Resilient Floor Care

A Systems Approach

What Is Resilient Flooring?

• Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)• Linoleum• Sheet Vinyl• Rubber• Cork• Synthetic Sports Floors

• Definition of Resilient: Bouncing or springing back into shape, position, etc. after being stretched, bent or, especially, compressed.

Non-Resilient – Resilient Flooring

• Radial rubber & Cork flooring– Too resilient. So much flex, acrylic finishes tend to shatter

– Need to use a true carnauba wax system

• Synthetic (non-wood) sports flooring– Need to use a finish system that allows for more traction and durability

than regular floor finishes

Selecting A Cost-Effective Finish System

• Use a seal? • Use a finish?• Use a seal/finish?

– How many coats? – How often?

• Burnish? – Do we have a machine?– What speed?– Which pad?

• Use a restorer?– Spray on?– Mop on?– How often?

• How does it wear?• How high gloss?

– How often is there time for: burnishing? Refinishing?

• Using a restorer?

Trilogy® Floor Care System• Ultra high speed burnishing

– Over 1500 rpm• Cord-electric to 2000 rpm• Battery and propane to 3000 rpm

• High speed burnishing– 500 - 1500 rpm

• Standard speed– 125 - 500 rpm

• Products to match your equipment• Choose the program that fits your facility

Systems & Programs

• Systems generally refer to “sets” of products designed to work together

• Programs generally refer to cleaning programs– All cleaning programs have three steps:

• Daily maintenance – dust mopping & damp mopping• Interim maintenance – burnishing; scrub & recoat• Renovation - stripping

– The better the daily maintenance is performed the longer the interval between interim procedures

– The better the daily and interim maintenance is performed, the longer between renovations

Hillyard’s Philosophy

• Cost effective programs revolve around using time-efficient procedures, not cheap products

– Labor makes up 85-90% of M&O budget• Saving 10% on products saves 1% of budget• Saving 10% on labor saves 8 ½ -9% of budget

– Begin all cleaning programs with renovation – “start clean to stay clean”– Perform daily maintenance tasks in such a way as to minimize interim

procedures– Perform interim procedures in such a way as to minimize renovative

procedures• Renovative procedures use the most labor

• So, the resilient floor program begins with…

Stripping The Floor

• Is stripping always necessary?– NO!

– Only when:

• Changing coating systems

• Changing suppliers

• Removing heavy buildup

• Removing factory coatings on new floors

Stripping The Floor

• Apply stripper• Let stand recommended time• Agitate edges & hard to reach areas w/

swivel pad holder• Scrub with single disc floor machine (buffer)• Use a wet-vac to pick up solution• Neutralize the floor (stripper)

– The stripper that removed finish will inhibit the new finish bonding to the floor

• Rinse at least twice with clear water• Check the floor for residue

Stripping Don’ts

• Stripping is a process, not an event– Everyone must work together

• Don’t drag cords through solution and onto the clean floor

• Don’t roll wheels through stripping solution and onto the clean floor

Stripping Don’ts

• Don’t walk through stripping solution and onto the clean floor

• Don’t allow stripping solution to dry back on the floor, or on baseboards, doors, walls, cabinets, etc.

• Don’t allow stripper or neutralizer to dwell on the floor too long – this can damage the tile

Stripping Don’ts

• Don’t allow stripping solution to run under doors or to splash onto an area that will not be stripped

• Don’t splash stripping solution onto adjacent carpeting• Don’t use an auto-scrubber to apply stripping solution – it

will destroy pump seals

Stripping Don’ts

• Don’t use an auto-scrubber to pick-up stripping solution – and if you do…

• Don’t store equipment (including mop buckets and wringers) without cleaning– Clean using clean stripping solution

– Clean the entire machine – squeegees, recovery hoses, recovery tanks, underside of scrub decks

Stripping Do’s

• Protect areas that won’t be stripped– Make dams under doors or in doorways– Lay towels or tarps on adjacent carpeting– Roll equipment over towels before transporting out of the area to protect adjacent

flooring– Wipe your feet before walking onto adjacent flooring

• Pay attention to details– Badly stripped edges and corners make the whole floor look bad

Stripping Do’s

• Coat vertical surfaces (baseboards, cabinet fronts, doors etc.) with Super Hil-Tone before stripping– Will help shed the stripping solution

– Inhibits finish dry-back

– Minimizes clean-up with stripping solution

– Remember to clean the treated surfaces later

Rinsing the Floor

• After neutralizing, give the floor two additional clear water rinses• Don’t forget the baseboards and corners!

