Overview

Before engaging in floor maintenance, make sure to implement basic safety practices that minimizes risk or danger to the team executing the maintenance, the building’s occupants and of course any danger to the building, furniture and equipment. Always have cones and/or tape to isolate the areas where the maintenance work is being conducted especially when using a liquid, cleaner or stripper to avoid a slip, trip and fall incident. The team members executing the work should always have slip resistant footwear and any protective gear necessary and appropriate for the type of maintenance work being done. Read each product’s label and instructions, and always have access to each product’s Safety Data Sheet should an accident occur; it is critical to understand each product’s chemical composition. Make sure to clean and flush your equipment to avoid any damage or harm that may interfere with proper operation of the equipment.

IMPORTANT: Always dispose of cleaning chemicals correctly according to local and state requirements.

Remove immediately any residual adhesive from the face of the flooring while it is still wet, using a clean, white cloth moistened with a minimal amount of water mixed with dishwashing detergent. Do not flood or overwet the area. If the adhesive has dried, remove using a dry, clean, white cloth dampened with paint thinner or mineral spirits. Read label on the mineral spirits or paint thinner container before use and always follow all safety and precautionary instructions. After successfully removing the adhesive, rinse surface sparingly with clean water, allow to dry completely and wipe with clean, white cloth dampened with any of our approved and recommended cleaners.

Prohibit traffic for 24 hours after installation so that adhesive has adequate time to cure. Avoid leaving any items on the floor at this time including tools, buckets, scaffolding, 100 lb roller, etc. Any items with weight could displace fresh adhesive leaving a permanent indentation in the flooring as the adhesive cures and locks the indentation permanently into the flooring. After clearing the space upon installation completion, pick up and dispose of all scraps, dry mop or vacuum (make sure the vacuum attachment is not metal, but has soft fiber flanges to avoid any scratching or damage) to remove loose dirt, debris and/or grit brought in during installation. Failure to execute this simple step could result in scratches and damage from loose debris being ground into the floor’s surface.

Every flooring application and building can present its own unique set of circumstances that may require variations in maintenance procedures. Various factors influence type and extent of a maintenance program for a given installation. Factors include: volume of foot traffic and rolling cart traffic to which flooring is exposed; standards of hygiene, cleanliness and appearance established by owner; type and extent of custodial activity and how it interacts with other factors. Always choose the maintenance option that works with your area to be maintained with considerations for your maintenance staff, their work hours, their supervision, method of care & maintenance and the equipment they will use.

The following are general guidelines that will cover the majority of your new flooring’s care and maintenance scenarios. If you feel your situation is not covered by these guidelines, contact us for advice and guidance before beginning your maintenance procedures at  www.parterreflooring.com/technical or 866-243-2726.

Parterre recommends the use of microfiber mops and pads for dust mopping and wet scrubbing. Using an automatic scrubber or wet vacuum is the preferred method to remove soiled water. Once the floor has been cleaned and the dirty slurry removed, then use clean rinse water to remove any residue left on the flooring. If wet mopping with a string mop is the only available option, use a two-bucket mopping system for best results. Do not use brown or black pads or stiff–bristled brushes.

Preventative Care and Maintenance

Damage to a hard surface or resilient floor can be minimized with preventative measures including placement of entry door mats, use of furniture moving aids, use and care of felt furniture floor protectors, proper casters on wheeled equipment and furniture, and routine sweeping. These measures are simple and necessary to avoid permanent flooring damage.

Walk-Off Entry Door Mats

Place matting at building entrances and in high-traffic zones as the most effective first line of defense against tracked in dirt and debris.

Ensure the mats used on the floor are non-staining mats. Rubber-backed or latex-backed mats, tires and asphalt sealers may stain or damage the floor’s surface.

Walk-off mats will remove up to 90% of tracked-in soil and moisture thereby preserving the interior flooring surfaces, reducing maintenance by reducing the amount of debris that is carried throughout the building from the outdoors and minimizing slip, trip and fall incidents by stopping most moisture before it comes into contact with hard surface floors.

Extending floor mats beyond the entry lobby and into high traffic zones such as heavily travelled corridors, elevator waiting areas and key locations in cafeterias or restaurants even further reduces issues associated with moisture tracking through the building.

