Independent guide
What floor have I inherited? Build an identity record before cleaning
Build a useful record of an unfamiliar floor, separate confirmed information from clues, and find the right care instructions before choosing a treatment.
Updated 2026-09-10
Start with the question you actually need answered
Moving into a home often means inheriting a floor and very little information about it. Before choosing a cleaner, ask what you need to establish: the floor covering, its particular product range, or the finish currently on top. Those are related questions, but answering one does not automatically answer the others. A useful result is a short identity record with evidence attached, not a confident guess based on the room's style. Write down what remains unknown as carefully as what you know.
Look for records before examining the surface
Check the home handover file, invoices, installation documents and any spare packaging. A retailer name and product code are more useful than a description such as grey oak. Photograph labels on unused spare pieces without altering them, and record which room they are believed to match. A spare box in a cupboard might belong to a previous renovation or another room. Ask the previous owner or landlord whether the floor has received a coating or treatment since installation. Keep their recollection labelled as such until there is supporting paperwork.
Treat the design as a clue, not a material label
Quick-Step's comparison explains that its laminate uses an HDF core and printed design, whereas its vinyl uses a different synthetic construction. Both can resemble natural materials. That illustrates why a wood pattern does not settle the question. Plank shape, bevels and convincing texture are also insufficient on their own. Record these features for a supplier, but do not turn them into a rule such as all planks of this width are laminate. Tile-shaped products deserve the same caution: appearance alone is a poor basis for selecting stone-care chemicals.
Photograph what is already accessible
Take one photograph showing the whole room, another showing several adjoining pieces, and a close view of the surface in clear light. Include a labelled spare piece if available. Keep photographs unfiltered so changes in colour or gloss are not exaggerated. Do not lift fitted boards, prise off trims, scratch a surface or apply liquid as an identification experiment. You are collecting information for a discussion, not opening up the floor. If nothing useful is exposed, leave the construction unknown and explain that limitation when asking for advice.
Identify the care system as well as the material
Knowing that a floor is wood is still not the same as knowing which cleaner suits its finish. The National Wood Flooring Association recommends choosing cleaning products for the particular finish. Ask whether the original surface remains or whether someone later applied a different treatment. Keep photographs of any old maintenance bottles, but remember that a bottle found under the sink is evidence of what may have been used, not proof that it was suitable. Match the manufacturer's care document to the product before adopting its instructions.
Make the handover useful to the next person
Create one record per room: confirmed product details; evidence supporting them; possible identifications; unknown finish or treatment history; and the specific care question still outstanding. For example, write product code confirmed from invoice; later coating unknown; need advice before removing a dull patch. That gives a supplier a much clearer starting point than asking for the best floor cleaner. Save any written confirmation with the record. Next, use the guide to reading floor-care instructions to turn that identity into an appropriate routine.