Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
ADVANCED CLEANING
FOR HARD FLOOR SURFACES:
SUPPLIES
Supplies are items consumed as they are used.
Many supplies consumed are liquid chemicals.
Familiarize yourself with product specifics
Always follow required or recommended safety procedures.
DO NOT make your own chemical mixtures.
RESILIENT FLOOR CHEMICALS
Stripper
Neutralizer
Sealer
Finish
Restorer
CLEANING CHEMICALS/DETERGENTS
WOOD FLOOR CHEMICALS
Wood strippers
Wood floor cleaning chemicals
Wood seals/finishes
CONCRETE FLOOR CHEMICALS
Strippers
Sealers and finishes
OTHER HARD FLOOR SURFACES AND CHEMICALS
Quarry and ceramic tile
Terrazzo
Marble and natural stone
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
RESILIENT FLOOR CHEMICALS
STRIPPERS
NON-AMMONIATED STRIPPERS
High pH
Never use on soft resilient tiles (Rubberized and Asphalt)
AMMONIATED STRIPPERS
May be used on resilient tiles
MACHINELESS STRIPPERS
Some neutral, Some not neutral
Read and follow directions
More expensive but greater labor savings
May be used with floor machines
NEUTRALIZERS
Added to mop water
After floor stripping solution is vacuumed
Follow directions exactly!
FLOOR SEALERS
Add protection
Floors in good condition may not need a sealer
Resilient floor sealers are water-based
Best to use same brand sealer and finish
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
RESILIENT FLOOR CHEMICALS
FLOOR FINISHES
SOFT FINISHES
Either natural (Carnauba) or synthetic ingredients
Soft when compared with other finish types
Buff with regular speed machine
Swirls in floor surface
Buffing with high-speed equipment breaks up finish
Never mix, in liquid form or on the floor, with other floor finishes
Orange peel or powdering will result
LOW-SOLIDS METAL CROSSLINK
Polymer finish
Use machines below 1,200 RPM
Can be spray-buffed
Solid content 14% - 16%
HIGH-SOLIDS METAL CROSSLINK
Plasticizers added to produce “wet look”
Use machines over 1,200 RPM
Solid content 18% - 31%
BUFFABLE/NON-BUFFABLE CHARACTERISTICS
Buffable: Requires machine buffing to achieve a high shine
Non-Buffable: Dry to shine, but are less durable
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
RESILIENT FLOOR CHEMICALS
FLOOR FINISH RESTORERS
Designed to restore and maintain “wet-look”
SPRAY- BUFF RESTORERS
Spray on while burnishing
MOP-ON RESTORERS
Mop on, let dry, machine buff
Use a restorer compatible with finish
LIQUID THERMOPLASTIC
Affected by friction heat generated by high-speed floor
machines
Mop on thin layer and high-speed buff for a high gloss
Provides protective layer against wear and abrasion
CLEANING CHEMICALS/DETERGENTS
Used on resilient floors to remove soil; not finish
NEUTRAL ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
Diluted with cool water, safe for vinyl, vinyl asbestos, asphalt
and rubber tiles
If diluted with warm water will remove a little floor finish
ALKALINE CLEANER
Will destroy floor finish
ACID CLEANER
Will destroy both floor finish and tile
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
WOOD FLOOR CHEMICALS
Cleaning, stripping, and finishing wood floors is more complicated
than resilient floors
WOOD FLOOR STRIPPERS
Remove dirt and old finish
Stripping done infrequently
If properly maintained, floor need not be stripped for many
years
Wood floor strippers are very strong and highly toxic solventbased cleaners
Wear protective clothing
Have proper ventilation
Scraped finish is considered hazardous waste
Should be put into disposable plastic bags or containers
DO NOT put into regular dumpsters or bins
Contact hazardous waste disposal authority for proper
disposal
Improper disposal is a violation of federal and state laws
WOOD FLOOR CLEANING CHEMICALS
Wood floor cleaning is done based on the finish and the use
NEUTRAL ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
Used with dry stripping process
Combined with water
