Maintenance of a finished floor is a difficult subject to deal with as the level of maintenance is dependent upon many factors.  In general the aim must be to keep the floor looking as good as possible with the minimum of cost and effort.

Traditionally floors in public buildings have been maintained using polishes.  In our opinion this is not the most suitable way to maintain floors, taking into account the use of the premises.  Maintenance regimes based on polish or similar types of product i.e. maintainers or gloss builders, can be used in public buildings but require a conscientious approach and the system must be followed carefully.  If carried out properly this type of system can extend the life of the floor, but the use of polish has several serious drawbacks.

The main problem is that when the floor needs to be refinished it necessitates the floor being sanded back to the bare wood with all of the disruption that this brings including dust, disturbance and the need to shut the premises for a considerable time for this to take place.  On top of this it is difficult to control the application of the polish, the polish needs to be removed on a regular basis and indiscriminate use of polish can result in dirt being trapped between layers.

Generically, a maintenance regime should consist of the following 

1.  Initially the floors should be cleaned each day using dry cleaning methods such as a vacuum or 'v' mop to remove dirt, dust etc.  If the room has had only light traffic this may be a sufficient level of attention.  Attention should also be paid to the quality, size and positioning of effective matting.  If abrasive particles or dirt and grit can be prevented from getting onto the floor in the first place the life of the floor seal will be greatly extended.

2.  Cleaning of the floors to remove soluble dirt would usually be carried out using a spray buff machine based system, with a standard speed machine.  The cleaning should be carried out using diluted Parkett Cleaner together with a tan coloured pad.  A red pad may be used if the floors have been subject to high levels of spillage or use thus making them particularly dirty.  It is important that all pads are cleaned and replaced regularly as clearly it is not possible to clean a floor with dirty pads.  Cleaning cannot be carried out efficiently using a mop and bucket on a heavily used floor or where reasonably high levels of spillage occur.  Machine cleaning with a  buffing machine or a scrubber/drier is the only way to ensure that the floors are cleaned properly.

Timescale

The frequency/type of cleaning operations required greatly depend on the condition of the floors in relation to other variables such as the level of use, weather conditions etc.  It may be necessary for instance in the winter to increase the frequency of a cleaning operation or install additional matting to cope with inclement weather.  We would expect however, that all floors in a building subject to commercial levels of use are cleaned daily.  In addition to this efforts should be made to clean up spillage as soon as possible, within the confines of the use of the floor.

Bona Freshen Up

We would suggest that Bona Freshen Up is used as part of the maintenance process.  Freshen Up is designed to restore the sheen of a floor in the manner of a polish without affecting the ability of additional applications of lacquer to adhere to the floor.  Used at regular intervals when the floor looks either slightly dull in areas or evidence of minor scratching is present Freshen Up is applied using a flat head mop or similar.  It should not be buffed as Freshen Up cannot be buffed to give a greater level of sheen.  One of the key elements of Freshen Up is that it restores the floor to its original sheen level and therefore is the only maintenance material which can give added protection to Traffic and restore appearance of the floor.

Polish Remover

Occasional use of Parkett Polish Remover will remove the Freshen Up ready to begin maintenance with Freshen Up again directly or allow an additional application of Bona Traffic to the floor prior to maintenance being undertaken with the Cleaner/Freshen Up system.

When over coating floors maintained with Freshen Up, Parkett Polish Remover should be used to clean the floor prior to lightly sanding using Bona Abrasive Scrad system, or similar to remove scratches, etc and the additional application of Bona Traffic made.  The frequency of this operation will be greatly dependent upon the use of the premises, the matting/cleaning and the feelings of the management as to the acceptability of the appearance of the floor.  It is important, however, that this is not delayed for too long and that the floor is not allowed to wear too much.  This can result in significant preparation work being required or potentially the floor needing to be sanded back to bare wood.

For the attention of The Cleaning Staff

Daily Cleaning

Due to the very high use of a hardwood floor it may require a little more attention than normal.

Regular Cleaning

Use of Bona Parkett Cleaner
Spray buff using a tan pad and Bona Parkett Cleaner.  This may be every second day or weekly depending upon the use of the room.

Dilution of Parkett Cleaner - 50ml to 10Lt of water for regular cleaning and 100ml to 10Lt of water for heavier levels of dirt etc.

Use of Bona Freshen Up or Refresher
Apply when the floor shows signs of dullness or slight scratching.  Initially at 4 weekly intervals then assess the situation.  Application periods can be extended but it is important that the floor is not allowed to wear too much as this will mean that the floor will have to be sanded and re-coated.

Use of Parkett Polish Remover
In addition to removal of polish and Freshen Up, Bona Polish Remover may also be used to give a floor a thorough cleaning.  It will remove grease from food residues as well as body fat, in addition to scuff marks from shoes.

The product is diluted to the appropriate level and applied to the affected area.  After a few minutes the surface can be wiped with a lint free cloth.

Best results are obtained when using polish remover in conjunction with a floor buffing machine fitted with a red pad.

Products

Freshen Up

Available in 1 litre or 5 litres
Coverage approximately 40 per litre

Parkett Cleaner

Available in 1 litre or 5 litres