Furniture Moving Aids

Move furniture and equipment with the correct tools such as moving slides, hydraulic equipment or dollies as appropriate for each type of item. Using moving aids to protect the floor and reduce human strain will prevent irreparable damage to the floor and reduce the likelihood of worker injury.

Furniture Floor Protectors and Chair Casters

Use heavy-duty, commercial grade felt furniture floor protectors on the feet and bases of chairs, tables and other furniture or equipment that slides on floor and MUST ALWAYS be a MINIMUM 1” in diameter or MINIMUM 1” square. Depending on the amount and type of use, there are many felt pads to choose from including self-adhering, clear sleeve attachments, slip-on, slip-over, compression bolts and more. Take the time to find the right fit and attachment mechanism for your application.

Once in place, check felt pads routinely for built-up dirt and debris. Clean or replace protector pads on a quarterly basis, or as needed (timing may vary depending on furniture use and application) to remove small particles that create micro-scratches in the floor that, over time, will dull the finish and potentially damage the floor.

Caster-base chairs that roll on the hard surface floor must have casters with AT LEAST one-inch wide point of contact and should be casters a MINIMUM 2 ½” in diameter made of a soft neoprene to avoid damage and staining on the floor. Do not use hard plastic casters. Hard plastic casters will cause visible wear and damage on the floor.

Preventive Maintenance

Sweep routinely, simple yet very important, to minimize the amount of soil and debris tracked throughout a building on shoes and carts. Tracked in dirt is abrasive to hard surface flooring. It leaves scratches in the surface that collect dirt, causing a floor to look dull and dirty. Frequency for sweeping will depend on your facility’s location, use and amount/type of traffic. Some facilities will need to sweep multiple times each day while others may find that a dust mop does the job of removing dirt well between sweepings.

Floor Protection and Post-Installation Initial Maintenance

Floor Protection Prior to Occupancy

When new flooring is installed prior to completion of the facility it may be necessary to cover the flooring with builder paper or other protective membrane until heavy construction traffic is complete and the building is ready for occupancy. To minimize floor damage, select a paper or membrane that is non-staining, without any markings and can easily be cut to size so that all newly installed finished flooring is covered. Overlap protective paper or membrane at least twelve inches to ensure that the floor is protected. Using a 2” tape similar to a masking or blue painter’s tape, secure all edges and seams of the protective paper or membrane. Avoid using a tape that has an aggressive adhesive, like duct tape, that could leave a sticky residue or potentially damage the floor’s surface during removal.

Often, if added protection is required due to fork lift, scaffolding, pallet jack or similar heavy duty traffic, it may be necessary to lay a traffic aisle centered in the path of travel with ¼” plywood or Masonite™. Before positioning the plywood or Masonite™, make sure the paper or membrane covering the floor is clean and free of loose dirt, debris and foreign matter that might be depressed into the floor’s surface. Using the same type of 2” tape, tape all the edges of the plywood or Masonite™ securely to the paper or membrane and tape all seams so that they are sealed from loose dirt, debris or foreign matter getting under the boards.

Removing protective cover(s) from the floor before occupancy requires a detailed, thorough vacuuming of the entire space, including edges, corners, thresholds, seals and under any overhangs or toe kicks before lifting boards or paper. After all the loose dirt is removed, carefully lift the tape from the plywood or Masonite™ and carry each sheet out of the space with care to avoid dropping or dragging. Next, remove the tape securing the paper or other membrane edges to the floor. Carefully fold the tape over on itself to minimize the force of pulling straight up, thereby avoiding damage if the tape became stuck on the new flooring surface. Fold sections of the paper and remove from the space. Dispose of the paper or membrane properly and in accordance with recycling regulations where applicable.

On fully adhered flooring, do not begin initial maintenance for a minimum of 72 hours after installation is complete. This is to ensure adhesive has had sufficient time to dry and cure.

Interim Maintenance (No Finish)

Sweep, dust mop or vacuum to remove loose dirt, soil, grit and any construction debris from the Parterre flooring. Remove dried adhesive or tape residue with a clean, white cotton cloth dampened with paint thinner or mineral spirits, carefully following the warnings and instructions on the container. Stubborn residue may require the use of a plastic putty knife with a rounded edge used in conjunction with the rag dampened with paint thinner or mineral spirits, methodically and carefully removing the residue.

