Regardless of how well a floor is cared for over its lifetime, it will eventually begin to wear down and become dull and yellowed. At this point you may think that the floor needs to be completely stripped with chemical and recoated to restore the gloss and appearance, but this is not true. By utilizing a restorative procedure such as Scrub and Recoat, the floor can be restored to look like new without having to spend all the time, money, and down time associated with a full chemical strip.

When a floor finish looks dull and yellowed, many people think that the entire floor finish is embedded with dirt and is beyond repair. This is far from the truth. In almost all cases, multiple coats of floor finish are applied to the floor, and in most cases, only the top one or two coats become embedded with dirt in normal wear conditions. As long as there are no deep scratches or gouges in the floor finish, a Scrub and Recoat can be a very effective method of restoring the appearance of a floor. As the name suggests, a Scrub and Recoat consists of two steps: scrubbing and recoating.

Scrub – As most floor finishes wear down over time, only the top one or two coats become embedded with dirt. These coats of finish can easily be scrubbed away, revealing the undamaged lower layers of finish. To scrub away the top coats of finish, use an autoscrubber equipped with a more aggressive pad such as an SPP (surface prep pad) from 3M®. Using a slightly alkaline all-purpose cleaner, like Blue Blazes, can help to slightly soften up the finish and more effectively remove the top coats and leave a clean surface for the new coats to build on.

Recoat – This step is self-explanatory. Be sure to use a floor finish that is the same or compatible with the finish that was previously on the floor, and choose a finish based on your desired maintenance program, traffic patterns, and any special requirements you may have. Apply two to three new coats of finish to fully restore gloss, durability, and appearance, with the end results being a floor that looks as good as new.

All floor finishes eventually wear down, even if they are maintained exceptionally well. While we can’t completely eliminate the need to perform a full chemical strip, using restorative procedures such as a Scrub and Recoat can be a great way to extend the life of your floor between strips.

For more information on floor care, including the full Scrub and Recoat procedure and a full line of floor care products, visit Multi-Clean’s floor care web page.