[benny d]

Hi,
I have had a hairdressers ask me if I can clean her wood effect Karndean floor.(It looks a lovely floor)! She says that it is getting slippery, and needs stripping, and having a protector/polish applied.I havn't done one before, so I am unsure if I can or not?

I use a TM, and I do have a SX-12 Tile cleaning wand, and hard floor edge cleaning wands etc. Are these ok to use on the flooring?
I have looked at other Karndean threads, but I would like to know first hand.

If I can do it with my equipment, what are the best strippers, and protectors for this flooring, as I have read that the Karndean ones apparently can be bettered by other makes, but im not sure which ones.
Any info will be appreciated.
Also the size is about 35 square meters to clean, so any idea on a cost?
Thanks in advance. 

[Ken Wainwright]

I have very limited experience in this area benny d, but the obvious thing to find out first is what type of flooring. Karndean is a brand name, so is the floor a composite with a protective film on the surface or is it the type that has the finish applied topically on site?  The former is just a cleaning job with something suitable, whereas the latter will require cleaning, maybe stripping if there isn't a durable undercoat, and then refinishing.

Find out exactly what you're working with and then seek  the specialist advice you need.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Nathanael Jones]

It sounds like there has been a metalised floor polish applied to the floor, so you'd need a polish stripper (Very alkaline solution, don't get it on your skin) and a rotary floor scrubber. I would avoid sucking up the sludge with your TM as this kind of chemical could do damage. A cheap wet vac or even a mop & bucket would be better.

Once the floor is stripped it has to dry COMPLETELY before you can begin application of the new polish. Remember that this is an semi-permanent coating,.. and dirt you missed in the corners or around the fixtures will show up badly, and will be stuck under the polish until the next strip & seal,.. so be thorough with the prep work!

The polish is applied with a kentucky mop or flat mop (Flat mop for open area's, Kentucky mop where you have to get into awkward corners). 3 coats is normal, with an hour drying between each coat and 12 hours (or more if possible) after the last coat before any heavy traffic hits the floor.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Benny

I used to do a hairdressers every month with this type of flooring.

It's pretty bullet proof and the slipperyness is caused by all the hair spray, so just clean and apply acrylic polish.

Cheers

Doug

[Simon@arenaclean]

Whilst not familiar with this flooring if you are stripping as Nathanael said make sure and extract the stripper off, then rinse stripper residue with a neutral detergent, then extract the water away again and allow to dry. You don't want you nice new seal walking off after a few days. I have not done floors for some years so the process may of changed but that is how we used to do it. Only strip if you have to if it looks in good order just clean it and apply polish as Doug suggests.

Good luck
Simon

[benny d]

Thanks for the replies.

She usually does it heself with the supplied Karndean solutions, but doesnt want to get on her hands and knees and do it herself, which I can understand.

It does seem quite simple in a way, but I want to be able to do it so that she really sees the difference as a "pro" has cleaned it! I thought that the SX-20 would clean away and suck up the dirty residue left by the stripper, and with the air movers, dry the flooring, and then apply the polish/protector. With two of us working on it I would have hoped to get it cleaned & polished in a few hours?

I am unsure as I havent cleaned anything of this type before, and dont want to get myself in the poo! I would need to buy all the solutions in advance as well, and ideally try and find more "professional" soliutions than the actual Karndean cleaner that she has used before.

Does anyone know of a good product range for this type of flooring?
Thanks

[graeme marchbank]

Hi Benny,
            I do this a lot, as above make sure floor is dry, clean and neutral before applying polish. I use a metalized floor polish 20 or 25% solids and give at least two coats (better with three)

I use "Arpal" www.rpadam.co.uk for all floor care products and find them good and cost effective. You could also try Chemspec's range of floor care products as well.

As for cost, I would charge between £120-£200 (about £6.50 per/m2) depending on what exactly you are doing. It should take about a morning 2-3hrs.

Hope this helps
Graeme

Nat, Can you please explaine, what damage can occur to my TM as I am now concerned, as I use it for this type of work all the time?

Thanx
 Graeme