Cork Care and Maintenance

GRANORTE Cork floors are easy to maintain. However, as any kind of floor, it requires continuous and proper cleaning and maintenance to ensure durability, appearance and safety. It has been proven that floors will last up to twice or three times longer if they are regularly cleaned and maintained.
How frequent the floor must be maintained depends largely on the amount and type of traffic and the amount and frequency of soiling. Although GRANORTE can make general recommendations, the local conditions will determine what specific maintenance is needed. It is the responsibility of the maintenance contractor to set up a maintenance program meeting the needs of the site. Maintenance requirements for different installations such as an office, supermarket, restaurant, retail store or residential applications may vary.
On installations of pre-finished floors, joints are remaining between the individual boards/tiles in which water and dirt can penetrate causing damages to the floor. Therefore, protecting the joints is essential especially on high traffic or frequent damp cleaning areas. This can be done by applying one or two coats of a recommended varnish after installation.

FLOOR CARE BASICS
The following hints will help you avoid problems before they become one.
What to do:
- Stop the dirt before it reaches the floor by placing interior and exterior doormats at all entrances. They should be designed to allow grit/dirt and moisture to be removed.
- Place rugs at areas where the wear is greater, e.g. in front of kitchen sinks, at the end of steps and within high traffic pathways. The rugs must be of breathable material to prevent moisture entrapment.
- Remove spills promptly.
- Use protective pads or caps under furniture.
- Keep animal nails trimmed to minimize scratches.
- Cork is a natural product and may tend to fade when exposed to sunlight over long periods of time. Use blinds or curtains to prevent cork fading by direct solar radiation.
What not to do:
- Don’t let sand, dirt or grit build up. They can act like sandpaper, abrading or dulling your floor finish.
- Don’t wet mop your floors. Too much water can cause the floor to swell or warp.
- Heavy objects shouldn’t be slide on the floor. If the object can’t be lifted, try placing a blanket and a solid panel underneath it then gently lift/pull it across the surface. Do not use cardboard for this purpose. Ensure that the surface is free from grits.
- Avoid walking on your floor in high heels and keep your heels in good repair.
- Do not allow a moisture saturated floor mat to remain on the cork floor. Avoid rugs with backings in rubber, vinyl or any synthetic non-breathable material.
- Avoid prolonged contact of plasticizer-containing material (e.g., rubber, latex, plastics…) with the varnish. Some plasticizers may cause non-reversible stain of the floor.
- Never use any of the following products (or similar) on your finished floor: ammonia-based cleaners, acrylic finishes, wax-based products, bleach, oil soap, abrasive cleaning soaps or acidic materials such as vinegar. Many of these products can dull or etch the finish.

CLEANING
Floors should be cleaned regularly using ‘dry’ cleaning methods such as sweeping or vacuum. Light soiling which cannot be removed by mop or vacuum is removed by using an appropriate pH-neutral cleaner.
Occasionally the entire floor will require being damp-mopped. Remember that the amount of water used on the floor must always be kept to a minimum. Only mist the floor lightly with the cleaning solution or spray the cleaner directly onto the cleaning pad.

MAINTENANCE
Keeping dirt and grit away from the floor is a good and fundamental basis for the health and longevity of your floor. Having chosen a GRANORTE product, you have already taken measures to postpone the day to wear through for as long as possible. Nevertheless, as time passes, the surface of the floor will slowly but steadily become more and more worn. Applying a protective maintenance coating before the surface is showing any significant signs of wear will extend the life length of the floor and it will also fill up eventual micro scratches and bring back the lustre. The level and intensity of traffic will determine how soon the polish will have to be applied.
Remove loose dirt and grit from the floor with a dry mop, soft broom or vacuum. Clean floor thoroughly with a pH-neutral cleaner. Repeat to ensure that dirt will not be trapped in the coating. Make sure the floor is completely dry before starting the application of the recommended floor polish.
Apply a thin even coat of the polish undiluted using a microfiber applicator pad. Work on a small section at a time, about 3 m2, coating the entire floor to ensure an even appearance and sheen. Normally, full drying will be achieved after drying overnight. Heavy traffic and replacement of furniture and rugs should be avoided for 24 hours after the coating.

THOROUGH CLEANING
Heavy soiled or grimed floors which cannot be cleaned with standard cleaning methods require a basic remover, either done manually or mechanically. For thorough basic cleaning use a diluted remover solution and wet the floor allowing it to take effect for a short period of time. Scrub the moistened floor with a green pad. Wipe or vacuum the cleaning solution away as quickly as possible. Finally, wipe the total floor area with clean water using a moist mop or cloth. When dry, a coating of maintenance floor polish will have to be applied.