Use minimal amount of solution necessary to get the job done
Never leave puddles
WATERLESS CLEANER
Use pads, but not dry stripping procedures
Chemicals are volatile: Avoid open flames and ventilate well
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
WOOD FLOOR CHEMICALS
WOOD FLOOR SEALS AND FINISHES
Wood floors are sealed (finished) to strengthen and protect the
surface, to add beauty and for easy cleaning
First coat of sealer on bare wood anchors the later coats of
finish
Sealers Include:
PASTE WAX
One of oldest methods to maintain wood floors
Largely replaced by newer finish formulations
Labor-intensive and time-consuming to maintain
Do not apply to gymnasium floors
MOISTURE-CURED URETHANES
Polymers
Dry hard and long-lasting
OIL-MODIFIED URETHANES
Petroleum-based formulas
Easier to apply and often cost less than epoxy seals and
finishes
EPOXY
Tougher than oil-modified urethanes
Floor preparation and application are time-consuming
When properly applied, epoxy-finished floors are attractive
SINGLE-COMPONENT WATER-BASED ACRYLICS
Formulated to meet clean air standards designed to reduce
VOC emissions
Each sealer and finish has its own application procedures
Follow directions carefully
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
CONCRETE FLOOR CHEMICALS
STRIPPERS
To determine what type of stripper to use to remove the old
finish, first determine what type of seal or finish is already on
the concrete floor.
If previously sealed, use a general solvent-based flushable
stripper.
Before resealing, scrub the floor with heavy-duty degreaser.
Apply sealer.
SEALERS AND FINISHES
Most solvent based-sealers and finishes do not meet
new clean air standards.
The new water-borne epoxy systems for coating seem to
wear well and provide gloss and chemical resistance
without violating clean air standards.
Some VOC-compliant coatings can be applied without
chemically stripping the previous coatings.
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
OTHER HARD FLOOR SURFACES AND
CHEMICALS
QUARRY & CERAMIC TILES
Sealing these floors can bring out the color and sheen
Sealing protects the grout and makes surface easier to clean
WATER-BASED SEALERS
Economical, easy to apply, fast drying, low in objectionable odor
Paint or varnish remover not necessary to strip this sealer
SOLVENT-BASED SEALERS
More durable
METAL INTERLOCK FINISH
Good coating
If tile flooring is GLAZED, sealer/finish may not be necessary
TERRAZZO
STRIPPERS
Ammoniated stripper (pH 12.5) for finish removal
Alternate stripper 9% hydrochloric acid diluted at a ratio of
one part acid to three parts clean water is strong
Too high acid concentration will etch stone
Once finish or sealer is removed, mop the surface three times:
Clean water rinse
Neutralizer/conditioner
Clean water rise
REFINISHERS
Solvent or water-based sealer
Thermoplastic floor finish
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Advanced Cleaning of Hard Floor Surfaces: Supplies Handout
SUPPLIES:
OTHER HARD FLOOR
SURFACE AND CHEMICALS
MARBLE AND NATURAL STONE
Surface must be protected or major renovation necessary in short time
PERMANENT SEAL
Nominal initial cost and low maintenance
Often shows traffic pattern and there may be some discoloration
Removal is costly and time-consuming
MODIFIED MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
For honed or polished marble: allows for repairs to gloss and finish
and fast economical removal of seal and finish
Modified maintenance program uses the following supplies:
Low-alkaline, high solvent stripper
Non-acidic products
Floor machine with a scrubbing pad
SEALERS
Pure acrylic sealer with mild cationic properties provides
surface adhesion and allows stone to breathe
Seals should be water-clear when dry, thermoplastic
and highly slip resistant
RESTORER
Should be comparable in hardness to finish
NEUTRAL CLEANER
For maintenance
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