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Ceramic flooring can reflect the wear and tear of time by showing stains, yellowing, or other discoloration. The porous nature of the tiles allows the staining, and you may find some chips or scratches as well. The normal household cleaning products will not remove this build up or discoloration. There are cost effective alternatives for you, other than replacing the ceramic flooring. Refinishing the ceramic flooring is not only affordable, but can be done either by a professional or even by an amateur. The equipment and instruction needed for refinishing is fairly extensive and you need to prepare the floor for the refinishing process. A professional service will perform the process with a higher degree of success and leave your floors looking like new. But for beautiful flooring, try angico wood flooring over ceramic.
Understanding the process of refinishing is important as you make decisions on the service, you are not looking for
someone to just paint the flooring. Special equipment is used along with bonding agents, primers, a top coat and clear finish. Refinishing the ceramic flooring reproduces the tile to its original look and the beautiful glaze that your tile had when it was first installed. The refinishing process involves deep cleaning of the ceramic tiles, insuring they are free from the dirt, oil, and residue that has built up over the years. Then the tiles are checked for chips, sanded down as needed, leveled off and a thin new coat of grout is placed into the old grout lines. Then the refinishing can begin.
It is important to take into account the amount of wear and tear your flooring is going to be subject to, while most all ceramic flooring can be refinished, you should consult a professional and insure the process is best for your needs. Polyurethane floor finish provides a very tough and long wearing surface. No matter if oil based or water based, the hard surface is equal with either. The difference between the water and oil products is the ease of use, the color required, the drying time needed and the ability to level the flooring. Drying time varies, but polyurethane can harden enough to walk on before it is completely finished curing. The water based finishes can be dry in just a few hours, but the oil based finish can take up to twenty-four hours to dry. The really nice thing about the water based finishes is that you can apply many coats in a day, and you don’t have to worry so much about protecting it from dust or particles like with the oil based ones.
While the water based finish dries much quicker and has that advantage, it also means you have to know what you are doing because you have less time to fix errors. So you need to insure you hire someone with experience to do the job. Water based products can also form bubbles on the surface and harden very quickly, so again experience is key in your choice of a refinisher. The oil based finish of course does not dry as quickly and therefore allows for you to correct mistakes and gives you a little more forgiveness. The oil based product can also have a little more of a yellow tint upon drying while the water based will dry clear.
No matter your flooring, ceramic or wood, refinishing is a great alternative to having to replace the floors, for both cost and construction time. Professionals in your area can provide you with estimates, experience and excellent advice. Do not hesitate to ask questions, check references and find the perfect fit for your refinishing project. There is no better time than now to give your old floors a new look, the perfect makeover for something you love so much.
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