Care and Maintenance
Guidelines for wood floors
Sweep or vacuum your wood floor at least twice a week. This helps prevent build up of abrasive dust. Use a soft bristle brush broom or felt vacuum. Do not use beater bars with your vacuum. Keep your wheels free from dirt and abrasive material.
Rugs or door mats should be placed outside and inside doorways leading to the hardwood. You should consider using runners and area rugs in traffic areas. Place rugs in front of all wet areas. Wipe all spills with a soft cloth as they happen. If water or spills are not removed immediately it may cause damage.
Never wet mop or damp mop. Excessive water will cause crowning or swelling. Standing fluids can dull finish, damage wood, and leave stains which will void warranties.
Do not use Pine Soap Cleaners, Lemon Oil, Oil Soap, Chlorine Bleach or Ammonia based cleaners, they may scratch or dull the floor finish. The use of NON-Approved cleaners will void warranty.
Use floor protectors on all furniture legs. Do not slide heavy object across floor. Keep your pet’s toe nails trimmed. Do not walk on hardwood with spike heels, cleats, sport shoes. This will cause scratching and denting.
Hardwood is a natural product. It will expand and contract with moisture changes and humidity levels. Excessive moisture will cause swelling and could result in cupping or cracking. A lack of moisture will cause shrinkage or gapping. Recommend humidity levels year round at 35% to 55%. The use of humidifiers during winter and dehumidifiers during the summer will ensure these levels.
Wood changes colors with age. Natural and UV rays such as sun light will speed up the aging process. Warranties do not cover damage due to light exposure. Moving furniture and rugs occasionally will ensure the wood ages evenly.
Tile Maintenance
Glazed tile products should be cleaned routinely with an all-purpose, low VOC, household or commercial cleaner. The product chosen should also be grout joint cleaning compatible. The type of product may vary depending on the tile application and use. A multipurpose spray cleaner, which removes soap scum, hard water deposits and mold/mildew designed for everyday use can be used on wall tile areas in residential baths and showers. A cotton mop, cloth, sponge, or non-metallic brush should be used to apply and agitate cleaner. Rinse the area with clean water and dry thoroughly. Routine cleaners should never contain harsh chemicals as these can damage tile. Acids can damage grout and the glazed surface of the tile. Ammonia can discolor grout.
Regular dust mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming is recommended prior to cleaning with liquid products.
Unglazed tile should be cleaned routinely with concentrated tile cleaners with a neutral pH for safe regular use. These cleaners are better suited for removing grease, oils, and normal spills from unglazed products. Again, these products will vary depending on the application, amount of traffic and the use. The product chosen should also be compatible with the grout.
Grout Maintenance
Neither sealing the grout nor using an epoxy grout will guarantee against surface buildup or discoloration of the grout. Grout needs to be cleaned on a periodic basis to remove any surface buildup of soap scum and/or mold/mildew . Routine grout cleaning can be done with a daily concentrated household or commercial cleaner depending on the application. When heavy-duty grout cleaning is required, you will need to use a professional strength tile and grout cleaner that is capable of removing grease, soap scum, body oil, mold/mildew stains, algae, and synthetic or acrylic waxes from the grout joints. However, such a product should contain non-polluting chemicals and low VOC levels. This type of product can be purchased from most home centers, or through your local professional floor covering dealer.
Disclaimer
CARE AND MAINTENANCE GUIDE
Braun Flooring & Interiors does not manufacture installation products or cleaning/maintenance products. Braun Flooring & Interiors provides the information on this page to its customers as an information source only. Please contact product manufacturer directly, PRIOR to usage, to obtain proper handling instructions, application instruction and warnings concerning potential health hazards for any product contemplated for use.
To ensure your products will provide you with a lifetime of beauty and utility, proper maintenance is crucial. Natural stone products are porous by nature and require a different maintenance program than traditional ceramic tile. Braun Flooring & Interiors also recommends testing a small area PRIOR to usage of any cleaning/maintenance product to determine whether the product serves its intended purpose.
SAFETY PRECAUTION TO CUSTOMERS
The products described in this document may have chemicals that cause reactions in certain individuals. Braun Flooring & Interiors strongly recommends the use of safety glasses, respirators (masks) and gloves in handling any materials that contain chemicals. Proper disposal is recommended of maintenance products discussed herein.
Warranty Checklist
Please use this checklist as to what is NOT covered in your 1-year warranty.
Braun Flooring is not responsible for repairs or service calls related to expansion, maintenance neglect, contraction or environmental changes that can compromise the installation.(Example back-splash separating where it meets the counter top, nail pops and squeaks)
-Cracked or damages tile/LVT from settling or movement.
-Surface scratches or damage from chairs or appliances.
-Braun Flooring does its best to have extra tiles, hardwood, LVT and silicone (for back splash separation) for possible repairs down the road.
-Calcium or effloresce within grout lines. This can occur based on the type or hardness of your local water.
TIPS:
Please use felt pads on chairs and tables. When moving appliances, it is recommended to be moved onto a sheet of ¼ inch plywood.
It is recommended to run a dehumidifier in the basement and set to 50% year-round. This will help with excessive movement in the sub-floors.
SERVICE CALLS CAN BE ARRANGED FOR A CHARGE DEPENDING ON THE WORK ORDER