Alec Stacey provides floorlayers with all the help they need on maintaining wood floors
IT’S an unfortunate reality that many people still hold the view that once a timber floor has received any treatment, be it lacquer or oil, it will magically render the surface impervious to anything the floor is likely to encounter.
In a ‘normal’ domestic environment a floor which receives no maintenance should survive at least a few months, but in busy commercial areas, like pubs, nightclubs and restaurants, the same can’t be said. High levels of trafficking combined with liquid spills and the possibility of broken glass can present significant problems. Barrier matting at points of entry are often absent or substandard. In buildings like pubs where there’s often direct entry to the premises from the street there’s a high potential for the transfer of abrasive particles and water onto the floor.
Unfortunately, this produces a highly effective abrasive medium when ground underfoot damaging any surface treatment to the timber. When mats are present, often they’re comprised of coir (coconut fibre) which is completely unsuitable for busy, high traffic environments.
Coir mats perform particularly badly once they become wet. As the surface is trafficked the fibres of the mat become compressed, and grit and dirt can’t fall through the mat and remains at the surface. These particles can then be picked up by wet footwear and transferred to the adjacent flooring where it serves as an effective abrasive, essentially wet-and-dry sanding. Unsurprisingly it’s common to find significant wear developing adjacent to such matting.
Mats in both commercial and domestic environment are seldom of a correct size. As a rule of thumb, I recommend at least a 2m run of entrance matting for commercial environments, ideally comprising an external, waterproof mat which should remove heavy soiling, progressing to an internal, softer, more absorbent section of mat to clean and dry footwear. It’s stated by 3M that good matting of this type will prevent 40% of dirt from entering a building which is incredibly effective in terms of reducing the effects of abrasive particles, which represents the source of most ‘wear’ to all hard floors.
Wood floors that are treated using the traditional oil approach require protection from abrasive particles too. These floors lack a protective coating, so any scratches or wear occurs to the top layer of the timber. In a high-traffic environment where there’s little maintenance this can rapidly produce a textured surface ingrained with dirt.
To renovate the surface, the floor may require extensive sanding to remove scratches before reintroducing more oil. When oiled floors become dirty and are cleaned using detergents etc, this process can remove oil from the surface which should be replaced as part of the on-going maintenance regime. In busy public areas like airports this is done frequently. Failure to do so results in a floor which is discoloured, dry in appearance, with little or no resistance to liquid spills.
Further resistance to liquids for traditionally oiled floors can be obtained by applying a water-repelling maintainer, such as a wax refresher product (essentially a dilute hard wax oil). This adds a very thin layer of wax, improving resistance to liquids while not dramatically altering the floor’s appearance, although if the surface is buffed the sheen can be raised.
In conclusion, Bona have shown that timber treatments can be successful in the most challenging of environments, providing the client has a clear understanding of the limitations of each approach and the knowledge of how best to maintain the floor and the products available to do so. Contractors also have a role to play in ensuring the client has the required information to optimise aftercare.
01908 525150
info.uk@bona.com
www.bona.com
Alec Stacey is technical manager region South and West Europe at Bona
