Maintenance of Lacquered Floors

An effective maintenance programme will keep the floor clean and looking as good as possible. The following information is designed to provide a starting point for such a routine and is appropriate for both commercial and domestic floors. However, all floors are unique and will require individual assessment, because the factors affecting them will vary. Changes in traffic levels and seasonal changes will also need to be taken into consideration, for example, additional matting of any maintenance should reflect the use of the floor and altered accordingly.

Effective Floor Maintenance

1. Dry Cleaning: Floors should be cleaned daily using dry cleaning methods, such as vacuum, scissor mop or soft broom. It is important to remove any abrasive particles of grit and dirt that may scratch the floor seal when trafficked under footwear, chair legs and other items moved across the floor
2. Damp Cleaning: Soluble dirt should be removed by floor cleaning using a spray-buff system of scrubber drier (large floors) or by mop and bucket (small, domestic floors). Diluted Bona Cleaner should be used as a cleaning agent. When using a buffing system, the machine should be fitted with a tan pad. A red pad can be used on floors that are very dirty. Coarser pads should be avoided as they may damage the floor seal. All cleaning materials should be replaced periodically to ensure effective maintenance.
3. Additional Cleaning: Wooden floors in commercial areas, which may often become contaminated with grease from food, sweat or residue from other sources, may require additional cleaning to remove these materials. Cleaning using Bona Remover will remove these non-soluble materials and restore the slip resistance of the floor seal
4. Further Protection: Traditionally, floors would be treated with wax-based polish to offer additional protection to the wooden floor sealing. However, once this has occurred, the floor cannot receive further coats of lacquer without sanding the floor back to bare wood. An alternative is Bona Freshen Up. This polyurethane maintainer should be applied by mop or cloth when the floor seal appears dull due to minor scratches. This should be used following regular floor cleaning. On a new or recently re-finished floors, Bona Freshen Up would be applied when the first signs of wear become visible (i.e. dulling of the surface)

Newly Finished Floors

A floor coated with any Bona floor finish is usually touch dry within approximately 3 hours. However, it continues to cure for approximately one week. The floor may receive light foot traffic 8 hours after the final coat of finish, but full heavy use should be avoided for 72 hours. Furniture may be returned to the room after 24 hours, but should be fitted with protective pads. The floor should not be covered with any protective sheeting/polyurethane or rugs/carpets for the first week after finishing. Similarly, the use of floor maintenance products should be avoided for this period

Floor Refurbishment

Periodically, it will be necessary to re-finish previously lacquered floors. If the floor has been maintained using wax-based polish or similar, the floor will have to be sanded back to bare wood prior to lacquer application. If just Bona Freshen Up has been used or Bona Cleaner, it is possible to apply further coats of finish without heavy sanding. The floor must be cleaned using the Bona Prep System and lightly abraded using Bona Scrad system prior to applying further coats of finish.

If information is not available regarding the previous maintenance products used on the floor, an adhesion test should be made to determine compatibility. An area should be cleaned by hand, lightly abraded and a coat of finish applied. After 48 hours the surface should be rubbed with the edge of a milled coin – such as a ten pence piece. Adhesion is satisfactory if the lacquer remains intact.

Life Cycle of The Wooden Floors

Bona offers a range of compatible products which, if used correctly, will lessen disruption and expense produced by the full refurbishment of a floor. By frequently accessing the floor´s condition and applying Bona Freshen Up regularly, and adding further coats of finish to the floor  before wear has progressed back to bare wood, it should be possible to avoid ever having to sand the floor back to bare wood again.