InDepot Flooring

Toronto Laminate & Hardwood Flooring Specialist

Wholesale - Retails - Professional Installation TeamPr

InDepot Flooring Inc.
2776 Kennedy Rd.
Scarborough, ON M1T 3J2
Canada
ph: 416-602-6068
fax: 416-291-0998
alt: 416-666-2030
sales@indepotflooring.com

Flooring Product Info

How To Clean Your Hardwood Floors
From About.com

You'll find simple how-tos about caring for hardwood floors. Learn what supplies to use, how often to clean, and a list of a wood floors worst enemies. This is an easy how-to with good basic information for every homeowner
Sweep wood floors often with a soft, fine bristle broom.
Vacuum once or twice a week to remove dirt and sand. Use a soft brush attachment to minimize scratching.
Since water is one of a wood floors worst enemies, get rid of water right away! Remove wet spills ASAP with soft towels or a wet/dry vacuum, then dry thoroughly.
Use a very dry damp mop when mopping polyurethaned wood floors, since excess water can seep into seams and ruin a wood floor.
Consider using carpet runners (with non-skid pads) over wood floors in high traffic areas.
Vacuum area rugs and runners often so dirt doesn't filter down through the weave and scratch the wood underneath.
If possible, do not wear heavy shoes or high heels on hardwood floors, as some heels can cause dents.
Never drag furniture or other objects across a wood floor. Instead, clean the floor thoroughly to remove dust and grit, then use "gliding" furniture pads underneath the piece to aid sliding it across the floor.
Install floor mats at each entrance so you don't track in dirt from the bottoms of shoes.
Be sure to follow manufacturer recommendations to treat flooring scratches and dents. If an area of the finish is damaged by water, it may be difficult to fix it.
Use furniture pads to place under table and chair legs and on the feet of dressers and armoires. They can be purchased at a local hardware store or home center.
Some floors may require periodic waxing and buffing. Get recommendations from the manufacturer for the specific procedures for your floor.
Tips:
Use area rugs in high traffic areas.
Always remove spills promptly. While small drips of water may not harm the floor, be sure not to let excess amounts of water sit on the floor.
Find out cleaning and care requirements for your specific floor from the manufacturer.

Test some laminate flooring before buying

Steve Maxwell
Special to the star

Laminate flooring came to Canada nearly 20 years ago, and while I've been watching the flooring and the people who choose it for their homes, I've noticed something that's not true about other flooring choices. Laminates please a lot of people, but they also disappoint more than a few homeowners, too. The varied outcome, it seems, depends on the flooring you choose, where you use it and your expectations.
Are you thinking about a new hard-surface floor for your home? Let me help you decide about laminates by offering the kind of cautionary information you won't find in sales brochures.
Laminates were originally developed in Europe and are based on a high-density fibreboard core covered with a visible, outer layer that simulates wood, stone or tile. Some laminates are available in plain colours, too. Neighbouring pieces fit together with tongue-and-groove edges, without attaching to the underlying floor at all. Original designs required all these edge joints to be glued together, but most modern laminates click together with a self-locking, glueless tongue-and-groove joint.
I happen to like laminates a lot – at least, the right kind of laminates. That's why I chose to install it a couple of weeks ago in the office loft I'm completing over my workshop.
Most people recognize that laminates are fast and easy to install with a minimum of mess. What you probably don't understand is how very simple the work really is.
My 10- and 17-year-old sons and I put down about 500 square feet of flooring in my office in one day, including some areas that required fancy cutting. It got to the point where my youngest helper could quickly and easily install the flooring all on his own, unattended, as fast as any carpenter.
Professional installation costs are typically 50 per cent extra on top of flooring costs alone, so there's good money to be saved if you put it down yourself.
DIY success is easy, provided you understand several essential tricks.

Besides speed, laminate flooring is also one of the best wood-type options for installation above radiant in-floor heat. It resists drying and shrinkage better than solid wood floors, and it also requires no nails that might puncture the plastic heating pipes that carry warm water. Laminates simply float, installed over a thin layer of medium density foam underlay that compensates for the inevitable small bumps and depressions in the underlying subfloor.
Laminates can be exceptionally durable, but not always. And this is exactly where disappointment sets in for some homeowners who select a particular laminate without sufficient understanding. Too often, people unwittingly choose a low-priced version without realizing that there's a huge difference in physical durability. The best versions are tough enough to happily endure use in stores and restaurants where people walk on the floor all day long wearing gritty street shoes.
At the other end of the spectrum, you'll find laminates that chip and scratch with annoying ease. And since damage like this can't be repaired flawlessly, you need to choose a product that's tough enough by design.
There are two ways to get a sense of the durability of the laminates you're considering. The first is to look at products that are specifically rated for heavy residential or light commercial applications. Next, buy a single bundle of your favourite product and temporarily click it together in the highest traffic area of your home for several weeks. Besides giving you an accurate sense of resistance to scratching and chipping, you'll also see how the flooring shows dirt.
Many dark colours look terrific in the showroom but show up dust and grime much more obviously than lighter designs.

Steve Maxwell, technical editor of Canadian Home Workshop, appears Saturdays in New in Homes.