The aesthetics of a beautifully designed vinyl flooring can be tarnished by a small dent. That is why prevention for dents is needed. It is only possible when someone knows how to prevent dents in vinyl flooring.
One of the main reasons for dents in vinyl flooring is heavy furniture. But there are other factors too. The most important tool to fight dents in vinyl flooring is your awareness.
I have been in the real estate business for the last 20 years and this article is my take on fighting dents in vinyl flooring. You will get to know several ways to prevent dents in vinyl flooring after reading this article. I will also tell you what to do to remove an accidental dent from the vinyl floor. The latter part of the article answers some common questions about the topic.
7 Ways To Prevent Dents In Vinyl Flooring:
One of the problems with vinyl flooring is its texture is soft enough to get dents easily. To save your favorite vinyl flooring from dents, you will not need to spend a lot. But you will need a good deal of care and caution. Here is a list of methods to follow to prevent dents in vinyl flooring.
1. Slides & Glides:
The biggest source of dents in vinyl flooring is heavy and sharp furniture. But you cannot stop using furniture. You have to know how to deal with heavy furniture on vinyl flooring. One of the ways to deal with heavy furniture is using floor protectors.
There are mainly two types of floor protectors available in the market. They are slides and glides. Both of them are made from cotton, plastics, artificial rubbers, or felts.
For using slides, you have to set them under some strategic points of heavy furniture or home appliances. You need to use adhesives with slides to make them stick with furniture. You can save the vinyl flooring from heavy washing machines or sofas by using slides under them.
Glides are mainly for wooden furniture. They come with an attached pin. The pin can be hammered into the legs of wooden furniture to save the vinyl flooring from dents. Dents caused by frequent movements of chairs can be successfully prevented by using dents.
2. Lifting Heavy Furniture:
In most cases, vinyl flooring gets a dent when heavy furniture is moved over it. Heavy furniture and vinyl flooring do not get along at all.
The solution is to adopt a policy to always lift heavy furniture while moving them around the vinyl flooring. This may sound a bit hard but it will save you the hard work of reinstalling the flooring, following the unbearable dents in the vinyl flooring, received from careless furniture movement.
3. Doormats:
Other than helping you keep the vinyl floor clean, doormats play a role in preventing dents in the floor too. They do it by keeping little grits, bricks, and rocks out of the room, which would get on the floor with shoes otherwise.
You will be surprised to know the amount of solid and hard dirt you bring home with your shoe or sneaker. Once the little rock or brick makes its way on the vinyl floor, they are a sure weapon to create a dent when pressed hard.
4. Boycott Rolling Casters:
Rollings casters under the chairs have been liable for dents in a vinyl floor more than you may think they did. The texture of vinyl floors is not made to withstand the wheels of a rolling caster. Your vinyl floor will eventually get Scratches and dents if you have rolling casters in your house.
The solution is to boycott rolling casters from your vinyl floors. If you already have them in your house and just cannot give up using them, you must add a floor mat over the area where chairs with rolling casters will move.
5. Floor Rugs:
Floor rugs can be pretty expensive. But they can save you money by preventing dents on the vinyl floor.
You can place floor rugs particularly in those areas where you know there will be high traffic. Placing rugs under heavy furniture will lessen your worries a lot. Besides, placing a good-looking rug will increase the overall beauty of your house.
6. Clean Floor Policy:
Dirt always will make your vinyl flooring weak. Being made from chemicals, vinyl floors react chemically with different types of dirt and debris.
The chemical reaction between dirt and vinyl flooring makes the floor weak and prone to dents. So you need to keep your vinyl floor clean to prevent dents on them.
7. No-Shoe Policy:
If you can adapt a no-shoe policy in the vinyl flooring area, the chances of dents will diminish significantly. Shoes bring small pieces of bricks, rocks, and grits to the floor area. They eventually become the cause of dents on the floor.
Besides, high heels and sports shoes with spikes directly challenge the temper of a vinyl flooring and gradually cause dents over the floor. So, implementing a no-shoe policy over vinyl flooring will help you fight dents effectively.