For stubborn dirt, dilute a recommended neutral cleaner (see Approved Maintenance Product Guide).

Reduce concentration accordingly for slightly soiled floors. Distribute cleaning solution over floor and allow to dwell for a short time (approximately 10-20 minutes) then agitate the flooring surface with a red scrubbing pad or equivalent scrub brush on an automatic scrubber or a low rpm swing machine (175-350 rpm). Do not allow solution to dry on floor. Pick up dirty solution with wet-dry vacuum or mop and follow with a clean water rinse.

Allow floor to completely dry or wet-vacuum the remaining liquid. Do not flood the floor with cleaning solution. Use as little water or cleaning solution as possible; excessive use of water or cleaning solution may erode floor adhesive over time. Use caution tape and/or “Wet Floor” signs, during cleaning and when floors are wet, to minimize the risk of slip and fall incidents. Many signs are available with bilingual warnings for added safety.

Use caution tape and/or “Wet Floor” signs, during cleaning and when floors are wet, to minimize the risk of slip and fall incidents. Many signs are available with bilingual warnings for added safety.

Routine/Daily Cleaning Instructions

Sweep or vacuum to remove loose dirt and soil from Parterre flooring.

Dilute a recommended neutral cleaner (see Approved Maintenance Product Guide).

Mop Parterre floor with the cleaning solution and microfiber mops or auto scrubber equipped with a white 3M pad or equivalent brush. Trail mop excess soil and wet areas with a clean, tightly wrung out mop. No rinsing required. Allow floor to air dry completely. Periodically, after routine cleaning, you may use scuff removal pads, manual or machine pads, to remove stubborn scuffs. Saturate the pad with water or recommended cleaner mixed according to the instructions for auto scrubber, or mop and bucket cleaning, and continue to lubricate scuffed areas with either water or mixed cleaner during the scuff removal process. Swing machines, side by side machines, buffers or auto scrubbers must be low RPM (175-350 RPM).

For best results, auto scrubbers that remove the dirty cleaning solution work best for large areas and/or heavily trafficked areas. DO NOT USE A BLACK OR BROWN PAD OR BRUSH.

Periodic Maintenance

Spray Buff System

Parterre floors that do not have a floor finish applied or for floors that are showing superficial scratches, scuffs and marks may require occasional spray buffing. Use a recommended product (see Approved Maintenance Product Guide) for use as spray buff after the floor has been thoroughly cleaned and is dry. Always use a 3M white pad on a low RPM rotary machine, turning the pad over regularly to avoid build up on the pad. Methodically work in a constant left to right motion after the area has been misted with the spray buff solution. Never allow the machine to stand while running; keep the machine moving for uniform appearance.

Scratch Removal with Diamond Infused Pads

Areas that have been scratched may be improved significantly with a diamond infused scratch removal pad. When using a diamond infused pad, spray the pad with water on the side that will be in contact with the flooring surface and spray water on the area of the Parterre floor that is being treated. Using the dampened diamond infused pad on a low rpm swing machine (175-350 rpm), move the pad methodically along the length the floor planks or tiles, repeating 6-8 times. Then move the pad in the other direction, cross plank or tile an additional 6-8 times. Keep the area lubricated with mists of water. This diamond infused pad process will typically improve the area significantly and in some cases it will remove scratches completely. Utilize the process in an isolated area to ensure a quality restorative process. When done correctly, you should be able to improve the area without a change in gloss level or the appearance of the Parterre flooring product.

Diamond infused pads should ONLY BE USED BY PROFESSIONAL maintenance staff with experience using these types of machine pads. Results can yield flooring damage if incorrect pads are selected or if machine is handled incorrectly. Parterre will not be responsible for incorrect use of this scratch removal method. If uncertain, utilize the spray buff method.

Floor Finish Initial Application

Parterre flooring does NOT require a floor finish to be applied however a floor finish may be desirable to aid in daily maintenance, stain resistance, resistance to abrasion and maintaining gloss level. If you choose to NOT apply a finish then a spray buff system may be utilized as needed to maintain gloss level and minimize superficial scratches. Over time floors begin to lose their luster and will require an application of polish.

