Initial maintenance — what flooring contractors need to know

 

For the past 22 years I have worked with architects, interior designers, general contractors and owners on commercial resilient flooring projects. I get asked all the time about initial maintenance of a given floorcovering material. As simple as it seems, it gets complicated. I start the conversation by asking, “Who is responsible for the initial maintenance?”

It is widely assumed that this is the floorcovering installer’s responsibility, but I have to explain that many flooring contractors don’t do floor maintenance at all, so they may exclude it from their bid or subcontract it to a maintenance contractor. In other cases the flooring contractor does do maintenance, so it’s no big deal worrying about who is responsible. The worst-case scenario is that the general contractor takes on the role with one of his workers, and that can be an issue if maintenance is not done right. From the point of view of the manufacturer’s rep, as long as it gets done correctly, I am not worried.

So, regardless of the who does it, how about the what gets done? That varies widely based on product, and with the variety of products out there today, you can’t afford to assume they are all the same.

Vinyl composition tile 

Vinyl composition tile (VCT) accounts for more square footage than any other category, with millions of square feet in retail stores, supermarkets, hospitals, schools and so on. This product is somewhat the benchmark for maintenance. How it’s done is well known and I don’t think anyone has much to learn from me about how to care for these products. Initial maintenance is a good cleaning and a rinse to be sure the floor is spotless, followed by application of the recommended floor finish. However, it’s often assumed that every other resilient floor gets maintained the same way, and can lead to problems. Many floor coverings are intended to be ““no wax.” All that’s required is sweeping, washing the floor and sometimes buffing with a machine and a soft white pad to take out scuffs and bring up the gloss a little.

Sometimes on a construction site, the standard procedure is this: Apply a quick coat of floor finish to protect the new floor until it gets turned over to the owner, who will strip the finish off and start the recommended maintenance program. In theory this is a good idea; if it’s a “no wax” floor, not such a good idea.

The other problem with putting a coat of finish on the floor is, if the building maintenance staff doesn’t know what was used for this coating, knowing what to use for taking it off can be hard. Before starting this process, check with the flooring manufacturer to see what is recommended. Let the general contractor know what was done so he can tell the owner.

Solid vinyl tile

Solid vinyl (SVT) is completely different from VCT, although they often get lumped into the vinyl tile category, which can lead to mistakes. You will also hear the term luxury vinyl tile (LVT) applied to printed-film products made to look like wood, stone, concrete and other materials. Maintenance procedures may vary on these products — some need a floor finish and some do not. Also, there are new products being called PVC-free. At first glance they look like SVT, but they are not vinyl at all. Finishes generally do not adhere to these products, so make sure you know what you have before you get started.

Linoleum

Real linoleum floors (not sheet vinyl) are a little different as well. Some are produced with a factory-applied coating; some are not. One thing to know about a new linoleum floor: During manufacturing, linoleum cures in drying rooms for several weeks and a yellowish film may develop on the surface of the product. It will disappear after exposure to light, in a few hours to a few days. This drying-room yellowing is not a defect, so if you are asked to try to scrub this off the floor, don’t! As far as maintenance, linoleum floors are more sensitive to chemicals and abrasives than is vinyl, so comply carefully with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Do not use high-pH strippers or cleaners because strong alkaline cleaners can damage linoleum. There are specific chemicals on the market for linoleum, so don’t use the same chemicals you would use on other types of flooring.

Sheet vinyl

Sheet vinyl, not to be confused with linoleum, can fall into two different categories. Some floors are maintained similarly to VCT. Others with more vinyl content, are maintained like SVT floors. It may or may not be necessary to apply floor finish to the new floor. Get the manufacturer’s maintenance guide to learn what is on the floor.

Rubber

Rubber tile, sheet and stair treads continue to be widely used commercially because they are tough, durable and slip resistant. The surface texture can vary from a smooth, to a marbleized or chip design that could be confused with sheet vinyl or VCT at first. Raised designs are also very popular with raised circular, square, hammered or diamond-plate looks. Smooth products can be cleaned with mops or pads. With textured products, you need brushes to get into the peaks and valleys. These products generally do not require a site-applied floor finish when new.

Some products have a coating applied at the factory and others do not — and don’t need one, either. There are specific rubber-floor care products, some which clean the floor and leave behind a protective film.

Cork

Like rubber and linoleum, cork is an old product that is making a comeback. The important thing to remember is that although cork is classified as resilient flooring, once installed it acts like wood, so a cork floor is maintained like a wood floor. Before starting on a cork floor, find out what type of finish is on the floor — it may be polyurethane, wax or oil — and, as you might imagine, there are different procedures based on what you have.

Urethane is the most widely used, and sometimes additional coats are applied on a new floor for extra protection. This is not a typical waxing-the-floor process. It’s the same as putting finish on a wood floor. Above all, do not wet mop or machine scrub the floor — water is the enemy of wood and cork floors.

Here is the important thing to know: Resilient flooring, as a category, has more different types of materials than ever. The methods of installing and maintaining them vary from product to product. Many flooring manufacturers today have technical staff available to help you answer questions about these products, and some will even come in to do in-service training. Take advantage of these opportunities before you start maintaining a new floor, so you can prevent problems later if the job is not done correctly. If you are not in the maintenance business and would like to be, there are some good training programs from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). The IICRC is a certification and standard-setting nonprofit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries.

Christopher Capobianco is a flooring expert currently working with Forest Hill, Md.-based Spartan Surfaces, a distributor of commercial hard-surface flooring. Chris’s family lineage in floorcovering goes back for generations. His career includes time as a retailer, architectural sales rep, technical support manager, consultant, instructor, columnist and active volunteer in several organizations.