[tony bish]

Guys could anyone give me an identification of this gym floor at a school .The only way I can describe it is something like linoleum. The company apparently are not in business anymore so the school cant get any info .I do the carpets at the school and they have asked me to give it a clean ,although I have told them it is not my thing hard flooring so any ideas guys and tips would be appreciated .   Ps I do hope these pics come out .Thanks in advance      

[John Kelly]

Clean it with Chemspec neutral floor cleaner. Looks a bit neglected but you need to be carefull with the painted markings. If you go too harsh you may damage these. I would use a red floor pad. Scrub and either mop or extract. It may have a sacrificial polish on which may need to be stripped off first.

[Jamie Pearson]

A melamine pad will work well on this without damaging the lines.

A scrubber dryer will be your best bet with the neutral floor cleaner as John suggests.

I would apply it hot from a watering can in front of the scrubber dryer giving it a good dwell then pass over it with the machine running fresh water to rinse.

The melamine pads are expensive but will give the cleaning performance of a much more aggressive pad and stronger chemicals  without dulling the floor or damaging the lines.

[Len Gribble]

I would have thought the company should have handed over the method statement for the cleaning/maintenance to the caretaker

[John Kelly]

Len, you and me know that most of the companies that sell flooring including carpets, don't have the foggiest idea on how to maintain them.

[tony bish]

The strips are not painted guys but are similar to tape . I was going to do it with a rotary with a brush attached   and then use a rubber blade to get most of moisture up then perhaps suck it up then mop it as Mike suggested .I have not got a scrubber dryer as have not needed one ,as stated its not my usual thing. I did do a small area about 4mtres x 4mtres and it seemed to come up well as I think it is mainly dirt and body fluids over the years.I was just a bit worried about what the material it is as obviously it is a gym floor so therefore has to have a certain grip factor to it so didnt want it to have a detrimental effect on it and they dont have any info about material or who laid it !! ,or am I being a tad over sensitive.
They are looking at getting a machine at some stage ,but to be honest they have not got a clue what to get ,and me giving them advice would be tantamount to the blind leading the blind .
.Len regarding method statement ,no they have no info as stated .It is about 7 years old and the company dont exist now . Appreciate your comments guys and any other info would be greatly appreciated    

[peter maybury]

It could be vinyl or marmolium or even linolium. but the likelyhood is that it is vinyl. Personally I would use a high ph floor stripper just because they are so effective, after a 10 minutes dwell most things could be removed. It is also the most effective if it has had any treatments or polishes. Do they want it re-sealing? if so you will need a slip resistant coating.
If it is a large area it would probably be cost effective to hire a scrubber dryer. If you have a hard floor tool you can effectively rinse with an extraction machine after scrubbing. Vinyls are chemical resistant and as they are non absorbant there is no need to go ph neutral, I would always go for the most effective solution.
Peter

[John Kelly]

Its either Vinyl or Marmoleum. Vinyls bombproof, you need to take a little more care with Marmoleum and it needs to be sealed as its porous. Sometimes the markings are tape but the painted ones look like tape as well due to the way it is applied. Jamie should know what it is from the photo.

[peter maybury]

marmoleum is also considerably more expensive than vinyl which would limit its appeal in such a large area.
Peter

[tony bish]

Many thanks guys .Peter I assume it would not be domestic vinyl but a stronger type ,I have fitted many vinyls and this is a lot harder very much like the old style lino you used to get in kitchens years ago .The best way I could describe it is it is hard to the touch but if you dug your nails in it could mark ,there is a slight give in the floor also ,not a lot but its there .If it is marmoleum John what would be best to seal it with .Really appreciate informative feedback guys thanks . Ps John who is Jamie mate . 

[Jamie Pearson]

I am Jamie. 

If you heat a paperclip with a lighter and push it into the floor it will melt a vinyl but not a linoleum as linoleum/marmoleum are composed of natural materials.

My guess is that its vinyl from the pictures but hard to tell. One thing with linoleum is you never get a brilliant white colour which the marbling looks to be in your picture which would suggest vinyl. The practical test will tell.

Hire a scrubber drier for it. It will make the job a lot easier. Even if its just to go over after a scrub with your rotary to pick up and neutralise the floor.

If you were to go with a nylon pad on your machine you could get a diamond pad like a twister or equivalent that would buff up the floor a little when you run the scrubber dryer over. This would let you use a higher grade pad but bring the colour up as it takes out the marring from the scrub pad.

If you are going to apply a surface coating to it go for Chemspec Tight Shine or Pioneer Eclipse Floor Matte as they are both suitable for sports environment and very forgiving when it comes to application method.

Happy to discuss if you want to give me a call on 01334656787 I have done hundreds of these over the years.

[tony bish]

Hi Jamie ,that really is kind of you and will hopefully give you a call if thats ok .

[Neil Jones]

I've had both them products off Jamie and they are both great. I think tight shine just about edges it.

[tony bish]

Many thanks Neil .Did you find it easy to use mate

[David Ware]

A melamine pad will work well on this without damaging the lines.

A scrubber dryer will be your best bet with the neutral floor cleaner as John suggests.

I would apply it hot from a watering can in front of the scrubber dryer giving it a good dwell then pass over it with the machine running fresh water to rinse.

The melamine pads are expensive but will give the cleaning performance of a much more aggressive pad and stronger chemicals  without dulling the floor or damaging the lines.

Hi Jamie would the Spray Borg orbit with the weights do as good a job.

[Jamie Pearson]

You could use the Akwa Strip pads and the sprayborg.

My preference would still be to use a scrubber dryer on a big area like that.

[Neil Jones]

Yes very easy to apply, although I tend to do it by hand as they are usually small areas. Jamie would advise how best to apply on such a large area.

[John Kelly]

You apply Tightshine with a flat microfibre mop. Easy to do large areas relatively quickly. On something that size its best to split it up into smaller sections preferably using the lines as demarkation. Do sections at a time so any "drying joins" don't stand out.

[Jamie Pearson]

Yeah flat mop is safest way if you arent used to this kind of thing. If there are two of you have one pore and the other spread and change over. As John says watch out for overlaps.

The old skool out there would do an area like this using a Padco applicator or Kentucky Mop & Bucket.

[tony bish]

Thanks guys appreciate your advise .I did go to the school the other day and tried the paper clip heated up ,and it did go straight through so am assuming it is vinyl ,thanks for tip Jamie .