By Gary Scheidker
Proper flooring care and maintenance is much more than just proper cleaning. It includes maintaining the space at acceptable temperature and humidity levels for the floor covering and protecting it from potential damage. Insufficient or improper maintenance can affect resilient and hardwood flooring, and even carpet. These are a few of the most common causes of flooring failure that could have been easily avoided with proper care.
Temperature and humidity fluctuations
Every resilient or wood flooring installation should start with proper acclimation. It is critical the space continues to be maintained at proper service temperature after installation. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity can cause failures with most resilient flooring and all hardwood flooring products. Even carpet can relax from high humidity and possibly require a re-stretch. It is important you include climate control as part of the maintenance instructions you provide to your customer. The space should be maintained under HVAC control year-round including off hours. It is not acceptable to shut off or turn down the HVAC during nights, weekends or holidays. For commercial applications, you may want to recommend an environmental monitoring system to make certain the space is properly maintained.
Direct sunlight
Many flooring products require protection from direct sunlight. With resilient flooring, direct sunlight exposure can cause it to expand, creating pressure on the neighboring tile or planks when it is heated and then shrinking as it cools to create gaps at the joints. With sheet goods, the heat can cause the flooring to expand and create bubbles which may lead to a full replacement. It is important you recommend window treatments such as curtains, blinds, shutters or tint to provide protection from direct sunlight. These are exposure issues considerations in your recommended maintenance instructions.
Caster chairs and other furnishings
Caster chairs in offices can damage resilient, hardwood and carpet if proper protection is not used. The use of chair pads is essential in office settings. Failure to protect the flooring from caster chairs can cause the new floor covering to prematurely wear or “ugly” out. Using the right chair pad for your application is essential for good results. The use of felt or other soft protectors on chair or furniture legs is also important and should be included in your recommended maintenance instructions. The use of walk off mats should always be recommended at doorways that open to exterior, dirty or wet areas. These steps will keep the floor looking good for a long time.
Improper cleaning products
I cannot believe how many flooring failures I have seen that could have been easily avoided by simply following the instructions on the label of the cleaner. In many cases, the maintenance people use the wrong cleaner or simply use a high concentration. Some of these cleaners are citrus-based and have a pleasant scent. Unfortunately, citrus cleaners are acidic and can attack the adhesive and floor covering. They have also caused finishes to dull and leave oily residues on the surface.
We had one case where a chain of veterinarian clinics was having problems at a couple locations. They had the same flooring and used the same disinfecting cleaner in all their locations. It turned out high concentrations of the cleaner were attacking the flooring assembly. This disinfectant was so strong at full strength it even ate through the epoxy floor in our testing area. We placed the jug on the shelf, and it leaked over the weekend. When we came back on Monday, the epoxy had flaked off the slab in the spill area. Make sure to recommend the correct cleaning products and methods for maintaining the floor being installed.
Excessive amounts of water
We see too many crazy things when we go to inspect a floor. I had a situation with VCT at an elementary school that was obviously moisture related. This was a new slab with a good quality under-slab vapor retarder installed. The flooring contractor performed both in-situ RH tests per ASTM F2170 and calcium chloride tests per ASTM F1869. We were at a loss as to the source of the moisture until we found a maintenance man using a garden hose to clean the floor!
Hot water extraction machines
We typically think of carpet cleaning when it comes to hot water extraction units, which are also called steam-cleaning machines. For hard surface, some state and local agencies require nursing homes, assisted care facilities and day care centers to clean the common areas up to two times a day. In many cases, these facilities use walk-behind hot water extraction units to clean the floors. This hot water will soften the resilient flooring, which allows it to contour to any irregularities on the substrate and telegraph them. You should consider this when selecting an adhesive and recommending the type of flooring.
Floor finishes
It may sound crazy, but I have been on multiple complaints where the property owner had a maintenance company apply a superficial finish to the floor. This is not an issue unless the gloss level of the coating is different from the factory finish. In every case, the property owner complained the floor was different from what they selected. It is important you educate your customer on acceptable applied finishes and how they can affect the gloss level of the floor.
I recommend you prepare a recommended maintenance guide for your customers to follow. This may require separate guides for carpet, resilient and hardwood since their care can vary greatly. This will help you avoid claims, while keeping your customers happy.
