PREPARATION OF FLOORS
1. Stripping
a. Sanding This procedure should be performed
only by experienced maintenance personnel to
assure good results. Improper sanding can ruin
a floor.
1. Remove all moldings. Sweep floor to remove
all excess dirt and grit which might clog sandpaper.
2. Using a commercial drum sander, make the
initial cut with the grain using #2-1/2 sandpaper
for new floors and open coat sandpaper for old
finished floors. Trim work should be done using
the same grade sandpaper. Sweep or vacuum all
dust.
3. Make second cut using #1-1/2 sandpaper, sanding
with the grain. Again, sweep or vacuum up all
dust.
4. Make final cut using #00 sandpaper, sanding
with the grain. All finish should be removed
by the end of the third cut. Sweep or vacuum
all dust. Tack rag the floor twice using a good
quality waterless cleaner to remove finer dust.
b. Chemical Stripping
Chemical stripping of wood floors should be
performed by experienced professionals, due
to the toxicity of methylene chloride strippers.
Other non-toxic strippers are commercially available,
however, they require special procedures in
order to work effectively.
1. Remove athletic painted court lines by first
applying a liberal amount of stripper using
a wide paintbrush. Apply sawdust over stripper
to reduce evaporation. Allow to stand 10 to
15 minutes (or as recommended by the manufacturer)
and then scrap up paint with a putty knife.
Eliminating the lines first will prevent the
colored enamel from staining the wood flooring
during the stripping process.
2. Apply stripper using a lambs wool applicator.
Work in small areas of about 80 sq. ft. at a
time.
3. Keep stripper surface wet with more stripper
as it cuts into finish or evaporates. Never
let floor dry out. Covering stripper with sawdust
will slow down the evaporation process. After
about 10 to 15 minutes, scrub floor with a floor
machine equipped with a steel wire brush. Clean
out brush frequently to prevent clogging and
uneven stripping.
4. Sweep up sawdust, or push stripping solution
into a small area and pick up using a shovel,
placing into a steel container for disposal.
5. Abrade floor with a #120 grit screen. Rinse
floor with a good quality waterless cleaner,
allow to dry and rebuff with a #120 grit screen
again. Vacuum and tack-rag the floor once again
to remove all dust and particles.
2. Screening
Begin by observing floor area for stains, spills,
heel marks, rubber burns, and gum on the floor.
Use a good quality cleaner to remove excessive
soils prior to scrubbing operation. Use a putty
knife if needed, to remove gum. Begin screening
the floor at a moderate speed using a new 100
or 120 grit screen under a slow speed buffer.
Cross buff the floor. For best results, screen
east/west, then north/south. Use one screen
for every 500 square feet. Note: never use
a damaged screen on floors. This may result in
uneven surface dulling or create deep scratches
in the finish that will not be easily removed.
When complete, the floor should have a uniform
white powder on the surface and a dull, even
appearance. Do not leave ANY shiny spots. Vacuum
up all dust using a non-marking vacuum head.
Watch out for creating scuffmarks from black
power cords, vacuum wheels, shoes or any other
black rubber material. Next, tack-rag the floor
with a clean turkish towel well wrung out in
Clean-Up Waterless Cleaner. Be sure to change
out towel frequently and, above all, change
water when it becomes slightly discolored.
Repeat this procedure at least twice to ensure that
all dust and soil has been removed. Even more
tack ragging may be needed, depending on the
amount of soil and dust in the air.
3. Scrub and Recoat
Most wood gym floors can be brought back to
a beautiful shine with a simple scrub and recoat
process. Begin by observing floor area for stains,
spills, heel marks, rubber burns, and gum on
the floor. Use a good quality cleaner to remove
excessive soils prior to scrubbing operation.
Use a putty knife if needed, to remove gum.
