PREFACE
To achieve optimum appearance and proper film
protection for your floor coverings, it is extremely
important to use the right equipment for each
task. The best floor finishes in the world will
look bad and be less likely to hold up if laid
with a dirty mop or applied from a bucket that
has other chemical residue in it. There are
many different kinds of equipment to maintain
floors and it is critical that your equipment
match the maintenance program you have established.
Floor finishes are applied to floor coverings
for three reasons:
1) To protect the floor coverings from wear,
stains, and daily abuse.
2) For case of maintenance allows spills and
normal soil to be easily removed.
3) Appearance, well-maintained floors provide
an image-enhancing aspect.
INITIAL TREATMENT
Procedure #1 Stripping the floor of any old
finishes.
1. Plan the job and check the area to be stripped
outlining what will be needed to totally clean
and remove old finish from all areas. Note edges
and comers where build up may have occurred
and require extra attention. There are no short
cuts in the stripping procedure, when you are
finished stripping the floor must be clean and
spotless before applying new coats of seal and
/or finish.
2. Gather all the necessary equipment for the
stripping job and check to insure that all tools
are in proper working order.
3 . Remove all furniture, equipment, or free
standing items that exist on the area to be
stripped. Draw a diagram prior to removal to
aid in putting everything back in its proper
position when the floor is finished.
4. Sweep the area if large debris is evident,
otherwise a thorough pass with a dust mop treated
with a water-based dust mop treatment is recommended
to remove soil and dirt.
5. Remove stubborn stains and chewing gum,
as noted in your pre-inspection, prior to stripping
the floor.
6. Pre-spray baseboards and corners where buildup
is visible with a heavy duty mixture of stripping
compound or a product designed specifically
for this job. These are powerful stripping compounds-be
careful to control their application.
7. Have the appropriate “Wet Floor” signs
placed strategically throughout the area
to be stripped.
8. Mix your stripping solution
according to the manufacturer’s directions
and apply liberally to the area. Caution:
If you are using
hot water, it will evaporate at a faster rate
than lukewarm water and you will not be able
to strip as large an area. Work according
to
your plan for stripping, depending on the number
of people in your crew.
9. The steps for stripping include: (a) Mixing
the stripper; (b) Applying the stripper; (c)
Letting the stripper sit for 5 to 10 minutes;
(d) Physically agitating the floor with a floor
machine; (e) Removal of the stripping slurry;
(f) Rinsing the floor at least twice if using
an alkaline stripper.
Procedure #2 Rinse the floor of any alkaline
residue.
1. Pick up all stripping solution with a wet
vacuum before laying the rinsing solution down.
2. Using a rinse mop, dip mop into clean, warm
rinse water. Do not ring out the mop. Lay the
rinse water over the entire area that was stripped.
A neutralizer may be added to the first rinse.
3. Pick up with wet vacuum or mop.
4. Apply second rinse using clean water, pick
up with wet vacuum or mop. Be sure to go over
the entire area that was rinsed with a well
rung out rinse mop to pick up any streaks or
footprints.
5. After the floor has dried from rinsing,
check the floor for any residue or white film.
This
can be done by wiping your hand over the floor.
If a film is still evident then additional
rinsing
is required-even the world’s greatest
floor finish will not adhere to a floor covered
with an alkaline film.
6. Allow the floor to dry fully before applying
seal or your first coat of finish.
Procedure #3 Applying floor finish or seal
with a mop.
1. Always use a clean mop head designed for
applying floor finishes and mark the mop handle
appropriately so that this mop is not used for
any other purpose!
2. Soak mop head in warm water and wring out
thoroughly. Water will fill the mop fibers,
thus saving finish.
3. Put a plastic garbage can liner in your mop
bucket to assure that your finish will not become
contaminated from previous chemical that may
have been used in the mop bucket. This will
also assist you in faster cleanup later.
4. Dip mop in the bucket of finish and damp
the mop head lightly in the wringer. You want
the mop to be full of finish but never dripping.
A gentle twisting of the mop handle will also
cause excess finish to be removed.
5. Start applying the finish in a comer of the
area furthest from your exit point and begin
by outlining along baseboards. When doing larger
areas where the finish may have an opportunity
to dry before you can return for a parallel
run-seek to establish an outline that will be
consistent with the floor tiles.
6. Fill in the area between the outlined edges,
applying finish with a smooth overlapping stroke.
We recommend that all finishes be applied in
medium to thin coatings. Wet the mop with finish
as necessary and make sure that the finish is
being applied evenly.
7. Continue applying finish, covering each area
before the adjoining area is dry. A smooth and
even application will assure that all the pores
in the floor are properly filled for lasting
protection.
8. After the first coat has dried (normally
15 to 25 minutes, but this will depend heavily
on the humidity and air flow) apply a second
coat in the opposite direction, following the
procedure outlined above.
9. Subsequent coatings should be applied as
above. Be sure to allow proper drying time between
coats. If multiple coats are to be applied at
one time, the first two coats should be applied
6 to 8 inches away from walls, partitions display
cases, etc. Successive coats are then applied
to the entire floor.
PERIODIC MAINTENANCE
During all daily maintenance procedures it will
be important to watch the floor for developing
traffic pattern and respond to these situations
accordingly.
Procedure #1 Cleaning the floor (with a wet
mop).
1. Sweep the area if large debris is evident,
otherwise a thorough pass with a dust mop treated
with a water-based dust mop treatment is recommended
to remove dry soil and dirt.
2. Always use a neutral detergent mixed according
to the manufacturer’s directions when
cleaning highly finished floors. Alkaline cleaners
can soften, damage and create an unsightly
film
causing additional maintenance.
