Here are some tips to improve the look of your floors yourself. These are do-it-yourself tips passed down by do-it-yourselfers. Always test a part of your specific floor to make sure you don’t damage it. Also, read the manufacturer’s warranty before using any of these ideas. Sometimes you can void your product warranty if you’re not careful. Most of these tips are for people who can’t afford to hire a professional flooring company or contractor and the flooring warranty has expired.

To refresh the finish on a hardwood floor: It depends on how much damage the floor has, but here are some suggestions for specific problems.

Wood floors that have been sun-bleached: Give the floor a very good clean first. Vacuum your floor very well, remove dust from crevices. Mop the floor with vinegar and water. (1 part vinegar; 4 parts water) Make sure the mop is just slightly damp. It is very important to clean the floor very well. Now, there are a couple of products you can try to see which one makes your floor look the best.

1. Bona Pro Series Wood Floor Refresher.

2. Old English Furniture Polish: Scratch Cove for Light Wood or the one for Dark Wood.

Make a test strip and let it dry first. Then sew your product and make your floor. The Products may not perfectly match your existing flooring, but they will improve the overall look dramatically.

Dull looking tile: Clean the tile with any tile cleaning product. It is applied by Bona Floor Refresher. They do a review specifically for Tile. It really improved the look of ceramic or porcelain tile when looking dull. For all white tiles, you can use a glass repair kit. That makes the white tiles look like new.

If you have tile that you want to completely change, there is a product called: Armor Poxy. This is a three-step product that can make your tile look like a completely different tile.

Vinyl: First of all, to clean vinyl, use vinegar and water. It cleans the floor very well. Many times vinyl floors become dull because there are layers of cleaning products and old waxes on the floor. If you have black marks on your floor, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great. To improve the shine level of the floor, I recommend several products. Franklin – Quasar Diamond Glass Floor Finish is a product that I love. You have to take some time to put it on. I put on a couple of thin coats and let them dry for an hour or so between coats. But, after using this product, the floor looks wonderful. Just be sure to put it on floors that don’t get so shiny that they’re slippery and dangerous to walk on. Another similar product is Misty Optimax Easy Care.

Laminate: Bona Floor Refresher is also for laminate. First clean the floor and use the Bona. The laminate will look much better. If you have scratches on your laminate floor, they sell some scratch kits to hide the scratches. Or, use Old English Furniture Polish on scratches only.

Carpet: Carpet stains are very difficult to remove, especially if the stain is in the padding, but these tips are helpful. Deep clean your carpet with Oxyclean. Try cleaning some dark dirt spots with vinegar.

Area Rugs: You can make area rugs look like new by taking a quick trip to your dryer. Put on a washcloth moistened with a fabric freshener and fabric softener; air dry the mat for 20 minutes. The carpet smells better and the dryer removes dirt, lint, hair and other particles. Just be sure to clean the lint trap afterwards.