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 two ounces of Prime Time Gym Floor Cleaner
per gallon 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 Prime Time Waterbased Oil Modified
Urethane Wood finish, tack-rag the entire floor
once again with a clean Turkish towel wrung
out in Prime Time Waterbased Wood Floor 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 Prime Time Waterbased oil-modified
Urethane Wood Finish, allowing overnight drying
with adequate ventilation. Buff the floor with
a #100 or #120 grit screen, vacuum and tack-rag
using Prime Time Waterbased Wood Floor Cleaner.
3. Apply a second coat of finish, repeating
above procedure.
4. After floor has dried, Lay out athletic court
lines (see Game Line Section).
5. Apply the first coat of Prime Time Waterbased
oil-modified Urethane Wood 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 water, until
no dust is noticeable on floor.
6. Apply a second coat of Prime Time Waterbased
oil-modified Urethane Wood 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 Prime Time Waterbased oil-modified Urethane
Wood Finish, apply the game lines after the
second coat of sealer/finish. When scrubbing
and recoating, patch or apply game lines before
finishing.
1. After the second coat of sealer/finish 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 water. 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 water. Be sure that all
gloss has been removed from the floor and lines
before applying finish
4. Apply two coats of Prime Time Waterbased
oil-modified Urethane Wood 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.