3. When wet mopping a floor it is important
to change the mopping solution when visible
contamination occurs. There is nothing worse
than mopping a floor with dirty water or using
a soiled mop head! Start with clean equipment
and be sure to clean it when you are done.
4. Apply mopping solution liberally (do not
flood) allowing the solution to contact the
floor for approximately 2-3 minutes and pick
up excess with mop. Physical agitation with
the mop may be necessary in badly soiled areas.
5. If using an alkaline cleaner, “Rinsing” is
required.
Procedure #2 Cleaning the floor (with an automatic
scrubber).
1. Sweep the area if large debris is evident,
otherwise a thorough pass with a dust mop treated
with a water-based dust mop treatment is recommended
to remove dry soil and dirt.
2. Perform pre-operation checks on the scrubber
as described by the manufacturer or recommended
by the distributor ( batteries, brushes/ pads,
squeegee blade, etc.).
3. Always use a neutral detergent mixed according
to the manufacturer’s directions when
cleaning highly finished floors. Alkaline cleaners
can soften, damage and create an unsightly
film,
which is even more apparent when using an automatic
scrubber. By causing more agitation than a
mop,
an automatic scrubber can leave side trails
of solution.
4. Fill the scrubber solution tank with water
first, then add the proper amount of chemical.
5. Choose an appropriate pattern that will assure
full coverage and lay down, scrub and pick up
the mopping solution using the automatic scrubber.
Be sure to use a damp mop to pick up any trails
that may be left.
Procedure #3 Dry Burnishing, High speed and
ultra high speed maintenance.
1. Accomplish only after sweeping, dust mopping,
damp mopping and/ or automatic scrubbing the
floor. All buffing programs are actually “controlled
abrasion processes,” therefore it is
necessary to remove all soil prior to burnishing
or you
will run the risk of embedding soil into the
finish film causing unsightly yellowing.
2. Follow distributor recommendations as to
the proper pad for your machine and floor finish
you have selected.
3. After dry burnishing, run a clean dust mop
over the floor.
Procedure #4 Top Scrub and Recoat (with a single
disc machine).
1. Sweep the area if large debris is evident,
otherwise a thorough pass with a dust mop treated
with a water-based dust mop treatment is recommended
to remove dry soil and dirt.
2. Depending upon the depth you wish to penetrate
into the finish film during the top scrub procedure-
use either an all purpose cleaner (for deeper
penetration) or a neutral detergent (for light
penetration) and a green pad for light scrubbing
or a blue pad for deep scrubbing. Always mix
chemicals according to the manufacturer’s
directions.
3. Apply solution liberally (do not flood) allowing
the solution to contact the floor for approximately
2-3 minutes and thoroughly scrub using the single
disc machine.
4. Pick up solution with mop or wet vacuum.
Use a detail mop with clean water to remove
any trails or footprints.
5. (Optional) Dry buff the clean floor to knock
off any edges and smooth the surface prior to
applying a new coat of finish. This step will
enhance the appearance level of the floor noticeably.
6. Apply one coat of floor finish in the traffic
areas as described in the “Applying Floor
Finish” procedure. For appearance sake
this coat must be applied evenly and if necessary
feathered at the edges. If lines are apparent
where new finish has been applied, wait at
least
one hour and dry buff edges.
Procedure #5 Top Scrub and Recoat (with an
automatic scrubber).
1. Follow the same procedure for “Cleaning” with
the automatic scrubber using the double scrub
method. Double scrubbing provides two
passes with the automatic before the solution
is picked up and normally utilizes a more aggressive
pad or brush.
2. Lay solution down on the first pass with
squeegee in the up position. Make return pass
along the same path with solution turned off
and squeegee down.
3. Be sure to have a clean detail mop available
to pick up any trails which may be left from
the automatic.
4. Using a neutral detergent in this process
will alleviate the need to rinse, however if
you are performing a more aggressive top scrub
with an all purpose cleaner, then rinsing is
necessary prior to recoating.
5. (Optional ) Dry buff the clean floor to knock
off any edges and smooth the surface prior to
applying a new coat of finish. This step will
enhance the appearance level of the floor noticeably.
6. Apply one coat of floor finish in the traffic
areas as described in the “Applying Floor
Finish” procedure. For appearance sake
this coat must be applied evenly and if necessary
feathered at the edges. If lines are apparent
where new finish has been applied, wait at
least
one hour and dry buff edges.
Procedure #6 Spray buffing,
conventional & high speed maintenance.
1. Follow steps outlined for “Cleaning”.
2. Using a spray buff compound, lightly mist
the product through a trigger sprayer directly
onto the floor ahead of the buffer. Spray buff
compounds may vary, however, their purpose is
all the same - to provide lubricity to the pad
surface, assist in working out heavy marks from
the floor surface, and to facilitate better
blending in scratched areas. 3. Buff the area
where the spray buff has been applied until
dry (this will vary with the speed of your equipment
and type of pad being used). Be careful to notice
areas of wear and pay particular attention to
the depth of gloss (this will indicate when
recoating is necessary, especially in traffic
patterns.)
4. Dustmop the entire floor after spray buffing.
Procedure #7, Restoring, high speed and ultra
high speed maintenance.
1. Follow steps outlined for “Cleaning”.
2. Follow the dilution recommendations of the
manufacturer for the restoring compound and
always use a clean mop and bucket to apply.
3. Put a plastic garbage can liner in your mop
bucket to assure that your restorer will not
become contaminated from previous chemicals
which may have been used in the mop bucket.
This will also assist you in faster cleanup
later.
4. Dip mop in the bucket of restorer and tamp
the mop head lightly in the wringer. You want
the mop to be full of product but never dripping.
Apply evenly to all areas and allow to air dry.
5. Once dry follow the steps as outlined in
the procedure for “Dry Burnishing”.