3 Easy Steps To Fix Dents From Vinyl Flooring:
Despite being very cautious and following the preventive measure, your vinyl floor may still get dents on them. Don’t worry. You can get rid of the dent without replacing the whole floor by following the following steps:
Step 1- Get Prepared:
Before starting the process to remove dents from vinyl flooring, you need to have the following items by your side:
- Cleaning Agent,
- Paper Towels,
- A Clean towel,
- A cloth-iron.
Step 2- Clean The Dented Area:
Get paper towels and an all-purpose cleaning agent. Apply the cleaning agent on the dented floor area. Clean the area with paper towels, making sure no dirt or any other particle is present in the dented area.
The area should not have any stains on it too. Now you have to wait till the dented floor area is completely dried up.
Step 3- Iron The Dent:
Soak the clean towel with warm water. Make sure the towel is not dripping. Overlay the wet towel over the dented area of the vinyl floor. Now gently move the cloth iron over the wet towel.
The iron has to be warm moderately. Use the ‘cotton’ or ‘medium’ heat setting of the iron. You need to move the iron over the dented area In a circular motion very slowly.
After continuously ironing the floor area for 5 minutes, check if the dent is removed or not. Repeat the whole process until the dent is gone.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Do Vinyl Floors Dent Easily?
Vinyl flooring is comparatively softer than wooden or marble floors. So denting in a vinyl floor is more regular than many other types of flooring solutions.
Again, there are different types of vinyl flooring solutions in the market. There are low-quality vinyl flooring materials with lesser tempers and there are high wear-layer vinyl flooring.
The high wear-layer vinyl flooring can withstand many hurdles without getting a dent. Before buying vinyl flooring materials, you have to consider the usage of the floor. If there will be high traffic or heavy furniture, you must take high wear-layer vinyl flooring materials.
How Much Weight Can Make Dents On Vinyl Flooring?
Vinyl flooring materials are built to withstand around 500 lbs of weight. But weight is not the only factor for having a dent on your floor.
Weight along with the duration of the pressure put on the floor determines whether there will be a dent on the vinyl floor or not. If you put a 300 lbs refrigerator on a vinyl floor and leave it like that for 3 years, you will have dents.
Another factor for getting dents in the vinyl flooring is the thickness of the vinyl floor. Generally lighter vinyl flooring can take up to 25 pounds in each sq. ft. of its area. A medium-duty vinyl flooring can take up to 75 pounds per sq. ft.
How To Prevent Dents On Vinyl Flooring From Heavy Furniture?
Heavy furniture is the number one cause of dents on a vinyl floor. To lower the risk of dents under your heavy furniture on vinyl flooring, you should use slides and glides. You should also move your heavy furniture a little to avoid a permanent dent on the vinyl flooring.
While moving the heavy furniture over the vinyl floor, you should always lift the furniture. If the position of the furniture is fixed, you may first place the furniture and then install vinyl flooring around the heavy furniture.
Which Furniture Protector To Use To Avoid Dents In Vinyl Flooring?
Slides and glides are the two types of furniture protectors to be used on vinyl flooring. Slides are used with adhesives and glides have a pin to be attached with the heavy furniture.
You cannot use a furniture protector with vinyl flooring if it is made from rubbers. Vinyl flooring materials are known to react chemically with rubbers, resulting in permanent stains.
For wooden furniture, you should go with glides, since they can be hammered into the furniture for permanent protection for the vinyl floors.
How Thick A Vinyl Flooring Should Be To Prevent Dents?
The thickness of your floor should be decided on the type of usage of the floor. For a residential house, experts recommend using vinyl floors with a thickness of 12mm.
If you are going to install vinyl flooring for a commercial area with high traffic, you need to find a vinyl material that is at least 28 mm thick. Using thicker vinyl flooring ensures more resistance against dents.
Can You Fix The Dents Of A Vinyl Flooring?
The dents of vinyl flooring can be fixed easily with the tools available at home. After cleaning the dented area, you have to press an iron on the dents.
You cannot press the iron directly on the dents. First, you have to lay a warm and wet clean towel over it. The iron should be heated in a medium setting.
Last Words:
Stop worrying about getting dents on the vinyl floors. Worries do not do any good. It is your awareness and caution that will help you fight dents on vinyl floors.
At the same time, you have to motivate other members of your family to follow all the precautions to avoid dents on the floor. Changing our behaviors can make the life of a vinyl floor much longer.
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