Maintenance of ITS Engineered Flooring
Maintain your ITS floor as you would any hardwood floor. The key to your floor's long life and good looks is periodic cleaning and the proper protection. Protectors should be placed under the legs of furniture and floor mats placed at entrances to the outdoors to collect dirt and grit that can damage your floor finish. Always speak to a professional and follow the finish manufacturer’s recommendations if considering recoating.
USE ONLY CLEANING PRODUCTS RECOMMENDED FOR WOOD FLOORS WITH URETHANE FINISHES. ALWAYS USE A CLEAN CLOTH OR SPONGE MOP AND WRING NEARLY DRY. NEVER WET MOP A HARDWOOD FLOOR. CLEAN FLOOR AND WIPE DRY WITH A TOWEL AS YOU GO. TO RESTORE LUSTER YOU MAY BUFF WITH AN ELECTRIC BUFFER.
We recommend citrus based (orange/lemon) natural cleaning products suitable for floors. Do not use products like Orange Glow and Murphy’s Oil Soap.
What to do:
- Vacuum or sweep floor regularly.
- Remove spills promptly.
- Place mats at exterior doors to trap sand and grit from incoming traffic.
- Use area rugs on high traffic pathways.
- Install wood guards on feet of furniture.
- Always pick up heavy furniture and appliances, instead of sliding it across the floor.
- Keep pets’ claws properly trimmed to avoid excess scratches and gouges.
Common Issues:
Scratching - All Urethane finishes, including ceramic and aluminum oxide, will scratch. Use walk off mats to remove small pebbles and dirt from shoes. Sweep floors regularly. Make sure no nails or sharp ends protrude from anything (shoes, furniture, etc.) that contacts the floor.
Indentations - caused by unprotected furniture legs or high heels
* A 125 lb person in high heels can exert over 1200 psi
Exposure to direct sunlight - Direct sunlight will bleach all ITS flooring (and almost anything) over time. Use curtains or treated windows.
Excessive Moisture - ITS flooring is remarkably resistant to moisture once it has been acclimatized, but is not moisture proof. Remove any spills immediately. Make sure your plumbing does not leak.
MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR ROYALTY COLLECTION
ITS Flooring oil finished floors are maintained
with WOCA Soap or Oil Refresher.
You should mop your floor with WOCA Soap or Oil Refresher after installing it and then clean your floor with WOCA Soap or Oil Refresher only when dirty.
Oil Refresher should not be used more than four times/year as this may create unwanted build up. Oil Refresher introduces small amounts of oil into the floor, which provides longer wear before re-oiling.
The soap/oil refresher solution not only cleans and nourishes oiled floors but also will leave a protective film on the floor after drying, making future cleanings quicker and easier. An oiled floor needs cleaning with WOCA Soap/Oil Refresher only when dirty. In public areas, depending on heavy wear and dirt accumulation, a daily, weekly or monthly cleaning schedule should be used. Sweep and vacuum the floor prior to cleaning with WOCA Soap or Oil Refresher. Mix WOCA Soap/Oil Refresher and warm water in a solution of 1:40 (3.2 oz per gallon of water). For very dirty floors the solution mix can be increased up to 1:20 except with white oak floors. White oak floors should never be cleaned with a solution stronger than 1:40. Mixing solution should be: Two gallons of warm water + 6.4 oz. (just over ¾ cup) of Soap/Oil Refresher. Three gallons of warm water + 9.6 oz. (just under 1 ¼ cups) of Soap/Oil refresher. Four gallons of warm water + 12.8 oz. (just over 1 ½ cups) of Soap/Oil Refresher. If too much soap/oil refresher is used in solution, footprints may show on a soaped floor even after drying. To remove excess soap/oil refresher, clean the floor with WOCA Wood Cleaner. Use a good quality swep mop, such as the WOCA Swep Mop, which has no loose ends. Remember that a wood floor should be DAMP mopped.
* In one bucket, mix a solution of WOCA Soap or Oil Refresher and warm water. Pour warm water in a second bucket to be used as rinse water.
* Dip a clean mop in the soap/oil refresher solution. Wring the mop. The mop head should retain enough moisture to dampen a 5’ x 8’ section of flooring. Spread the solution across the work area, then mop the damp area as you would a vinyl kitchen floor. For very dirty spots, let the solution set for a few minutes, then come back to the spot and scrub with a dish scrubbing brush. Continue mopping until the mop head becomes dirty or is not moist enough to thoroughly clean.
