General maintenance

Preventative Care

• Placing colour-fast, dirt trapping mats at all external entrances will help to keep dirt and grit off your floor as well as absorbing any excess moisture.

• Use high density felt floor protectors on the underside of all moving furniture or furniture that may be moved from time to time to help prevent premature wear and scratches.

• Install protective, clear vinyl chair mats under any office chairs or castor wheels that may be used in areas where Quick-Step Timber is installed. Avoid plastic or castor wheel use directly on the surface of your floor.

• When moving heavy furniture or items back into position after the installation has been completed, use rigid protective sheets on the surface of your floor and avoid sliding or dragging furniture or appliances into place across the surface of your new floor.

Regular Maintenance

• Vacuum (bristles down) or sweep your floor regularly to remove grit or objects that may scratch the surface of your floor.

• Any spills should be wiped off the surface of the floor as soon as they occur.

• When cleaning your floor, use Premium Timber & Cork Maintenance Kit (available from your Quick-Step retailer) as directed on the back of the pack. This kit has been designed specifically for your flooring. It is important that you do not use soap-based detergents or “supermarket type cleaners”, as these may leave a dull film on your floor that can be extremely difficult to remove (sometimes impossible). Premium Cork & Timber Cleaner is the only maintenance fluid that should be used on Quick-Step Timber, following the directions for use on the label.

• Do not use abrasive cleaners, steel wool, or scouring powder on your floor and never wax or polish your floor. Never use a steam mop on your floor.

• Timber flooring, like other types of smooth floors, can become slippery when wet. Wipe any cleaning moisture off the floor immediately after cleaning using a clean towel or rag. Immediately wipe up wet areas from spills, foreign substances, or moisture from wet feet.

Occasional Maintenance

It is important to re-coat your flooring using an approved coating as the flooring starts to show dull spots or signs of wear. This job is most often undertaken every several years in residential installations and is usually carried out by floor sanders using approved water or one part solvent based coating. Approved coatings include Premium Aqua Gold and Premium Gold Floor Finish. The use of non-approved floor coatings can lead to post installation coatings flaking off the surface of your timber floor.

Stain Removal

Quick-Step Timber is quite stain resistant. Obviously, stains are easier to remove when fresh. If your floor is stained, try the following options for stain removal.

• Use the spray bottle of Premium Cork & Timber Cleaner from your cleaning kit, to assist with the removal of milk, cream, beer, soft drink, berries, coffee, wine, fruit, jam or urine.
• Use Methylated Spirit neat on a clean cloth to assist with the removal of ink, lipstick or adhesives. Do not use Methylated Spirit if your floor has been coated with a polish like Renew and only use it sparingly to help remove any stains.
• Use cold water to assist with the removal of blood.
• Use White Spirit neat on a clean cloth to assist with the removal of chocolate, grease, oil, shoe polish, tar or shoe scuffs (shoe scuffs can also be removed using a pencil eraser). If your floor has been coated with a polish like Refresh, the use of White Spirit will more than likely remove all polish from the floor, requiring re-application of polish to the affected area. It is always advisable to test the use of White Spirit in an inconspicuous area first.

Depending upon the type of stain and how long it has been left unattended, some boards may permanently discolour. Should this occur, contact the company that installed your Quick-Step Timber. As it is possible to repair boards within a floor, you might like to replace the affected boards with new ones.

A Timber Friendly Environment

Keeping your internal environment “timber friendly” is important. Immediately after installation, the area should be well ventilated, occupied and protected from extreme sunlight and extreme swings of humidity and temperature. Failure to provide such an environment can lead to fading, distortion of panels, excessive expansion / contraction (gaps) or noisy floors.