Maintenance

To preserve the beauty and durability of your Comcork flooring, you need to follow a few guidelines. By undertaking these, your floor will last for years. Naturally, the maintenance will depend on the foot traffic it receives.
1. Initial cleaning
Allow the adhesive to set properly. The new floor should not be cleaned for at least 24 hours after installation. (Wash water may affect adhesion.)
1. Sweep or preferably vacuum all dirt, grit and debris off the floor.
2. Wet mop/dry mop using recommended stripper diluted to the manufacturer’s specifications. Remove any excess adhesive left on the floor from the installation by gently rubbing with a well-moistened pad. Rinse the floor with warm water and allow to dry.

2. Application of floor dressing
Dressing provides added protection from dirt and grit, enhances appearance and makes maintenance easier.
Comcork Flooring should always be sealed unless in a significant wet area application or where maximum slip resistance is required. It is the responsibility of the building owner to assess the appropriate level of slip resistance required.
Application procedure
Immerse mop into bucket containing sealer. Carefully (and lightly) wring-out mop to ensure thin coats are applied.
Apply sealer, running mop close to skirting-board (or edge of room), then apply remainder in a figure ‘8’ – first in one direction, then in the opposite direction for second and third coats.
Drying time may vary with climatic conditions. Test with the palm of your hand to ensure sealer is dry prior to applying next coat. Approx. 30 minutes.
After final coat, allow sealer to dry for as long as possible – ideally 24 hours – but not less than 4 hours.

3. Refreshing the floor’s top dressing (resealing)
As the sealer is worn down, the floor will become dull and difficult to maintain, and should be resealed as follows:
1. Sweep or preferably vacuum the floor to remove all dirt, grit and debris from the floor.
2. Apply a recommended floor stripper to the floor completing small sections at a time. Allow floor stripper to act on the floor surface for approx. 5-10 minutes. Do not allow solution to dry on floor at any stage.
3. In larger installations, this process can be made easier by scrubbing the floor sections using a low speed (350-450rpm) automatic scrubbing machine fitted with a contour (red) pad.
4. Remove residue with either a wet vac or a mop and bucket. For Comcork flooring products with a raised profile, a wet vac should be used to remove residue.
5. Rinse floor thoroughly twice with clean warm water and allow to dry.
6. For larger installations, dry buff floor using an automatic buffing machine fitted with a white pad. Ensure the machine is kept moving at all times. (This will pick up any detergent that hasn’t been totally rinsed off the floor.)
7. Then apply sealer as per previous section.

4. Ongoing daily cleaning
Smooth or slightly profiled, i.e. WalkEasy, Fusion, Sports, Comcork ErgoFloor and LowProfile Daily:
1. Sweep or preferably vacuum the floor to remove all dirt, grit and debris from the floor.
2. Mop thoroughly with warm water and neutral detergent diluted to the manufacturer’s instructions.

5. Weekly
Once a week clean floor as per Ongoing Daily Cleaning instructions, however, include the use of the recommended maintainer diluted to the manufacturer’s instructions. Highly profiled such as PolyCork and AquaDeck
1. The studs can be cleaned with a deck broom or a thick bristle scrubbing brush using a neutral detergent diluted to manufacturer’s instructions.
2. The floor should be cleaned in small sections, ensuring it is kept highly wet at all times. (The floor should never be scrubbed in a dry condition.)
3. Remove wet slurry as each section is cleaned, ideally with a wet vac or mop and bucket.

General Information
Equipment:
Always use clean equipment as dirty equipment only redistributes the dirt. Mops and pads should always be thoroughly cleaned after use.
Floor dressing:
A floor dressing will both protect and enhance appearance and can significantly reduce the time involved in maintenance. The ongoing saving in labour and possible early replacement will significantly offset the small cost of the dressing.
A premium cotton mop must be used for applying floor dressing and the mop should be reserved for this purpose only.
Staining:
Whilst Comcork Flooring is resistant to most common acids, alkalis, oils and grease, any flooring is subject to some stains. Certain rubbers used in the manufacture of some mats will discolour flooring and care should also be taken to protect the floor from tracking new asphalt. Consult your local distributor for information regarding specific stains and applications.
Sharp objects:
Care should be taken to protect the floor from sharp objects such as metal stool and table legs. These should always have appropriate protective caps.

Warning:
Recommended maintenance products as detailed throughout this program must be used – substitute products must not be used without prior written approval. Ammonia based products must not be used to maintain a floor which has a dressing, as the ammonia will break down the dressing. The maintenance products must always be used in line with the manufacturer’s recommended instructions.