It’s that time of year to trim the tree and keep the home fires nice and toasty. But should we be concerned about our luxury vinyl floor at all? Here are a few common questions put to our own Jim Kups, Novalis Innovative Flooring Technical Manager for North America just in time for good advice and holiday cheer!
Q: We switched back to having a real, freshly-cut tree instead of an artificial tree for Christmas this year. However, I’m worried about tree sap getting on our new NovaFloor luxury vinyl floor. If some sap gets on my new Casa planks, how do I get the sticky mess off without harming the floor?
A: Pine sap is a tough substance, it’s generally waterproof and soap-proof as most of us know from trying to even get it off our hands after putting a tree up. I’ve found that a warm soapy towel is best when the sap is wet, along with some serious scrubbing. A blue or white scrub pad will help too.
With dried sap, the best thing to get is a little can of Goof Off® and a wet white rag. Apply some of the Goof Off® directly to the sap, wait a few seconds and wipe off with the damp rag. It’s best to follow up this application with a mild neutral pH cleaner solution (you can wet the rag and dip your finger in the bottle of cleaner) to remove any residue from the Goof Off® and the sap.
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Q: We just installed a new Hartsfield floor in our den, but didn’t consider when we have a fire in the fireplace. Since we want to have a cozy fire when guests come over parties, should we be worried about the heat or hot embers?
A: Our first recommendation is a good screen in front of the fire, but sometimes embers can come out when adding logs. Glowing embers can damage the polyurethane layer on the flooring and cause blemishes to it. The only remediation from these blemishes would be to apply a matte finish to the flooring.
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Q: We like to use a lot of scented candles during the holiday season, but I’m worried about accidentally dripping hot candle wax on my new NovaFloor LVT. Could this hurt my floor and what’s the best way to get it up?
A: Hot wax will not damage the floor in any way since the wax actually starts cooling immediately after leaving the candle. However, cold wax can be easily scraped off the surface of the floor with a small PLASTIC spatula and the residue can be cleaned with a warm, soapy rag or a neutral pH cleaner and a white scrub pad.
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Q: My mother-in-law is coming to visit for the holidays and she’s very cold-natured. Should I be concerned about heat from the space heater she always has on affecting our new NovaFloor LVT?
A: With temperature questions we always ask, is this a direct-glued or floating installed LVTP?
Direct-glued: No worries here since we have the adhesive to hold the product tight.
Floating: As long as the floor was properly installed and the temperature changes are not drastic, there should be no problems from the expansion that will be generated with the heat from the device. If the floor is taken more than 10-15°F above it’s normal temperature it will surely expand but will come back to normal after the heater is removed.
Got a question for Jim about LVT? Send us an email at [email protected]
