MCC Building Maintenance has performed all types of floor care related projects in the last 25+ years including but not limted to, VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile), wood, stone, concrete, rubber (mondo floorings), marble, terrazo, and marmoleum floors.
What are the coverage rates of floor care products?
These are approximate estimates only developed by MCC:
Floor Finish: 2,000 – 2,500 square feet per gallon
Stripper: 700-1,000 square feet per gallon at 1:4 dilution
Cleaners: 700 square feet per gallon through an auto scrubber
Spray Buff: 25,000 square feet per gallon
Water-based Gym Finish: 425-625 square feet per gallon
Does the mill finish have to be stripped / removed from my newly installed VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) floor before I apply floor finish?
No, that’s old school. The mill finish that is currently applied to VCT at the manufacturing companies is different from what was put on years ago. The new procedures are; after the VCT is laid down, the floor should be protected, to do this clean the floor using a damp (not dripping wet) mop and neutral cleaner. Do not strip the floor at this time. Apply 2 protective coats of floor finish until the new construction is done.
How many coats of finish can I put down in one night?
You should only lay down a maximum of 3 coats in one night; otherwise you run the risk of improper drying, which may affect the appearance of the top coat.
Can water-based finishes be used on hard-wood floors?
No, there is no way to strip the hard-wood floor of the finish. It would require sanding.
Why does my floor finish yellow??
Most modern floor finishes don’t yellow on their own. They no longer have “yellow wax” and other components that traditionally yellowed. The main reason floor finishes appear to yellow is that soil is ground into the finish surface under heavy traffic or use of soiled cleaning and burnishing pads.
Why do I get a trail of yellow and brown discoloration leading from the front door of my facility into the building in the summertime?
If a proper cleaning program is in place and this type of discoloration appears, it’s most likely “asphalt tracking”. This is a result of asphalt sealer on the parking lot attaching itself to shoes of patrons, who then, track it into the building. It’s important to keep this area as clean as possible. If the area is allowed to become discolored, there is a possibility that the asphalt sealer will work its way through the floor finish and into the tile, permanently discoloring the tile. These areas should be deep-scrubbed and recoated more often to keep discoloration at manageable levels.
Why do I get discoloration under my “walk-off” mats?
Floor finish needs to properly cure after it’s been applied to the floor. Generally a finish will be applied to the floor and immediately after the floor finish is dry to the touch, the walk-off mat will be put back in place. Floor finishes have a variety of chemicals that need to evaporate in the curing process to give the floor finish the positive characteristics it was developed for. If a walk-off mat is placed on the floor finish immediately after drying, these chemicals will not evaporate at the expected rate. This may cause color to be drawn from the mat which discolors the finish.
Why do I get burnishing marks or swirls in my floor finish?
In these cases, generally the burnishing pad is too aggressive for that particular finish. Also, moving the burnisher too slowly may leave behind swirl marks. Different pad types require different machines. If too slow of a machine is used with a given burnishing pad, the film may actually become scratched, rather than being smoothed.
Why does my floor finish seem to “walk-off” the floor and not last very long?
Adhesion failure is generally the culprit here. Floor finishes are designed for a specific appearance, maintenance program, and formulated to adhere to a specific type of substrate. For instance, if a floor finish is formulated for use on Vinyl Composition Tile, it may not properly adhere to marble, granite, terrazzo, or ceramic tile. Adhesion failure can be the result of improper floor preparation or surface contamination.
Why do I get streaks in my floor finish after it has dried?
Floor finish is applied over subsequent coats that weren’t properly dry. Other causes could be applying too many coats of floor finish in one day (MCC recommend 3 coats maximum in 24 hours) or applying the finish too heavy. Less common reasons that contribute to streaking would be the use of contaminated mops or improperly preparing the floor before coating.
Why does the spray buff liquid smear and take forever to buff out?
Most spray buffing liquids are designed to cover about 25,000 square feet per gallon. The idea behind spray buffing is to spritz very little on the floor, then buff it out using three passes. If you have to use more than three passes, there is a good chance you are applying too much spray buff liquid to the area. One spritz should be enough to cover 6-9 square feet.
What is acid-etching?
Sometimes acid-etching is used to prepare concrete floors prior to coating. Diluted hydrochloric (muratic) or phosphoric acid is spread over the floor and etches the concrete to give a rough profile that can improve the adhesion of some coatings. Acid-etching will only work on uncoated concrete floors.
