Floor Finishes

You can prolong the life and integrity of your floor finishes with a few easy precautions.

Tiled floors

You may encounter tiles that are stained, dislodged, cracked, or have loosened tile grout. Find out why these happen and how to fix them.

Common problems

Stained tiles or joints

stained tiles

  • Why this happens:
    • Spillage of food and beverages
    • Accumulation of dirt
  • Solution:
    • Use a suitable tile cleaning agent to remove stains

Loosened tile grout from joints

stained joints

  • Why this happens:
    • Excessive use of concentrated tile cleaner
    • Wear and tear
  • Solution:
    • Use a stiff brush to loosen joint grout and reinstate joints with suitable tile grout

Dislodged or popping tiles

dislodged tiles

  • Why this happens:
    • Expansion and contraction of tiles because of thermal movement and water absorption
  • Solution:

STEP 1: Wear gloves to protect yourselves from cuts.

STEP 2: Remove the loose tiles and stack them neatly at a safe corner.

 

STEP 3: Lay protective sheets such as cardboards/ newspapers/ carpets to cover the affected areas. If protective sheets are unavailable, you can consider shifting your furniture such as the sofa to cover the affected areas.

Avoid stepping on the covered areas until repairs are carried out.

Cracked tiles

cracked tile

  • Why this happens:
    • Impact by heavy object
    • Different rates of expansion or contraction between the tile and substrate
  • Solution:
    • Remove and re-tile if necessary

Maintenance tips

  • Mop the floor regularly
  • Clean any spillage that may stain the floor
  • Attach rubber soles or paddings to the legs of your movable furniture
  • Use suitable tile-cleaning agents and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to remove stubborn stains

Parquet floors

Find out what causes dulled or discoloured surfaces, open gaps between strips, or hollow parquet strips, and how to fix them.

Common problems

Varnished surfaces that are lacklustre

lacklustre varnished surface

  • Why this happens:
    • Wear and tear of varnished surfaces
  • Solution:
    • Re-varnish the parquet floor

Localised discolouration

localised discolouration

  • Why this happens:
    • Prolonged water absorption
    • Prolonged exposure to sunlight
  • Solutions:
    • Find out the source of water inflow and prevent contact with water
    • Use a window shade to minimise exposure to sunlight
    • Re-varnish the parquet floor if necessary

Open gap between timber strips

open gap between timber strips

  • Why this happens:
    • Prolonged exposure to a dry environment causes timber to shrink
  • Solutions:
    • Seal obvious gaps with matching putty
    • Re-varnish if necessary

Hollow or bulged-up parquet strips 

hollow or bulged-up parquet strips

  • Why this happens:
    • Water seeps underneath the parquet floor, causing loss of adhesion
  • Solutions:
    • Find out the source of water seepage and prevent contact with water
    • Replace the hollow strips where necessary

Maintenance tips

  • Avoid exposing the parquet floor to excessive dampness. For example, place a floor mat on the parquet floor adjoining the toilets to prevent dampness
  • Dry the surface after mopping it
  • Ventilate rooms to avoid the building up of humidity within the room that may affect the parquet floor
  • Provide soft paddings or rubber soles to your furniture legs to prevent scratches on the parquet surface