Table of Contents
- CoreTec is Luxury Vinyl Tile LVT manufactured as planks or tiles; you can lay them down in a tile-like fashion. The manufacturing process is revolutionary as it renders a high-quality wood simulation that is waterproof and easy to install.
- CoreTec floors are beautiful and easy to maintain vinyl planks that possess all the aesthetic qualities of hardwood floors. However, while CoreTec materials are easy to install, they also involve a certain amount of time and effort dedicated to surface maintenance.
- To clean the CoreTec flooring properly, follow a few simple care steps. It’s possible to keep the floor in your room looking beautiful for years. Keep reading to discover how to do it!
CoreTec flooring—introduction
What’s the best way to provide your home with a high-end look on a budget?
We’re here to tell you that there’s nothing like CoreTec floors—highly durable and waterproof vinyl plank flooring—combing:
- the advantages of vinyl flooring, with
- the great looks of hardwood flooring;
Isn’t it precisely what we’re looking for each time?
Now, the question is not whether to invest in vinyl plank flooring. Instead, our actual concern is making flooring last for long and in good shape.
In this article, we’ll break down:
- which cleaning products to use to clean your CoreTec,
- why you should avoid the direct light on your flooring,
- how to avert dust-related scratches,
- whether to use warm water, vinegar, or soap for cleaning,
- if you should use vacuum, broom, or mop when you clean CoreTec floors;
Charming vinyl-made CoreTec with its beveled edges resembles real wood planks.
Yet, since it’s not wood, you can clean your CoreTec in a broader range of ways (as long as you use the correct cleaning agents and equipment).
Keep exploring this article and adopt some new daily routines to keep your CoreTec floors always looking new.
Maintenance tips
We can’t wait to find out ways to clean CoreTec flooring properly. Are you ready?
CoreTec vinyl flooring products come as planks with beveled edges. This quality makes them look like hardwood floors. Yet, this flooring’s features and cleaning methods are far different from those of hardwood flooring—keep that in mind before the first cleaning!
CoreTec floor is easy to both install and clean. The popular angle tap locking system allows for low-prep and simple installation over most existing floors. Check House Rituals for other household-related tips.
Tip: If you don’t feel like setting up vinyl flooring is your thing, and non-abrasive adhesive pads don’t ring a bell, reach out for professional flooring services. It may be a better choice than installing CoreTec floors by yourself and doing it wrong (although there’s not much to go wrong, actually).
Painting
Before we get to cleaning vinyl flooring, let’s have a quick look at the painting process and its requirements.
What you’ll need are a simple bucket, general-purpose cleaner, sponge or cloth, wood filler, putty knife, medium-grit sandpaper, vacuum, microfiber cloth, deglosser, rubber gloves, eye protection, blue painter’s tape, small brush, primer, large brush or roller, porch, and floor paint;
Now, with this set of handy tools, you can start painting a vinyl floor, which is a money-saving way to refresh your CoreTec floor if it has seen better days.
First, fill a bucket with warm water and some general-purpose cleaner. Then, dip a sponge or cloth in the cleaning solution and use it to remove any dirt or wax buildup on your CoreTec flooring. Let it dry and have a coffee as a reward for a good job!
Now, as your floor gets dry, check it out for any cracks or holes in the vinyl surface. If necessary, fill them with wood filler and make them smooth with a putty knife. In the end, sand them with medium-grit sandpaper.
Vacuum the floor to remove debris and wipe it down with a damp microfiber cloth. We want any traces of dust out. Now!
We know that cleaning and priming are tedious jobs, yet, keep in mind that every step is essential to achieving a painted finish that will last long.
Apply a deglosser to the vinyl floor with a clean cloth and allow the floor to dry afterward. Using this product removes the vinyl floor’s gloss, allowing the paint to adhere to the surface more readily.
Before reaching out for a deglosser, wear rubber gloves and eye protection. When using this product, it’s best to ventilate the room with fresh air.
Apply a thin coat of primer to the floor using a large brush or roller. After it dries, apply a second thin coat and allow the floor to dry again.
Tip: Don’t forget to consult the instructions on the paint can to determine the drying time needed between coats.
Apply a second light coat of paint.
Applying two or more coats of paint over two or more coats of primer will help make the finish more impervious.
Also, a typical, ordinary latex enamel might look good on your Coretec Floor for a while, but this pleasure won’t last long. So, use a porch and floor paint as they’re created on purpose to hold up to foot traffic.
Protective mats
Speaking about protection: one of the most popular and effective ways to protect CoreTec flooring is by using protective mats.
We typically place mats outside entrances and exits of the house.
