Despite being affordable and beautiful, many do not like vinyl flooring as they catch scratches very easily. But there are some sure ways to protect vinyl flooring from scratches.
Fighting scratches need awareness in the first place. Then you have to have some protection materials and tools. This is more like a regular practice to protect vinyl floors from scratches.
I have been in the real estate business for the last 20 years. In this article, I will share my experience in combating scratches from vinyl floors. I will also tell you how to repair an accidental scratch from a vinyl floor.
7 Ways To Protect Vinyl Flooring From Scratches:
Scratches on vinyl flooring, particularly if they are new, can be frustrating. But you can save yourself from that frustration easily if you follow the following methods to protect vinyl flooring from scratches:
1. Using Furniture Protection:
The most common source of scratches for vinyl flooring is heavy furniture. If the furniture is heavy or if it has sharpness at the bottom of it, it can become a sure menace for vinyl flooring.
So, if you have vinyl flooring in your house, you must have a budget for the protective gears to be attached with heavy or sharp furniture on the floor.
The most regular and easily available furniture protection gears are slides and glides. They are small pieces to be used as a buffer between the vinyl floor and the furniture in question.
You need to use adhesives to attach slides on some strategic points of the bottom of the furniture. Whereas, you will have to hammer the glides into wooden furniture.
2. Keep Away The Rolling Casters:
I know rolling casters have long been a well-known part of our households. But trust me, they are the number one enemy of vinyl flooring, so far scratches are concerned.
Rolling casters under the chairs, computer tables, or the food-serving trolleys make disasters on vinyl flooring. If you must use rolling casters on vinyl flooring, you have to use separate floor mats where the rolling casters can move.
3. Use Protective Coating:
You can use a protective coating on the vinyl floor to mitigate the risk of scratches to some extent. Protective coating creates an extra layer of protection over the floor.
When excess weight or sharp objects try to put scratches on a vinyl floor that is coated with a protective layer, the extra layer takes the damage and saves the floor.
While choosing a protective coating, make sure they do not pose any threat to the environment of the house. Because some coatings come with lethal chemicals. Otherwise, the protective coating will contribute to the environmental pollution that vinyl flooring generally makes.
Frequently check on the protective coating. Repair it if there is any damage. Reapply for protective coating following the manufacturer’s instruction.
4. Clean Regularly:
The texture of vinyl flooring gets weaker when layers of dirt and dust accumulate over it. And a weak vinyl floor receives scratches many times easier than a clean one.
So make it a habit to clean the vinyl floor regularly. They are easy to clean. Vacuum cleaning and regular mopping are enough to keep the vinyl floor clean.
You should adjust the frequency of cleaning the vinyl floor according to the functionality and activities that take place on them.
After every six months, hire a professional or engage yourself for a deep clean of the vinyl floor to avoid many probable scratches.
5. Be Aware Of Shoes:
If any visiting shoe has spikes under them or if it is a high heel, you should be alarmed. Because they are proven to be a big cause of scratches for vinyl floors.
It might sound impolite but never hesitate to tell your guest to put off his or her risky shoe before stepping on the vinyl floor. A little rudeness may help your vinyl floor to live longer.
6. Lift The Heavy Furniture:
It is always tempting to drag heavy furniture over the floor. But if the floor is a vinyl one and the furniture is too heavy, you have to regret your action later.
Most of the time, furniture causes scratches on vinyl floors while they are being moved. Adopt a policy to always lift furniture to carry it over a vinyl floor.
7. Use Floor Rugs:
Floor rugs can be expensive. But they are very helpful to avoid scratches. Use them over vinyl floors, where a lot of activity is done.
Apart from saving the vinyl floors, floor rugs can beautify your living room and make them feel posher.
5 Easy Steps To Fix Scratches From Vinyl Flooring:
Even after following all the cautionary measures, you may still see scratches on the vinyl floor. Don’t be upset. If the scratches are not too deep, you can make the floor look brand new if you follow the following steps:
Step 1- Get Prepared:
The first step to repairing a scratch from the vinyl floor is getting all the materials and tools needed for the repairment close to your hands. Here is the list of items needed for the repairment:
- A Bucket,
- Warm water,
- A soft piece of cloth,
- Detergent,
- Some Sandpapers,
- Car wax.
Step 2- Clean The Scratched Area:
You have to clean the scratched area of the vinyl floor. First of all, vacuum-clean the area to get rid of the dust and dirt.
Using the bucket, warm water, detergent, and soft cloth, mop the damaged area thoroughly. Put some pressure while mopping to remove the hardest dirt. ¼ cup of a mild detergent will do for a gallon of water.
After mopping the area, use a dry cloth to wipe the floor area and leave it to dry up.
Step 3- Smooth The Scratched Area:
Now you will get rid of any rough edges of the scratch. To do that you have to rub sandpaper over the scratched area.
Be gentle while polishing the scratched area. Or else you may damage the coating of the vinyl floor further.
First, use medium-grit sandpaper for the job. Always rub in the exact direction of the scratch to limit the damage to the scratched area only.
Then use a more densely gritted sandpaper (P500) over the scratched floor. This time rub the sandpaper in a circular motion. By doing so, you will remove the wax layer of the floor.
Now rub the damaged floor area with sandpaper for the last time. This time use sandpaper which has P800 grit. Gently rub in a circular motion until the scratched area is completely smooth and even.
