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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 one cup Clean-N-Shine per 3 gallons 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 a solvent
borne finish, tack-rag the entire floor once again
with a Turkish towel wrung out in Clean-Up Waterless
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 oil-modified polyurethane sealer,
allowing overnight drying with adequate ventilation.
Buff the floor with a #100 or #120 grit screen, vacuum
and tack-rag using Waterless Cleaner.
3. Apply a second coat of sealer, repeating above
procedure.
4. After floor has dried, Lay out athletic court lines
(see Game Line Section).
5. Apply the first coat of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
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-Up Waterless
Cleaner, until no dust is noticeable on floor.
6. Apply a second coat of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
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 an oil-modified polyurethane finish, apply the
game lines after the second coat of sealer. When scrubbing
and recoating, patch or apply game lines before finishing.
1. After the second coat of sealer 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-Up Waterless
Cleaner. 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-Up
Waterless Cleaner. Be sure that all gloss has been
removed from the floor and lines before applying finish
4. Apply two coats of Crystal Cote HS Polyurethane
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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