Vinyl Flooring Maintenance Guidelines

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Vinyl Flooring Maintenance Guidelines

Follow these general vinyl flooring maintenance guidelines to get the most out of your floor.

Maintenance Instructions for Interlocking Floor Tiles

The following maintenance instructions apply to all floor tile applications.

Initial Cleanup And Treatment After Installation

1. Remove all surface soil, debris, sand and grit by vacuuming.

2. Scrub the floor with a neutral pH (7-8.5) detergent.

  • Apply cleaning solution with a damp mop, scrub with a hand brush, rotary scrubber with soft nylon brush or automatic scrubber with soft nylon brushes
  • Pick up solution with a mop or a wet vacuum
  • Rinse with a damp mop & clean water (Do not apply too much water as the liquid can go underneath the tiles.)

3. Apply floor finish. (If desired)

  • Apply 3-4 coats of high quality, commercial, acrylic floor finish.
  • Pick
  • Apply with a clean finish mop or finish applicator.
  • Allow 30 minutes dry time between each coat.

Please Note: Tuff Floors (Africa) does not warrant or guarantee any maintenance products or their performance.

Daily / Regular Maintenance

Remove all surface soil, debris, sand and grit by vacuuming.

Option 1 – Dry maintenance method:

(Preferred option)

Spray clean using a rotary machine (175-1500 rpm) with an appropriate pad and spray buff solution.

Option 2 – Wet maintenance method:

(Do not apply too much water as the liquid can go underneath the tiles.)

  • Apply cleaning solution with a mop and bucket, scrub with a hand brush, rotary scrubber with soft nylon brushes or automatic scrubber with soft nylon brushes.
  • Pick up solution with a mop or wet vacuum.
  • Rinse with clean water and allow floor to dry.
  • Rinse with a damp mop & clean water (Do not apply too much water as the liquid can go underneath the tiles.)

Scrub and recoat of floor finish (when required)

  • Dust mop to remove loose soil
  • Heavy scrub using rotary scrubber, or automatic scrubber with scrubbing pad and double strength of neutral pH (7-8.5) detergent.
  • Pick up solution with a mop or wet vacuum.
  • Rinse with clean water and allow to thoroughly dry.
  • Apply 1-2 thin coats of floor finish following initial application procedures

Every Day Manual Cleaning Programme

Step #1 – At the beginning of each day remove the walk in dust and dirt with a broom or a vacuum. Remember that to minimize this daily menace walk in mats at entrances are very effective in reducing the dirt load.

Step #2 – Mop with warm water and allow to dry, or preferably spray mop using microfiber pads. Warm water can be used for minimal soiled floors.

For more soiled occasions a mixture of warm water and small amounts of Ph neutral cleaning solution for should be used. In this instance it is important to rinse the floor with warm water using clean microfiber pads, allowing the floor to dry before use.

An alternative method is the use of a two-bucket system which allows you to wash the floor with one bucket filled with a neutral cleaner, and another bucket filled with clean water, thereby limiting cross contamination and ensuring you’re not spreading around dirt.

Step #3 – Remove accidental spills as these occur with a ph neutral cleaning solution. Wipe afterwards with clean cloth and warm water to remove all debris and allow to dry.

Machine Cleaning

For large areas machine cleaners can be used. In this instance it is most important to ensure that the correct pads and settings are employed. DO NOT USE ABRASIVE “SCOTCHBRITE” TYPE PADS. These will damage the surface.

Damaged Flooring

In the event of damage, gouges or cuts individual tiles or sections of the floor can be removed and replaced. We strongly recommend that when initially installing the floor, it’s best to order an extra 5-10% of the square meterage to have on hand for potential repairs. This is important as it will ensure that the repair products will be from the same batch and will match the rest of the floor.

General Maintenance Points

Spillages (oils or any liquids) should be mopped up immediately as prolonged exposure could damage the tiles or work its way underneath the tiles. This could damage the sub-floor or glue.

Important

Exposure to Thinners, Turpentine, Methylated Spirits and Parrafin will have a chemical reaction on the tiles.