Step 4- Clean Again:
After making the scratched area of the vinyl floor smooth and even, clean it again. Applying different sandpapers on, it will create some mess. Get rid of them with vacuum cleaning and mopping.
Use the same detergent solution that you used to clean the area at the beginning of the process.
Step 5- Wax The Area:
Now the scratched area is smooth but the shine is missing. You need to apply good-quality wax over the floor area to get the shine back in place.
On a clean cloth pour a little wax and slowly apply it to the damaged area of the floor. You need to apply the wax in a circular motion.
Make sure the damaged area shines the same as other parts of the floor do. Otherwise, it will not look good. You may use car wax to the ultimate shine on the floor.
Now clean the floor area with a clean rug to get rid of any excess wax on the floor.
Commonly Asked Questions:
Can You Protect Your Vinyl Flooring From Scratches?
Vinyl floors can get scratches if heavy or sharp objects interact with them. But You can protect your vinyl flooring from scratches with awareness and some good practices.
Attaching slides and glides under heavy and sharp furniture, using a good-quality protective coating, ensuring regular cleaning, prohibiting shoes with sharp spikes are some good practices to protect vinyl floors from scratches.
You can also try floor rags, avoiding rolling casters, and lifting heavy furniture while moving them to reduce the risk of scratches on vinyl flooring.
Does Vinyl Flooring Easily Get Scratched?
Thanks to the structural formation of the texture of the vinyl floorings, they are more prone to get scratches, compared to many other flooring solutions. This is considered one of the biggest problems of vinyl flooring.
It is reasonable in that sense that vinyl flooring is also much cheaper than other flooring solutions. The good news is you can prevent most of the scratches with awareness and some good practices.
Cleaning the vinyl floor regularly and using a good-quality protective coating are two of many scratch-preventing measures.
Can You Repair Scratches From Vinyl Flooring?
You can repair light scratches from vinyl flooring all by yourself with a few easily available materials.
To repair scratches from vinyl flooring, you will need some sandpapers, a little wax, and cleaning materials.
After cleaning the scratched area with a warm cleaning solution, you have to wait till the floor area dries up. Then you need to make the scratch area smooth with sandpapers.
When the floor area is smooth and even you need to apply an appropriate amount of wax on the damaged floor area. Then the floor will look as good as new.
What To Do With Deep Scratches On A Vinyl Flooring?
You can easily fix light scratches on a vinyl floor. But unfortunately, deep scratches cannot be repaired at all.
When you notice a scratch on the vinyl floor, you should first try to repair it with sandpaper and wax. After several tries, if the scratch is still there, you will know that it is a deep scratch.
You have to replace the deeply scratched floor area with new vinyl materials. If you have vinyl planks or stripes, it will not be difficult to replace the deeply scratched areas only.
Can You Prevent Scratches On Vinyl Flooring With A Protective Coating?
Protective coatings create an extra layer of protection over the vinyl flooring. When you have a protective coating on your vinyl flooring, your floor gets an extra life.
When heavy and sharp objects are dragged over vinyl flooring with a protective coating, the coating gets scratched. But the vinyl floor beneath the coated is spared. That is how you can prevent scratches on vinyl flooring with a protective coating.
To have good protection, you have to apply the protective coating all over the vinyl flooring evenly. Check on the protective coating randomly for any damage. Repair the coating immediately after it receives damage to confirm scratch protection for the vinyl flooring.
How To Replace Deeply Scratched Vinyl Flooring?
When an area of vinyl flooring is scratched beyond repair, you have to replace it with new vinyl materials. You can do it yourself with some simple tools.
First, you have to remove the deeply scratched tiles, planks, or stripes made from vinyl materials. You have to use a scraper to loosen the damaged floor area. If the scraper is unable to do the job, use a hammer, pry bar, and chip to remove the scratched floor area.
After removing the damaged floor area, get rid of the previous adhesive. Use sandpaper to make the floor area smooth. Now you can cut and place a new piece of vinyl plank, stripe, or tile on the vacant floor area. Do not forget to wax the newly installed area of the floor.
Can You Use Magic Erasers To Remove Scratches From Vinyl Flooring?
Magic erasers are good for removing tough spots from vinyl flooring. They are a cheap and easy alternative to a lot of hard work. But they do not work against scratches.
To remove scratches from vinyl flooring, you have to make the damaged area smooth with sandpapers and apply wax afterward.
What Vinyl Flooring Is Scratch-Proof?
Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) are scratch-resistant. LVT and LVP receive comparatively fewer scratches as they can put resistance against scratches.
But high-pressure hits or rigorous scuffings leave some scratches over LVT and LVP too. So, no vinyl flooring solution is completely scratch-proof.
Which Is More Scratch Resistant Laminate Or Vinyl?
Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT) and Luxury Vinyl Planks (LVP) are far better than laminate flooring in fighting scratches. That is why LVT and LVP are recommended in houses with pets.
But vinyl sheet floorings are as vulnerable to scratches as laminated floors are.
Is Waterproof Vinyl Flooring Scratch Resistant?
Vinyl flooring is waterproof because they are coated with non-porous coating protection. But it does not make them scratch-resistant. But the protection coating resists scratches to some extent.
However, luxury vinyl tiles and planks are more scratch-resistant than any other type of vinyl flooring.
Bottom Line:
Protecting vinyl floors from scratches is easy, only if you are conscious and active about it. Adopt a comprehensive policy to save your vinyl flooring from scratches. Involve other members of your family in the plan. This will increase the possibility to protect vinyl flooring from scratches.
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