Common Floor Care Problems

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It’s been said that floor care is both an art and a science. But sometimes, even with the best training, superior chemicals, and top-notch floor equipment, problems persist.

The following Powr-Flite Troubleshooter addresses some of the most common floor care problems cleaning professionals encounter … and, most importantly, how to tackle them. Let’s begin.

• No shine: If the floor has been properly stripped and rinsed, then the most common reasons for this is that too few coats of finish have been applied to the floor or the coats are too thin. To rectify the problem, apply more coats and slightly thicker applications.

• Streaks: This usually is an indication that coats have been applied too soon and have not dried properly, the coats are too thin, the mops and applicators used were soiled, or the finish is cold or may have even frozen in storage. Apply more coats of room temperature finish and then buff/burnish the floor. If the streaks persist, the floor may need to be scrubbed or stripped and refinished.

• Discolored floor finish: This can be caused because the cotton mops used were not thoroughly cleaned before application, the stripper was not properly diluted, or the floor was not properly stripped and rinsed before finish was applied. Scrub the floor; if that is not successful, stripping and refinishing may be the only recourse.

• Excessive scuffing and scratching: This can be caused because the finish applications are too thick. To rectify, scrub the floor and then apply two to four thin coats of finish followed by increased buffing/burnishing schedules. Also increase dust mop/vacuuming frequencies and ensure that effective matting systems are installed at key entries.

“Something else to remember is that most new floors have a protective finish applied during the manufacturing process to protect the floor when transported,” says Huong Pham Product Marketing Manager at Powr-Flite. “This finish must be thoroughly removed before new finish can be applied.”