Hi I'm Bill, welcome to Clean Care.
Floor stripping is important to give a solid starting point to any floor care program.
With normal traffic wear and tear and accumulation of soil,
the floor finish will deteriorate over time
at this point it will need to be removed and reapplied
Floor stripper is designed to turn built up layers of floor finish back into a
liquid state so that it can be removed.
After the floor is stripped and finished
the goal is to keep the floor in a maintenance mode where it will only need
a quick top scrub and re application of the top layers.
Floor stripping is the most labor chemical and equipment intensive tasks in the janitorial world,
and each time a floor is stripped it can slightly wear down the floor material.
A proper floor maintenance program including top scrubbing and periodic
maintenance will extend the overall lifespan of a floor by reducing the
frequency of floor stripping and finishing required.
To begin you'll need a single-disc floor machine, floor pads, wet vacuum with wet pick up tool,
dust mop, wet mop,and heads, mop bucket and wringer,
scraper, small squeegee, wet floor signs,
floor stripper, neutralizer, buckets, and access to water.
Although modern cleaning chemicals are safer than in the past always read and follow WHMIS and
safety guidelines and wear the appropriate personal protective equipment
as called for on the product label.
First make sure to get uninterrupted access to the workspace.
look for problem areas with a buildup of
dirt or wax that will need additional scrubbing
and identify areas of high traffic that might need extra protection.
Divide the floor into rough 8 by 10-foot sections
move any furniture out of the way clear the area that you are working on
and sweep or dust mop the entire area
now post wet floor signs at all entrances to the workspace.
Always use the best quality stripper that is available to you
as this will save you time and money in the long run.
Now take the floor stripper and mix it with your room temperature water.
Most products will outline a range of dilutions for effective stripping.
Use an old mop head that can be thrown out afterwards as it will be ruined by the stripping process.
Now flood your 8 by 10 floor area with the solution.
Never let the stripper solution dry onto the floor,
reapply the solution to any areas that are starting to dry.
The next step is to use the floor machine to continue to break down the finish
and loosen its bond with the floor turning it into a viscous slurry.
Mount a stripping pad and pad driver onto the floor machine.
If the machine has multiple speeds use the lower setting around 200 rpm if possible.
Move the machine back and forth over the area being worked on.
Use the motion of the machine to direct the water flow.
Moving the machine to the right will push the solution forward,
and moving the machine to the left will pull the solution backwards towards your feet
Since many floors are laid over concrete and might be uneven,
it's good to make multiple passes changing the direction of the scrubber
to make sure that all of the low spots and high spots are covered
Trouble spots can be handled in two different ways.
You can heal the floor machine by shifting the weight to the right side
this will apply extra pressure to that spot allowing the pad to go deeper into the surface.
Additionally you can use a small scraper to cut through multiple layers of finish and sealer
to reveal the underlying floor.
Once the floor is scrubbed the next step is to remove the slurry from the floor surface.
First use a window squeegee to help pull back the slurry from obstacles and walls,
this will make it accessible to the wet vac for an easy cleanup.
Now take a wetback with a universal attachment
adjust the blades so they are just touching the floor.
Vacuum the slurry from the floor to remove the majority of the solution
You may remove any remaining wax spots with a scraper
At this point the residue on the floor is highly alkaline
and will need to be neutralized before the floor can be sealed.
Fill the bucket with room-temperature water.
Based on specifications dilute the neutralizer or neutral cleaner
and use a clean mop head to prevent cross-contamination of the solutions.
Next apply a thin even coat to the floor.
Use a blue or red pad on the floor machine
and scrub the area to release the residue from the floor
Wring out the mop tightly and damp mop the entire area
to pick up any remaining residue and moisture from the floor.
This step might need to be repeated if the residue isn't removed the first time
Now let the floor dry.
Now that the floor is stripped it is ready to be finished
But keep traffic off the floor until the sealing and finishing is complete.
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