[dandandan]

My shop floors need stripping and cleaning etc.It is the hardwearing safety floor you get in gyms hospitals etc with the tiny silver speckles in it,I am thinking of hireing a buffer to do job quicker,they are only 3 years old,any advice on products to use would be appreciated or a quote for a 1500sq foot area per shop,stripped,polished.Thanks Dan

[Griffus]

Do you know the Manufacturer?

[Bob Allen]

If its altro flooring ive used patio & brick cleaner with a scrubber then wet vacked and rinsed

[derek west]

from what ive heard, the silver speckles have an adverse effect to either alcaline or acidic cleaners, i think they can turn black, can't remember which one though. stupid  45 year old brain. i can remember what i did in first year at primary but i can't remember where i put my keys, whats that all about.

[peter maybury]

safety flooring is is safety flooring altro is just a brand name. The product is not designed to be sealed as this will inhibit the non slip properties. The silver bits are metal that give the product its non slip qualities  putting another surface on top of this will stop sole contact with it. This may not be a problem in a situation where the non slip qualities are not needed there are liabilty issues if the non slip is needed.
The product is very chemical resistant and a high p.h.floor stripper will remove most types soiling but other cleaner are available for specific types of soil.  But as I have said the products design criteria is in its safety hygiene and inpervious aspects rather than its asthetics. I would use the productws specific cleaners rather than brick acid or grandma's secret formula.

Peter

[idealrob]

We clean thousand of sq metres of safety flooring everyday. The best solution is microsplitter for carpet cleaning. We use Stapro single pass, but solutions Cornwall do a special microsplitter for safety floors.
The trouble with normal cleaners, eg MP 9, or flash the muck goes strait back ito the small holes in the safety flooring. We apply and leave to soak for 2 to 3 minutes then scrubb & vac dry. Even older floors that are black with muck clean like new.
Its unbelievable the results with microsplittes

idealrob

[mark joyce]

if its altro we use altro cleaner sounds sill but it does what it says on the tin (plastic bottle) where are you 50 square feet would not take long where in country are you mail me if you want might be able to help love a night shift lol

[fitz2kleen]

from what ive heard, the silver speckles have an adverse effect to either alcaline or acidic cleaners, i think they can turn black, can't remember which one though. stupid  45 year old brain. i can remember what i did in first year at primary but i can't remember where i put my keys, whats that all about.

dementia mate, happens to us all after mid 40's 

[Steve. Taylor]

If its Altro the silver speckels as Derek has mentioned are  silicon carbide in the surface for initial slip resistance and aluminium trioxide throughout the thickness. You can use endless brands of cleaner on this i have used cleenool, diversey lever, prochem, craftex champion, micro splitters the list is endless. but i would not use a strong acid cleaner as this is what could turn it black. when new it looks great but in time it fades and looks dull. cleaning it i use rotary with green pad or spray with the rotowashr4 and scrub with the brushes.

A few years ago i had a chat on the phone with the guys at altro. they mentioned using a thin coat or 2 of metalised polish on the floor after cleaning if it was looking dull. telling me this could reduce the non slip properties by upto 30% but when i asked them if they would put that in writing you can guess the reply

Use it in a spray bottle apply it on thin first coat north south second east west was the anwser but nothing in writing. so if you do its on your shoulders.

[dandandan]

Yes it`s altro and it`s 1500 sq foot,sorry about that,bit of brain freeze,thanks for your help,it`s just foot traffic and with the floor being grey with silver specks it has a mucky dirty cast were customers walk,it is also marked were chairs are scuffing.thanks a lot,realy appreciate your comments Dan,West Derby,Liverpool

[pro-clean]

hi
    forget chemical. Surface cleaner hot pressure washer attach to a vacuum setup.

   Or TM carpet clearer with a Tile & Grout spinner. Couple of air movers to dry off. In & out in couple of hours.

   Richie.

[Jamie Pearson]

Prochem Ultrapac Renovate with a bit of oxibrite doesn't hurt on light colours.
Cream Cleanser or Scouring Powder can be handy too.
The XR pads from World of Clean (Same as the ones Altro send me when trouble shooting for them)
Lots of rinsing.

Altro 44 is good but it may be too far gone for it.

