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Floor Care Process Chart

The resilient floor care cycle from daily dust mopping and damp mopping through burnishing, scrub and recoat, and full strip and refinish.

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Draft, open for review. Check every value against the governing standard and the manufacturer’s data before use.

What it is

Finished resilient floors, such as vinyl composition tile, are kept up with a cycle of tasks. Daily tasks remove soil before it scratches the finish. Periodic tasks restore the shine and add new finish. A full strip and refinish removes all the old finish and starts over. Good daily care stretches the time between strips, which are the most costly and disruptive task.

How to use it

Do the daily tasks every day the floor is used.
Burnish or spray buff on the schedule the traffic calls for.
Scrub and recoat when burnishing no longer brings back the shine.
Strip and refinish only when the finish is worn through, yellowed or built up too thick.
Follow the finish maker's directions for products, coats and dry times.

The floor care cycle

Task	What it does	Typical frequency	Tools and products
Dust mop	Removes loose grit and dust	Daily or more	Dust mop or microfiber flat mop
Damp mop or auto scrub	Removes soil and spills	Daily	Neutral cleaner, mop or auto scrubber
Spray buff or burnish	Restores gloss and smooths the finish	Daily to weekly, by traffic	Burnisher or swing machine, matching pad
Scrub and recoat	Removes the top layer and adds fresh coats	Monthly to a few times a year	Scrub pad, neutral or scrub cleaner, finish
Strip and refinish	Removes all finish and rebuilds it	Once or twice a year, or less	Stripper, stripping pad, neutralizer, sealer, finish

Frequencies depend on traffic, soil and the finish system. Set them in the facility's floor care plan.

Key points

Matting at entrances stops a large share of grit before it reaches the floor.
Use a neutral cleaner for daily mopping. High-pH cleaners dull the finish over time.
Rinse well after stripping and before applying sealer or finish, as the finish maker directs.
Apply thin, even coats and let each coat dry fully before the next.
Keep traffic off the floor until the finish has cured enough for use.
Check that the pad and machine speed match the task. See the Floor Pad Color Chart.

Common mistakes

Stripping too often instead of keeping up daily care.
Skipping the rinse after stripping, which can cause poor finish adhesion.
Applying thick coats that stay soft and scuff.
Burnishing a finish that is not made for high-speed burnishing.
Mopping with dirty water that leaves a film.

Governing standards: No single standard governs the floor care cycle. Follow the floor covering maker's care guide and the finish and chemical makers' directions.

Reference only. Verify against the current governing code or standard, the manufacturer's data and the project documents before use. Apps for Distributors disclaims liability arising from reliance on this reference.

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