• Choose a floor finish: Matte, Satin, Plus Matte, Plus (Satin), Plus Gloss, Primo (Satin) or Primo Gloss. Parterre recommends matte or satin sheen finishes for best overall performance. Specific floor finish selection should be determined based upon traffic, environment’s activities, cleaning regime and desired aesthetic.

• To apply Matte, Satin, Plus Matte, Plus (Satin) or Plus Gloss flooring finish, apply 3-4 thin coats of floor finish. Allow approximately 30-45 minutes of drying time between coats depending on temperature and humidity. DO NOT use fans in an attempt to accelerate the curing time of each coat.

• To apply Primo (Satin) or Primo Gloss flooring finish, apply only 2 thin coats of floor finish. Allow approximately 30- 45 minutes of drying time between coats depending on temperature and humidity. DO NOT use fans in an attempt to accelerate the curing time of each coat.

• Use a flat clean microfiber mop pad to achieve a smooth, thin, uniform application. Allow proper drying time between coats based on product application instructions, temperature and humidity. Replace all furniture, tables and chairs after 12 hours with proper floor protectors and casters to extend the life of the floor finish.

• After the new finish has cured for 24 hours, resume Routine/Daily Cleaning Instructions.

Parterre recommends the use of a matte or satin shine when a decision is made to utilize a floor finish. Use caution when choosing to use a high-gloss floor finish because surface scratches, scuffs and subfloor imperfections become more visible and additional maintenance is required to maintain a high gloss finish. In healthcare applications, a high gloss floor can have a negative effect on depth perception for elderly patients.

Scrub and Recoat

Perform scrub and recoat as needed when a floor finish has previously been applied.

• Vacuum or dust mop to remove loose soil and debris.

• Using a rotary scrubber or automatic scrubber do a heavy scrub with a blue scrubbing pad and a double strength of neutral pH detergent such as one of our recommended maintenance products. For more severely soiled floors use a recommended safe stripper diluted as a heavy-duty cleaner.

• Pick up dirty solution with a wet vacuum.

• Rinse thoroughly with clean water. Pick up excess water with a wet vacuum. Allow floor to thoroughly dry.

• If recoating with a Matte, Satin, Plus Matte, Plus (Satin) or Plus Gloss, apply 2-3 thin coats of floor finish.

• If recoating with a Primo (Satin) or Primo Gloss, lightly scuff the floor with a red 3M pad on a low rpm swing machine then apply ½ thin coats of floor finish.

Stripping/Removing Finish

Stripping is the process of removing all dirt and previously applied floor finish and is necessary only when the pre-existing layers of applied floor finish are considered to be excessive, badly worn or damaged beyond repair.

• Sweep or vacuum floor.

• Dilute stripper according to label instructions.

• Distribute stripper solution over floor and allow to stand 15-20 minutes. Agitate with auto scrubber fitted with a 3M blue or green pad or equivalent manual scrub brush.

• Remove dirty solution with a wet vacuum or with a mop.

• Do not allow solution to dry on floor.

Rinse completely and thoroughly with clean, cool tap water. Do not flood or overwet. Repeat rinse activity as many times as necessary to remove all traces of soil, old floor finish and stripper solution. Process should be repeated until all old floor finish is completely removed.

DO NOT USE “mop-on/mop-off” or “no-scrub/no-rinse” stripper solutions on Parterre flooring.

DO NOT USE BLACK OR BROWN PADS OR STIFF–BRISTLED BRUSHES. Excessively aggressive pads and brushes can cause permanent damage. Sensitive flooring surfaces should be tested in an inconspicuous area prior to full use of the stripping solution.

Operating Rooms

Automatic scrubbers come in walk-behind and ride-on styles with some being compact for hard-to-reach areas around equipment or fixed seating. Auto Scrubbers are efficient, safe and cost effective delivering substantial time savings compared to the mop and bucket method of floor maintenance. Ergonomic designs of floor machines may reduce user strain resulting in fewer work-related injuries.

Where to Find Recommended Maintenance Products

The following information is provided for access to maintenance product specification sheets, SDS sheets, instructions for use, and purchasing information.

Reference the Parterre Approved Maintenance Product Guide by visiting: www.parterreflooring.com/technical or calling us at 866-243-2726.