– Cove base cement may dissolve & ooze back on to the floor - it will look like yellowed finish!

• When the floor is dry, wipe your hand over the surface. If it comes up with a residue, give it another rinse. If there is no residue, the floor is ready for sealing.

Sealing The Floor

• Apply same as finish– Clean, damp synthetic finish mop, flat finish mop, or finish applicator (not

dripping)– Cut in perimeter first – leave an exit by the door– Apply in continuous passes all the way across the floor

• Apply every other coat in the opposite direction

Why Seal?

• Seal protects the flooring• Seals are “generally” less expensive than finishes (depends on the

finish)– Seal has larger molecules, so less “soaks into” the floor– Seal provides a base for finish– You use less finish

• Follow recommended coverage rates• Think of plywood – several thin coats makes a very strong, durable

product

Finishing The Floor

• Apply floor finish in the same way you applied the seal• Allow adequate drying time between coats

– If too many coats applied too quickly or too thickly• Delamination can occur• Plasticizer migration can occur• Will cure softer, and be less durable

Floor Finish

• 99.9% of today’s floor finishes contain no wax– Today, we finish floors, we don’t wax them.

• How many coats?– Rule of thumb: divide the % solids of the finish into 100. The answer is the

number of coats to get optimum appearance.

• How thick?– Rule of thumb: thinner is better. Use middle of mfg.’s recommended application

rate• If 1000 – 1500 sq. ft./gal. per coat, aim for 1250 sq. Ft.

Applying Finish

• Stay away from the baseboards

Applying Seals & Finishes

• Buffers can’t scrub the last 2 in. of the floor to the edge. – Over time, finish can build up – unless the edges are hand scraped

every time the floor is scrubbed, a time-consuming and labor-intensive process.

Applying Seals & Finishes• Apply the first coat as close as possible without touching the

baseboard • Apply each successive coat two inches inside the previous coat

will feather the finish to the edge, preventing buildup and requiring less hand-work when scrubbing or stripping.

– People don’t walk right next to the wall, and in rooms there is usually furniture against the walls.

– In halls and large open areas with no furniture, the first coat touching the baseboard without slopping up on it to prevent a “dry” gap is acceptable.

Gloss Restoration

• Mop-on restorers – Mop on after cleaning (mopping or auto-scrubbing) the floor, let dry then

burnish

• Mop-on cleaner/restorers– Use in an auto-scrubber to clean and apply restorer in one step before

burnishing– No auto-scrubber?

• Use to mop the floor clean and apply restorer in one step before burnishing

Gloss Restoration• Spray buffing – regular speed

– On a clean floor, apply a mist of spray-on restorer to a small area (5’x5’)– Immediately, with a standard 175 rpm floor machine with a white pad, go

over the sprayed area, back and forth until it dries and polishes• Useful for blending out traffic lanes• For general gloss restoration

• Turn and change pads frequently• Dust mop when finished• Time consuming – not the process of first choice

– If you only have a 175 rpm machine

Gloss Restoration

• Spray buffing – high & ultra-high speed– On a clean floor, apply a mist of spray-on restorer to a small area (5’x5’)– Immediately, with a burnisher with a beige polythermal pad, go over the

sprayed area, until it dries and polishes.• For general gloss restoration

• Turn and change pads frequently• Dust mop when finished• Time consuming – not the process of first choice

Gloss Restoration

• Dry burnishing – high and ultra-high speed only– Use beige polythermal pad– Most effective with “softer” finishes