Their job is to:
- absorb soil and moisture, and
- trap excessive dirt, sand, grit, oil, asphalt, driveway sealer, and any other residue that you would otherwise track inside;
Also, mind your shoes! When walking on CoreTec flooring, avoid:
- stiletto-style heels,
- cleats, or
- spiked golf shoes;
These shoes may cause scratches and indentations on your luxury vinyl flooring.
Permanent pads
Consider using a permanent pad under furniture legs to shield your vinyl floors from scratches.
These “invisible” protectors of your CoreTec flooring will minimize mechanical damage;
It’s useful to know ways to clean CoreTec effectively, but it’s even more important to learn how not to let your flooring get dirty or damaged in the first place.
Tip: Use 100% latex-backed mats; those with a rubber backing could cause the flooring to discolor.
Let’s say you’ve just installed CoreTec flooring in the main room of your apartment.
At this point, you should remember not to put any furnishing on the floor until the grout and adhesive under the vinyl planks have had enough time to dry.
- grouted vinyl floors need 48 hours,
- other vinyl floors need 24 hours;
Then, always be careful when moving heavy appliances on CoreTec floors.
CoreTec flooring is durable, but always pay attention to preventing your vinyl flooring products from heavy mechanical damage or tearing anyway.
Tip: To move bigger pieces, take strips of hardboard panels or plywood, lay them on the floor, and place the piece of furniture or appliance on them. Then slide, roll or walk it across the boards.
Heavy and rarely moved pieces of furniture should have furniture legs, a caster, a cup, or a large, flat, non-staining surface floor protector—with flat, smooth glides with self-adhesive felt pads.
Important: Avoid using dome-shaped, minor, or narrow metal glides.
Check your non-abrasive adhesive pads regularly for wear and dirt and replace them when needed.
Mobile appliances and furniture should have casters with a diameter of 2” and ¾” hard rubber non-staining treads that swivel effortlessly.
Keep your floor away from heat dangers as they can burn, fade or discolor your floor.
Steer clear of the direct contact of your CoreTec flooring with:
- refrigerators,
- ranges, and
- other heat-producing appliances, or hot air registers that produce heat over 120°F;
Sunlight
What looks like a delightful natural light for us can be a killer for our luxury vinyl planks.
Coretec Flooring requires UV rays sunlight protection.
Materials that these durable CoreTec floors are made of can fade or get discolored if overexposed to the sun’s intense light.
Ensure to keep window coverings closed during the heaviest light times of the day.
Luckily, there are many window treatments designed to block UV rays from affecting your gorgeous CoreTec floor.
Polishing
Cleaning is crucial to maintaining your CoreTec flooring in good shape, but to keep your room truly splendid, consider polishing the surface.
While cleaning the floors makes them look good, polishing takes them to a higher level of advancement.
Unfortunately, vinyl floors lose their natural luster and shine with time. To prevent this, especially if your place is high-trafficked regularly, systematically apply a quality floor polishing product. In addition, choose a product designed specifically for vinyl flooring to ensure protection from any potential wear and tear.
Cleaning
Few people ever fell in love with routine cleaning. Yet, here we are, talking about it again! And there is a good reason for it. Nothing can provide longevity and style to your luxury vinyl flooring as proper cleaning habits.
Always keep a couple of golden rules in mind when cleaning your CoreTec flooring. Let’s have a look at them in the following paragraph.
Before you start to clean CoreTec flooring, let’s make one thing clear. You should check the manufacturer’s recommendations for your particular flooring product before using a vacuum, damp mop, steam mop, or any other cleaning method. Trust us, voiding a warranty due to improper care is the last thing you want.
The wear layer material of CoreTec flooring is up to 20 mm thick, so it really can stand the test of time if well cared for.
Your vinyl floors deserve proper care, so you’ll need to equip yourself with a couple of cleaning products, vacuum, soap, and mops.
For starters, let’s see what we have in the routine cleaning menu:
- dust,
- sweep,
- vacuum;
We can’t stress enough how crucial it is to clean the vinyl floor regularly as a method of preventing any buildup of dirt or gritty substances that could scratch or dull the floor, especially in the long run.
- Vacuum cleaner
First off, can you even use a vacuum for Luxury Vinyl Plank?
Luckily, you can safely run a vacuum cleaner on vinyl, yet, it must be designed especially for hardwood flooring.
Lightweight vacuum cleaners are the best. You could look especially for those with rubber or felt wheels since they won’t leave scratchy marks (find stick and canister vacuums)
If you use a vacuum, avoid using a beater brush—it could damage the floor.
If you choose to use an upright vacuum, make sure it will lift the rotating brush (also known as beater bar) out of the way or has the option to remove the bar with rotating bearing bars altogether manually.
The beater bar is the rotating brush that sweeps hair out of the carpet so neatly. However, it’s working so “good” that it can easily scar the finish on your vinyl with its rotating bearing bars.
