HOW TO SEAL FLOORS
Purpose
To prepare the floor to accept floor finish (wax) by filling the pores of
a new floor or of an old porous floor which has been stripped.
Supplies and Equipment
ETC's Best Rayon Wet Mop or Great White® Finish Mop
2 buckets on casters or on a dolly
2 wringers
Plastic liner
Sealer solution
Fresh water (cool water)
Procedure
1. Prepare floor area:
a. Strip floor (See ETC's pamphlet "How to Strip Floors")
b. Place "Floor Hazard" signs in easy-to-see locations near entrances
to area.
c. Put supplies and equipment in floor area to be sealed.
d. Fill one bucket 3/4 full with cool water.
e. Put plastic bag (liner) into the empty bucket that is to be used for
the sealer solution, then pour sealer into lined bucket. Using the plastic
bag liner keeps the bucket clean and keeps the sealer from becoming contaminated
with any residue that might be in the bucket.
Reminder:
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for using the sealer.
2. Dip the mophead into the bucket with water. Wring out as much as possible.
3. Dip the mophead into the sealer. Wring out gently so mophead is wet but
does not drip.
4. Starting on the floor by one of the baseboards in the farthest corner
of the room, outline the entire area to be sealed if it can be completed
before the sealer starts to dry. (See illustration below)
If the entire area cannot be out lined before the sealer dries, apply the
sealer to the floor along the baseboards covering as much of the outline
as possible.
5. Using a side to side (figure eight) motion, apply the sealer to the floor
area inside the outlined area starting at the farthest corner and moving
backward toward the door. Overlap the strokes. Avoid having puddles of sealer
on the floor.
6. Allow the floor to dry completely before applying any more coats of sealer.
7. If recoating is needed, follow the same steps as above start ing with
step 4, except start outline 6" away from baseboard. This area gets
little or no wear since people cannot walk that close to the baseboard.
Note:
While waiting for one coat to dry, be sure to rinse out the mophead.
When finished, take the plastic liner containing the remaining sealer out
of the bucket and toss away.
Caution:
Dispose of this sealer waste properly.
Accomplishment
After following this floor sealing procedure, the floor should be sealed
and ready to accept the floor finish (wax).
1. Care for floor pads, mops & buckets
2. Wet mop floors
3. Strip floors
5. Finish floors
6. Scrub floors
7. Spray Buff Floors
8. Buff or Polish floors
9. Clean Carpet using a carpet bonnet
10. Sandscreen floors