• General rule of thumb – the higher the solids content, the “harder” the finish

• Generally speaking, “harder” finishes do not respond to dry burnishing as well as “softer” finishes

• Generally speaking, “softer” finishes don’t powder as much as “harder finishes

– Dust mop when finished

Daily Maintenance

• Dust mopping with a treated dust mop– Removes grit

• Grit is as damaging as sandpaper shoe soles– Damages finish – Damages tile

– Removes and controls dust• Dust hides the shine• Minimizes hand dusting• Decreases A/C filter changes (indoor air quality)

• First line of defense against finish wear

Daily Maintenance

• Regular damp mopping– Gets what the dust mop leaves

• Rinse mop often• Change water often

• Auto-scrubbing– Faster – more efficient

• Decreases labor costs• Increases productivity

– Produces better results – cleaner floors• Reduces drying time

Interim Maintenance

• “Scrub and re-coat” uses a neutral cleaner– Buffer or auto-scrubber

• Red, blue or black pad– Quickly remove only top layer of dirty finish– Pick up solution with a wet-vac– Rinse until clean (wipe hand on floor) – Let dry– Reapply finish

• 2 to 4 coats - no more – only replace what you remove

Scrubbing vs. Stripping

• ISSA standard times per task– Stripping a floor

• 75 minutes / 1000 sq.ft.– Scrubbing a floor

• 45 minutes / 1000 sq. ft.

• Stripping means resealing and refinishing– 3 seal + 3 finish = six coats applying & drying time

• Scrubbing means replacing only the finish you scrubbed off– 2 or 3 coats applying & drying time

Scrubbing vs. Stripping

• Scrubbing floors saves– Time

– Money (labor is 85-90% of M&O budget)

– Product

• Less seal

• Less finish

• Less neutralizer

Controlling Buildup

• Many facilities are on a five year stripping rotation (or longer)– They strip only 20% (or less) of floors annually

• To prevent buildup when scrubbing, replace only what is removed

– Start with 3 seal, 3 finish coats after stripping– Assume one coat wears off and one is scrubbed off – reapply only two

coats• If 3 are reapplied the floor will have 4 coats. The next time one wears

off and one is scrubbed off and you add three you’ll have 5 and so on. Over a period of time you’ll create a heavy buildup.

Review

• Start clean to stay clean.• Focus on prevention through diligence in daily

maintenance procedures.• Use interim procedures regularly to prevent floors from

getting out of control.• Use renovative procedures only as necessary.

Resilient Floor Care

Are there any

Questions?

Quiz1. (T/F) neutralizing after stripping isn’t really necessary.2. Stripping is necessary when changing

, or , when finishing , and if there’s a

.3. (T/F) Apply finish the same way you mop a floor.4. Seal is used to create a for finish.5. The final step before applying the first seal coat is to the floor

for .

Quiz6. The most important part of a resilient floor care program is

.7. (T/F) The more finish coats applied, the longer you can go between

stripping or scrubbing.8. (T/F) After scrubbing a floor, apply one more coat of Finish than you

removed for the best appearance.9. (T/F) Damp mopping with a cleaner/ restorer is an efficient way to clean

and apply a restorer in one step.10. (T/F) Dust mopping is the first line of defense against finish wear.

Answers1. (F) neutralizing after stripping isn’t really necessary.2. Stripping is necessary when changing coating systems, or

suppliers , when finishing new floors, and if there’s a heavy buildup .

3. (F) Apply finish the same way you mop a floor.4. Seal is used to create a base for finish.5. The final step before applying the first seal coat is to check the

floor for residue .

Answers6. The most important part of a resilient floor care program is each step is

equally important – a floor care program means skipping any step will affect the total performance of the coating system .

7. (F) The more finish coats applied, the longer you can go between stripping or scrubbing.

8. (F) After scrubbing a floor, apply one more coat of finish than you removed for the best appearance.

9. (T) Damp mopping with a cleaner/ restorer is an efficient way to clean and apply a restorer in one step.

10. (T) Dust mopping is the first line of defense against finish wear.

Resilient Floor Care

Thank you for your participation.