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Floor Maintenance Equipment Checklist

Assemble all materials and equipment required
Wet Floor signs - put in place before starting Short hose for adding water
Dust Pan Check water supply
Dust Mop Floor Maintenance Chemicals
Broom Doodle Bug with proper pads
Floor Machine with proper pads (check to make sure electric power is on and also check floor machine to make sure it works properly) Cotton mops for applying stripper solution
Scraper (to remove gum, etc.) Short hose for adding water
Buckets with wringers (2) - 1 for stripper, 1 for floor finish Conventional floor machine, buffing pads & spray bottles OR High-Speed burnisher and proper pads

Floor Stripping Procedure  

Walk through area to determine problem areas, such as heavy build-up in corners and on baseboards. Built-up corners and baseboards should be handled before the entire floor is stripped.

Mop Stripping

  1. Squirt Grand Slam evenly over baseboard surface, excess will run down onto edges and corners. Allow Grand Slam to remain on baseboard and edges for 10 minutes. Use a Doodle Bug with a scrub pad to remove build-up. Rinse area.
  2. Prepare a solution of Laser, Jackhammer or one of our other high-quality mop strip products in the stripper bucket. Dilute according to directions with warm water, not hot. Dip cotton mop into stripper solution and flood onto floor*. Allow solution to remain on floor for 10 to 15 minutes. Strip small areas at a time so as not to allow solution to dry. Wet down with more stripping solution if necessary. Pick up stripper/finish solution with a wet vac. In cases of heavy build-up, it may be necessary to use a floor machine with a stripping pad. For best results, we recommend rinsing floor twice thoroughly with clean water; the first rinse should include Prep-It Neutralizer.

Conventional Stripping 

Prepare a solution of Super Strip, Strip XX or one of our other high-quality conventional strippers in the stripper bucket. Follow above procedure, however, you must use a floor machine fitted with a stripping pad and use hot water.

CAUTION: Floor will be very slippery due to Floor Finish being solubilized. Do a small area at a time (approximately 4' x 4') and stand on dry portion of floor while running floor machine to avoid slipping.

Applying Sealer  

  1. Place Wet Floor signs in proper locations.  
  2. Apply Sealer to a clean, stripped and dry floor.  
  3. Pour Skip Kote or First Step Sealer into the floor finish bucket, using only enough to cover mop head completely.  
  4. Dip clean mop into sealer until uniformly wet.  
  5. Wring out until sealer is dripping slightly from mop end.  
  6. Apply first coat 6" from baseboards to prevent build-up on edges. Allow to dry (approximately 30 to 45 minutes). Apply second coat approximately 1" from baseboards. Two coats should suffice.

Applying Floor Finish  

Follow same procedure using any of our high quality floor finishes such as Elegant, Ever-Tuff or Duro-Sheen. Two to four coats of finish should be used for maximum gloss and protection. Determine if additional finish is needed after second coat is dry. Allow 30 minutes drying time between coats.

NOTE: Do not pour leftover sealer or finish back into original container. To do so can cause severe contamination.

Maintaining a Finished Floor  

  1. Dust mop or sweep entire area to remove loose soil and abrasive grit daily.  
  2. Use 2 to 4 ounces of De-Soil All-Purpose Cleaner, Fresh Clean Neutral All-Purpose Cleaner or Saflex All-Purpose Cleaner per gallon of water.  
  3. Damp mop floor with this solution.  
  4. After floor is dry: (as per maintenance schedule) (a.) Apply a mop-on restorer such as Mop & Buff or Renew Restorer as per label instructions and burnish with high-speed floor machine. OR (b.) Apply a spray buff such as Saf-T-Spray Buff, Poly Buff or Dazzle and buff with conventional or high-speed floor machine fitted with proper buffing pad.

How to Troubleshoot Common Floor Care Problems

Streaks in Floor Finish

Most Common Causes

Solution
Recoating too soon before prior coat has dried properly. Strip, rinse and reapply. With most finishes, allow at least 30 minutes after finish to dry to the touch before recoating. Do not recoat if mop drags.
Floor finish applied over factory finish on new tile. Strip thoroughly, rinse and reapply finish.
Dirty mop or equipment used. Insure equipment is clean before applying finish.
Floor finish frozen or stored in extreme heat. Replace damaged polish before applying finish.
Contaminated finish put back in container. Do not save leftover finish in container for future use. Dispose of it.

Discolored Floor Finish

Most Common Causes

Solution
Finish applied with new synthetic mops before soaking/cleaning them. Soak and clean new mops thoroughly. Use synthetic mops to apply finish.
Incorrect concentration of cleaner. Follow recommended dilution rations.
Dirt coated into floor finish. Strip, rinse and reapply finish. Deep scrub finish properly before recoating.
Outside dirt, sand, grit ground into finish. Use approved mats and runners. Ineffective daily cleaning (particularly with UHS program prior to burnishing). Damp mopping may not be sufficient. Use auto scrubber daily with proper cleaner and pads.

Powering/Poor Adhesion of Floor Finish

Most Common Causes

Solution
Factory finish not stripped from new tile before finishing Thoroughly strip, rinse and reapply finish.
Applying coats too thinly. Apply in medium to full coats (avoid wrung- out mops).
Wrong buffing pads or brushes used Use recommended pads or brushes. (too aggressive).
Burnishing a finish designed for low-speed Match the finish to the maintenance procedure. buffing or spray-buffing.
Floor not thoroughly rinsed before finishing. Before applying finish, floor must be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed.

Scuffing and Scratching of Floor Finish

Most Common Causes

Solution
Wrong scrubbing or buffing pads, brushes used. Use recommended pad or brush for each procedure.
Excessive dirt and grit on floor. Use approved mats and dust mop frequently.
Floor finish film is too thick from excessive recoating. Deep scrub with a black pad before recoating. (maintain 4 to 6 coats).
Not scrubbing or buffing often enough. Separate main from secondary traffic areas an schedule appropriate maintenance.

Poor Gloss

Most Common Causes

Solution
Insufficient coats applied or recoat schedule off. Scrub, rinse and apply additional coats (maintain 4 to 6 coats).
Thin coats of finish. Apply in medium to full coats: avoid wrung- out-mops.
Wrong scrubbing or buffing pads/brushes used (usually too aggressive). Consult pad manufacturer for proper pad for each application.
 Excessive amount of sand and grit on floor. Use approved mats, dust mop frequently and remove grit outside doors.
Floor not properly rinsed before recoat. Strip, rinse well and apply new finish.