| Wood
Floor Care (Water-Based Systems) |
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.
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The
Janitech Companies
106 High Street
Cumberland, RI 02864
(Tel) 401-724-4300, (Fax) 401-724-4900 |
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