* Dip the mop in the warm water bucket. Slosh around very well. Wring the mop head as thoroughly dry as possible. This will remove dirty water and keep the mop head clean.
Do not rinse the previously cleaned floor.
* Dip the mop in the soap/oil refresher solution and wring. Clean the next section.
* Repeat the process until the entire floor has been cleaned.
The floor should be dry within 5 to 15 minutes. If water is still visible on the floor surface after 2-3 minutes, the mop was too wet during the cleaning process. Wipe up excess water and reduce moisture in the mop.
Note: It is not unusual to see a “haze” on darker floors after using soap or oil refresher. Simply put a cotton cloth under a dust mop and quickly polish away the “haze”.
WOCA TOP COAT INSTRUCTIONS
When top coat is applied using Maintenance Oil Paste.
Warning: Oil soaked rags must be properly stored and disposed of as they can self-ignite!
+If you are working on an older, previously oiled or new factory oiled floor, the floor must be prepped with WOCA
Wood Cleaner prior to applying oil paste, in order to remove any dirt from the floor.
+Keep a piece of cardboard available to rest tools and wet pads on.
+Do not walk on the oil paste with sneakers, put plastic shopping bags over your shoes.
+Work corners, along walls and door frames by hand.
+Change or flip over pads and polishing cloths when they become tacky or dirty.
+Work in sections of no more than 100 sq.ft. at a time. Each section should be completed before continuing.
+Oil soaked rags can self- ignite. Place rags in a bucket of water or in metal container with a lid. Allow pads to dry before discarding.
* Squirt a thick 3 foot bead of WOCA Oil Paste in the center of the starting area, staying well away from the nearest wall.
* With a white Norton pad under a 175 rpm buffer in the starting area, work the buffer slowly across the oil paste. Work the paste with the edge of the pad. Do not put the pad directly on top of the paste. As the pad becomes saturated, start spreading the paste. You will see instant results. Buff slowly across the work area and back toward you until you can see that the paste does not continue to spread. Work slowly toward the walls. Add paste as needed to complete the work area. Continue to buff the area until there is a minimum of paste residue left on the floor.
* Shut off the buffer on the work area. Walk as far away from the work area as necessary to see the results. Note any dry spots. Walk over to these spots and squirt more paste.
* Buff these spots and spread outwards until the paste residue is gone.
* Shut off the buffer on the work area. Walk away from the area to see your work. Squirt more paste on dry spots if necessary and buff. When you are satisfied that the floor has an even sheen, shut off the buffer on the work area. When removing the pad, place it on the cardboard. If you rest your wet pad on bare wood, you will leave a noticeable circle. This will come off later but will take extra buffing and more of your time.
* Place a WOCA Polishing Cloth under the white pad. Polish the work area across the wood grain, then along the grain. This will remove excess paste and maintain a matte finish. For a slightly higher sheen, polish the work area one last time using a clean white pad only.
* Repeat the process until the entire floor is done.
When you shut off the buffer for the last time, you will probably leave a
noticeable circle where the buffer sits. Be sure to buff this out by hand before leaving.
* Allow the oiled floor 36 hours to fully harden. Water and dirt should be kept off of the floor during this time. After 5 to 6 hours it is ok to allow foot traffic. If you expect heavy traffic, cover all or part of the floor for at least 36 hours, avoiding the use of plastic.
TIP: If, when polishing the floor, the buffer becomes jerky and you have a hard time keeping the white pad/polishing cloth centered under the buffer, you are either spreading the paste too thickly or the cloth needs changing. If the cloth is tacky, either flip it over or replace it. If the paste is too thick, sprinkle a few drops of WOCA Solvent across the work area and continue buffing with the polishing cloth/white pad. The solvent will loosen the paste, making the removal of any excess paste easier and quicker.
+Coverage will be 325 – 350 sq. ft. per tube of Maintenance Oil Paste on newly oiled floors and 750 – 1200 sq. ft. per tube on factory oiled floors.
+It will take about 3.5 hours per 1000 sq. ft. on newly oiled floors and 2 hours per 1000 sq. ft. on factory oiled floors.
+You should expect to use 3 white pads and 3-4 Polishing Cloths per 1,000 sq. ft.