FLOORCARE & MAINTENANCE KEEP IT REGULAR
To keep your wood flooring looking at its best, it is important that it is regularly maintained. Tom Campton, Director of Beaver Floorcare,
discusses how to look after your wood flooring and shares the best maintenance methods.
Wood flooring is a popular choice for many architects and specifiers to introduce natural materials into the workplace. The range of finishes available can be incredibly varied and knowing the types of finish and how to clean them is vitally important.
The types of wood finishes on floors in commercial buildings will generally consist of the following: Lacquers of varying grades which can be water and oil-based, Oils (coloured and clear), Hardwax Oils and soap finished timber. Waxes are less frequently found due to the high maintenance required.
is impenetrable to water you can be a little more varied on what you use. This being said you should not use heavy detergent-based cleaners that leave any residual films on the surface, as these can become sticky and attract dirt.
Daily mopping should be installed into the maintenance programme, this will consist of damp mopping using the correct wood floor cleaner and high quality microfibre, which will remove and absorb dirt from within the grain of the timber. Spillages need to be dealt with in the same way and should not be left for long periods of time before they are removed.
If the size of area is considerably large, subject to high traffic and is consistently having food or drinks spilt over it, the use of a mechanical cleaning machine will undoubtedly save you time and budget. The type of machine that is used should not put excessive amounts of water on to the surface. The machines that we recommend to clients are the Kärcher 40/10, the Truvox multi wash and the duplex machine. These machines are very good at limiting the amount of moisture that is applied to the wood surface and can combine the cleaning agent as well.
The regular maintenance is just as important as the periodic, it will ensure that the surface performs at its best and does not deteriorate. Periodic maintenance should be undertaken before the surface gets to a level that requires restoration procedures and the entire surface needs taking back to the bare timber.
Purchasing wood floor cleaners off the supermarket shelf should be handled with caution as they might cause damage to an oiled, hardwax oil or soaped floor surface. If a cleaner that is too aggressive is used on these it will remove the finish and dry the timber, leaving a dull, dry, under nourished appearance, if this happens you will need to clean the floor with an oil safe wood cleaner before re- applying more oil, hardwax oil or soap.
If you have a polyurethane lacquer which is oil or water- based, you should use a wood floor cleaner that is mildly alkaline or pH neutral – because the surface of the wood
42 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning
Typically the normal periodic maintenance will consist of either intensive deep cleaning and an application of a top up or refresher type product, or a more in-depth screen/ scrub and reseal. A scrub and reseal will lightly remove the dirt and create an abraded prepared surface that will take another protective coat; the frequency that it is undertaken is always due to the type of environment and amount of footfall that passes over the floor on a weekly basis. It is important that this process takes place not only to protect the wood and the coating that sits on the timber, it will reduce the need for more costly sanding and resealing which will in turn save you surprises on your budget.
www.beaverfloorcare.co.uk/wood-floor-cleaning twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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