Resilient Floor Care
A Systems Approach
What Is Resilient Flooring?
• Definition of Resilient: Bouncing or springing back into shape,
position, etc. after being stretched, bent or, especially, compressed.
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Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT)
Linoleum
Sheet Vinyl
Rubber
Cork
Synthetic Sports Floors
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?
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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?
Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
(T/F) neutralizing after stripping isn’t really necessary.
Stripping is necessary when changing
, or
, when finishing
, and if there’s a
(T/F) Apply finish the same way you mop a floor.
Seal is used to create a
for finish.
The final step before applying the first seal coat is to
floor for
.
.
the
Quiz
6.
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.
Answers
1. (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 .
Answers
6.
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.