INTERIORS : Getting to the Bottom of Maintenance Techniques Depends on the Floor

New flooring can be expensive, and once installed it’ll have to withstand a lot of physical abuse. So look for coverings that will last long as well as look good. And be sure to ask your dealer or installer how to properly maintain them.

The most popular choices are carpeting, vinyl and wood flooring.

For carpet, a tight weave with low pile and twisted, heat-set fibers withstands heavy traffic best and is easiest to care for, according to the Carpet & Rug Institute in Dalton, Ga.

All constructions, including loop, cut and loop, cut pile and plush, come in a variety of densities. The thicker the carpet, the better it is likely to wear, says Michael Hilton of the industry trade group’s technical services department.

Nylon carpet accounts for about 80% of the market because it is resilient and easy to clean. Other fibers also have their advantages. Polyester fiber carpet, for example, is unusually soft and comes in lush, bright colors. Wool is “the system other fiber systems emulate, but very expensive,” Hilton says.

Regular maintenance will help stretch a carpet’s life. Two doormats, one outside the door and one inside, will trap up to 80% of the dirt you track in before you have a chance to grind it into the carpet.

To get the rest of the dirt, use a vacuum cleaner. Take four or five back-and-forth passes a few times a week in active households for high traffic areas such as entryways, in front of the sofa and near the kitchen. Where traffic is lighter, two to three passes once a week are sufficient.

Among resilient hard surface flooring, vinyl is most popular. It comes in rolls, which are best installed professionally, and tiles, which can be put down by a professional or do-it-yourselfer.

Vinyl flooring consists of several layers, including a base of vinyl or felt and a face pattern which is either printed (sometimes called rotogravure) or inlaid in a heat process. Much vinyl flooring is coated with urethane to preserve the shine.

Vinyl flooring with a vinyl base, inlaid design and color and a polyurethane coating is the most durable, says Frank Ready of Lancaster, Pa. Ready is manager of new business development at the Innovation Center of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. Inlaid vinyls also best resist scuffs, tears, gouges and damage from dropped utensils and heels, he says.

When comparing vinyl products, use the manufacturer’s warranty as a guide to expected longevity. Armstrong, for example, warrants some of its vinyl flooring for five years and some for 10 years.

Vinyls with a standard polyurethane surface coating generally require damp mopping about once a week. Despite its name, no-wax vinyl usually requires polishing. When it first came out, the name distinguished it from linoleum, which needed regular waxing.

The choice of wood floor types includes strips, planking or parquet patterns. All are available in solid wood or laminates. Solid wood floors must be nailed to a wood subfloor, so when the room has a base of concrete or some other material, a laminate saves installing a subfloor.

Proper installation of wood flooring is important for durability, says Paul Trow. Trow is director of technical services for the National Wood Flooring Assn. in Manchester, Mo., and author of the trade group’s consumer guide to selecting a wood floor, due out next spring.

Product warranties usually come from the manufacturer, while installation warranties come from the installer. Both are good to have. The best insurance, however, is to select an experienced installer and to check references.

Wood grading measures clarity of face, freedom from knots and other natural traits, not durability. Both soft and hard woods are used for flooring. Pine is a soft wood and oak is a hard wood. Oak won’t last longer than pine but will better resist dents and nicks, Trow says.

Regular maintenance is key to lasting good looks. Trow suggests floor mats at doors to trap grit before it can abrade the wood finish, felt protector pads under furniture that is moved frequently and regular vacuuming or dry mopping.

To clean a wood floor, follow the manufacturer’s directions. If there are no directions and your installer is unavailable, waxing is usually the best policy. Waxing doesn’t hurt a floor. If your floor has a polyurethane finish, it doesn’t need to be waxed, but once you start, you will have to keep it up.