soapy water or a vinegar and water solution. There are a lot of different oils that can be used on wooden flooring to enhance the shine and keep it looking newer for longer. From all the options available, Jojoba oil seems to be the most popular. The reason is that this oil dries fairly quickly and doesn’t leave any streaks on the wood. Many home owners prefer using natural oils when polishing their real wood floors. It is safer and generally has a much more pleasant aroma.
If you are fond of animals or if you have little children, you should possibly consider making use of DIY laminate flooring until your kids are grown up or your dogs have learned to stay outside. Scratches on real wooden floors are very difficult to mask. As mentioned above, the good thing about laminated wood is that the hard surface prevents it from getting scratched and damaged. There are many laminate wooden flooring companies in and around Cape Town that will be more than happy to help you pick out the right combinations for your home.
Just the same, they will most likely be able to advise you on the best maintenance and polishing options for your particular brand of real wooden flooring as well. Never try to mix your own polishing solution using regular cleaning products, as you will end up with awful-looking wooden floors that you will be unable to fix again. Also, there are many informative websites and online forums that provide helpful tips and advice for those looking for information about polishing real wood floors with a natural oil or product.