FOCUS ON FLOOR FINISHES & AFTERCARE


Kährs explains everything you need to know to help your customers keep their engineered wood flooring looking and feeling as good as new.


Handled with Care


Oak Terra (Ultra matt lacquer)


Engineered wood flooring is well known as a stable, sustainable and beautiful floorcovering that can be enjoyed for generations. With endless options in design, grading and colour, it’s also important for your customer to consider various surface treatment finishes and the maintenance required.


Finishes


The initial thoughts of which surface treatment finish to pick will be based around aesthetic. If your customer prefers their wood flooring to embrace a silky lustre, a satin lacquer finish will be a great contender. A satin lacquer will complement the natural character of the wood whilst giving it more sheen, looking particularly stunning in walnut designs. For something even shinier, there’s also high gloss lacquer finishes available which are highly reflective in appearance – ideal for highly modern or futuristic style interiors.


On the opposite side of the spectrum to satin and high gloss finishes, enter matt lacquer. This finish will mattify the floor, giving the impression of untreated bare wood boards. Due to the ever-growing popularity of mattified floors, interior furnishings and décor, there are even lacquers that go a step further: ultra matt. Ultra matt finishes are extremely non- reflective, so will give the wood the appearance and feel of newly sawn timber. An ultra matt wood floor is very effective in an interior space with an abundance of natural light, such as in a room with floor to ceiling windows.


Finally, there’s the oiled finish which reinforces the natural look, and brings out every last part of the natural texture and grain of the wood. In general, with the exception of ultra matt, a lacquered surface reflects the light more than an oiled one.


Aftercare


As with many other products, a certain amount of maintenance is required to keep an engineered wood floor


16 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors


Ash Black Silver (High Gloss lacquer)


in good condition. The surface treatment used will affect the way the floor needs to be looked after. Oiled floors will need an extra coat of oil immediately after installation, and once every year to keep the natural look of the wood floor looking tip-top. Lacquered floors are very durable, and will not require particular maintenance outside of a general cleaning routine, or a lacquer touch up in the case of a repair.


There are a number of steps that will help to protect the floor against dirt. The first thing is to advise using a good doormat to clean and dry shoes before coming in - ideally both in and outside the door. It’s also recommended to put protective pads on any table and chair legs; but to avoid using metal protectors as they can wear and scratch the wood.


Dry cleaning is the best way to clean engineered wood floors, rather than wet cleaning. Advise your customer to vacuum and brush regularly and occasionally use a damp, well wrung-out cloth or mop if needed - the floor should dry within a minute if the right amount of water is used. Make sure to mention that beech and maple floors are extra sensitive to moisture.


If a floor is marked, the mark should be removed as soon as possible using a cleaner without ammonia or strong stain removing agents. In instances where the wood floor has become damaged, there are repair and touch up kits available to help your customer or the fitter efficiently repair the floor.


With a regular cleaning routine, and by advising a surface treatment that best suits your customer, an engineered wood floor is easy to maintain, and if looked after properly the floor will retain its beauty for years to come. Kährs engineered wood floors are made with a true passion for wood, and designed with both functionality and beauty in mind. Kährs can supply a selection of maintenance and repair products which are recommended for use with any Kährs floor.


www.kahrs.com www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com


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