- Sweeping
Before you take water to your CoreTec floor, make sure you have removed as much dust and debris as you can using a dry microfiber mop or vacuum cleaner.
Minor as it sounds, sweeping may be one of the crucial activities keeping your CoreTec flooring clean.
Sweep your CoreTec flooring with a broom regularly to keep it tidy and clean. Vinyl is more resistant to damage and scratches than laminate.
Important: As with laminate flooring, your goal is to minimize the amount of water you use on vinyl planks because of the risk involved—if water seeps in between planks, it could loosen the glue, curl the tile, or even cause mold in the subfloor. Use water only to remove persistent dried residue. Some sources claim that since vinyl is water-resistant, you don’t have to hurry to dry it afterward. However, even waterproof LVPs aren’t 100% free of water-related hazards.
Use:
- microfiber mops—work perfectly to remove the dust gathering in corners and low-traffic areas (e.g., under tables and floor lamps).
Tip: To maximize efficacy, sweep the mop in an S-pattern without retracing your strokes.
- traditional broom and dustpan—great for large pieces of debris and less effective against smaller particles.
Tiny particles of debris aren’t that harmless—be aware of the potentially significant damage of your polyurethane LVP’s coating if you carry sharp tiny pieces of debris stuck to your shoes, slippers, or a wet mop.
In case of any spills, react immediately. Clean them with a damp mop or cloth.
If it soaks into the flooring or gets between the cracks in the planks and you additionally scrub the liquid, it will rub it further into the flooring.
So use a cloth or paper towel to soak up the liquid with a blotting motion using warm water and a light detergent (i.e., dish soap) to remove stains from juice or another sticky residue.
Then, rinse with clean water afterward to remove any soap residue. With vinyl flooring, avoid abrasive cleaners (non-abrasive mop is the best choice), strong detergents, and spray cleaners since they commonly leave a dull residue behind.
To handle a problematic spill or stain, you can use rubbing alcohol.
- Damp mop
When it comes to wet cleaning, feel free to run a dry mop over your CoreTec flooring. Yet, do it only after you have removed the major dust and dander from your floor with a dry mop or broom.
For vinyl floors, choose a non-abrasive mop made of microfiber—it’s confirmed to be the best method for taking good care of a vinyl plank. Abrasive mops or treated dust mops could damage your flooring.
CoreTec floor is water, mold, and mildew resistant, so that you can use wet cleaning methods.
Important: Don’t use a steam mop on your vinyl flooring. Slits between the vinyl planks make them vulnerable to heat and moisture. In addition, a steam mop may cause damage to the floors by loosening the glue between the layers of the flooring.
Always use a pH-neutral cleaner diluted in cool water. Some spray cleaners are carefully designed not to leave any residue after cleaning. Clean CoreTec flooring quick by experimenting with various PH-neutral cleaner types (some cleaning products brands use the associate’s program).
CoreTec recommends Encore floor cleaner because it’s pH neutral, efficiently removes dirt, grease, and scuffs, and leaves your floor sparkling clean (with no need to rinse);
Encore works perfectly for hard floorings such as
- hardwood,
- ceramic,
- laminate, and
- resilient flooring;
Occasionally, clean the floor with a resilient floor cleaner.
All in all, it’s best always to use suitable cleaning agents and equipment to sweep, wipe, mop (check every wet cleaning feature of your vinyl plank flooring), and polish your CoreTec floors (look for the dedicated floor polishing product).
Other methods
Let’s browse a few more DIY techniques that help to care about your CoreTec floors.
- Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is among the most potent cleaning agents for keeping your CoreTec floors fresh.
Take a gallon of water and pour a cup of apple cider vinegar inside.
Wipe this apple cider vinegar mixture over the flooring to remove all the dirt, leaving no residues or traces with a damp mop.
Tip: Don’t worry about the smell. It will naturally disappear as soon as the flooring gets dry. You can also mix your solution with a pinch of jojoba oil to neutralize the smell while you’re working with it.
Apple cider vinegar is perfect because it’s:
- strong enough to clean, and
- mild enough not to cause any damage to the floors;
- Baking soda
If significant parts of your vinyl flooring are covered in stains, go for baking soda.
Mix it in some water to create a paste and apply it with a soft cloth.
But vinegar and baking soda may also work as a team!
If your vinyl plank flooring has become dull, the culprit may be an unexpected build-up of soap scum after many cleaning practices.
If that’s the case, try to resolve it with a homemade solution. First, mix up equal vinegar and baking soda parts into a paste. Then, to test your mixture’s effectiveness, apply it to a small, inconspicuous floor area, rubbing it in gently. Finally, rinse off with clean water.
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