Mix one cup Clean-N-Shine per 3 gallons of water
in a clean mop-bucket. Using a clean mop, mop
the solution over a small area of the floor,
using a very light amount (do not flood). A
one person is mopping down solution, have another
person begin to scrub the floor using a low
speed floor machine equipped with a 120-grit
screen under a suitable pad.
Begin operating the machine in the same direction
that the floorboards are running in. Work in
small 12’ by 12’ areas to prevent
soiled scrubbing solution from drying on floor.
Once this section has been scrubbed, immediately
pick up solution with wet vacuum or auto-scrubber.
After picking up solution, damp mop the area
twice with clean fresh water and a well wrung
out mop. A fresh mop for this process is recommended.
Continue this procedure of small area treatment
until all of gym is completed. Then perform
a final damp mop of the entire floor with clean
fresh water. Allow floor to dry overnight before
applying the solvent based finish. Prior to
applying a solvent borne finish, tack-rag the
entire floor once again with a Turkish towel
wrung out in Clean-Up Waterless Cleaner.
APPLICATION OF SEALS AND FINISHES
A newly prepared
floor (sanded or chemically stripped) should
first be sealed. Sealing penetrates the wood
surface and binds the wood fibers together for
greater strength. Sealing also allows the finish
to remain on top of the floor surface, thus
forming a sharp glossy layer of protection.
1. There are many types of applicators for wood
finish application. It is best to consult the
directions supplied by the applicator manufacturer
prior to using.
2. Apply one coat of oil-modified polyurethane
sealer, allowing overnight drying with adequate
ventilation. Buff the floor with a #100 or #120
grit screen, vacuum and tack-rag using Waterless
Cleaner.
3. Apply a second coat of sealer, repeating
above procedure.
4. After floor has dried, Lay out athletic court
lines (see Game Line Section).
5. Apply the first coat of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
finish in the same manner as the sealer. Allow
to dry a least 8 hours. Buff floor with a #100
or #120 grit screen, vacuum, and tack-rag one
to two times with a Turkish towel dampened in
Clean-Up Waterless Cleaner, until no dust is
noticeable on floor.
6. Apply a second coat of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
Finish, allowing at least 24 hours dry time
prior to opening floor to traffic. Weekend dry
times are preferable.
GAME LINES
Game Lines should never be painted
onto the raw wood of new or sanded floors. When
finishing with an oil-modified polyurethane
finish, apply the game lines after the second
coat of sealer. When scrubbing and recoating,
patch or apply game lines before finishing.
1. After the second coat of sealer has dried
overnight, screen the sealer with a new #120
grit screen or #2 steel wool pad, working the
machine with the grain of the wood. Tack-rag
the floor with Clean-Up Waterless Cleaner. Allow
floor to dry 60 minutes before applying line
tape.
2. Paint the lines using a good quality all-purpose
enamel paint, pulling up the tape within two
hours after application.
3. After drying overnight, lightly abrade the
floor once again using a green pad, Vacuum up
dust and tack-rag using clean turkish towels
dampened with Clean-Up Waterless Cleaner. Be
sure that all gloss has been removed from the
floor and lines before applying finish
4. Apply two coats of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
Finish as per previous section on application.
DAILY AND WEEKLY MAINTENANCE
Once the floor
is completed, it is important to implement an
effective daily and weekly maintenance program.
Good maintenance practices keep the wood gym
floor looking its best while reducing the wear
and abrasion to the surface. Daily dust mopping
with Dustract or Aquatreat Mop Treatment does
an excellent job of removing the grit, sand
and dirt which gets tracked onto the gym floor.
Dust mopping is the first line of defense against
abrasive soils that dull the finish. Dust mopping
should be performed at least twice a week. Walk
off mats should be located at each entrance
and should be vacuumed or shaken out weekly.
During normal usage periods, the floors should
be damp-mopped or auto-scrubbed once a week
using Clean n Shine. This procedure will remove
excessive dirt, spills and excess mop treatments
from the floor, bringing back the original shine
and beauty of the floor.