Do you have a coating to remove from the floor or is it just dirty?

On really bad clean up jobs I have applied polish to them after cleaning then stripped it back off. The polish attaches to the remaining soil and pulls it out. Sounds crazy but it works.

Removing the yellow discolouration is the most difficult part of this type of job.

[expro]

Ultrapac renovate is great for removing scuff marks and soil from safety  flooring but it
does need dwell time and agitation.
For removing limescale use prochems Qmt stoneclean and rinse well with water. Again it will require
dwell time and it will not turn the altro black.

The yellow staining mentioned is PLASTICISER MIGRATION from shoe soles etc and is sadly
PERMANENT. For further advice on cleaning Altro flooring why not visit the Altro website?

For cleaning advice contact Altro on:
tel: 01462 707600 fax: 01462 707515 or e-mail: enquiries@altro.com

[expro]

This may also be of interest

1. Develop a regular cleaning programme suited to the
usage and traffic of the area - heavily trafficked or
highly visible areas need to be cleaned more often than
areas which are seldom used, or where appearance is
less important.
The best and most cost effective method of cleaning
Altro safety flooring is by machine.
Care should be taken to select the correct pad:
medium pads for Altro safety flooring.
For Altro Marine™20, use nylon or polypropylene brushes.
Remember that dirty equipment, particularly mops,
does not clean but merely redistributes the dirt.
2. Use recommended cleaning chemicals - use only
recommended cleaning liquids or their equivalent in the
correct concentration. Do not mix cleaning liquids, and
always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Always check the suitability of cleaners for use on vinyl
floors. Do not use cleaner containing pine oil.
3. Remove scuff marks regularly - to remove any rubber
heel marks by abrasion use the correct machine pad, or
scrub by hand, using scouring powder. For areas
requiring renovation due to neglect or heavy soiling
consult Altro Technical Services.
4. Protect newly laid floors - all newly laid safety floor
surfaces should be covered and protected from all
other trades during the contract with a suitable nonstaining
protective covering.
General notes concerning staining
Some materials are known to cause staining on vinyl floors.
Typical examples include:
• Asphalt and bitumen materials
• Cardboard/Hardboard (wet)
• Transfer of some fire treatments and maintenance
materials used on carpets
• Dyes from printed literature or packaging
• Rubber-backed carpets and rubber mats
• Rubber furniture rests and trolley wheels
• Shoe soles not made from non-staining materials
• Heat degradation
• Some chemicals used in cleaners e.g. pine oil
• Poster paints and powder paints
High quality cleaning chemicals and equipment ensure
efficient maintenance and represent only a small
proportion of maintenance costs. The following suppliers
offer excellent products:
ALTRO SAFETY FLOORING
RECOMMENDED CLEANING
METHODS
Tips for successful maintenance of Altro safety flooring

[Jamie Pearson]

http://www.worldofclean.co.uk/index.php?productID=655

As I mentioned earlier these are seriously good for cleaning and maintenance of safety floor.

We also use DYNAX from Amtech with them for maintenance work.

[Jamie Pearson]

A few years ago i had a chat on the phone with the guys at altro. they mentioned using a thin coat or 2 of metalised polish on the floor after cleaning if it was looking dull. telling me this could reduce the non slip properties by upto 30% but when i asked them if they would put that in writing you can guess the reply

I have a training video from Altro here. It states on that to use a floor sealer rather than metallised polish if slip resistance isnt essential to ease the maintenance. (not exact words but to those effect)

[expro]

I have not seen Amtech on Altro's list of recommended manufacturers of
cleaning products.

[dandandan]

Thanks for all your reply`s, any ideas what it will cost to get 1500 sq ft done professionally?I don`t want to buy the cleaner,hire the machine and get it wrong,might get a pro in and learn for next time,all answers appreciated,thanks Dan

[Jamie Pearson]

Cream cleanser or scouring powder ain't on there either but they work.

If it works use it.

If we are doing work for Altro we will always use what they supply us. If it's a maintenance contract of ours we use what we feel works best for that particular installation.

[expro]

If we are doing work for Altro we will always use what they supply us. If it's a maintenance contract of ours we use what we feel works best for that particular installation.

There is Nothing like keeping to the manufacturers recommendations  and !!!!!