MAINTENANCE GUIDE
The Marks That Won't Come Up
After a fair amount of elbow grease, on-going effort, and a myriad number of chemical supplies, does that once lovely floor still look like a '71 Chevy at the end of a demolition derby? Nothing seems to work and many despair that nothing ever will. You have been plagued by the marks that don't come out. Many a floor owner feels marked for life ~ or so they think.
There are a number of ways to triumph over those resistant blights upon your floor. First, we need to know how those marks got there. Shoes, the environment, and things we do are responsible for all those little nasties.
We begin with shoe bottoms since they are the prime cause of marks. Rubber, rubber compound, leather, metal, metal compounds, thread, and an assortment of synthetic materials located near or on the bottom of our shoes disintegrate. In many cases, they leave marks on the floor.
The traditional scuff mark is a classic problem. In the case of percussive movement, such as tap or clogging, the problem is compounded by the abrasive, burnishing, and grinding nature of the transference of materials to the floor surface. The same kind of result can be produced by sneakers. Normal cleaning procedures may not get the job done. There are two ways to attack these problems and in some instances, a combination of both work well. There are aggressive chemical cleaning agents that can dissolve and "lift" the marks off the floor, and there are mechanical means utilizing a floor machine, brushes and/or aggressive pads (red or black) to muscle the offending marks off the floor. Please note the following caution: That which can dissolve foreign matter off your floor may very well dissolve your floor along with any floor finish you may have had on your floor. The first time out test any new product or technique. Read maintenance instructions for do's and dont's before you dive in. More floors get ruined by failed attempts to clean them than for any other reason.
While the scuff marks problem can be troublesome, there is a much more sinister problem facing the floor owner and it looks just like a scuff mark. Dye marks are produced when heat and perspiration causes shoe dye to leach through the shoe onto the floor. It is like spilling paint on your floor. Now you need to escalate the level of attack. It is time for a spot remover. There is an inherent problem in that the substance that dissolves the dye mark can also dissolve your floor. Be very careful using citrusbased solvents. If you do, immediately flush the area with water and dry. Wipeout is as effective and much safer to use.
If your floor has a finish, it is possible these solvents/cleaners will remove it. The faster you work, the less likely any damage will occur. If you have an extra piece of floor, test the product on it. Refinishing is not the worst thing that can happen. If your floor is a total wasteland of scuffs and dye marks, and you used a finish on it, it might be time to strip the finish off, clean the surface of any residual stripper, and re-finish.
If you have not used a finish, you always have the option of using a stripper and a red pad. That should get everything up. It will, however, leave your floor dull unless you follow up with an application of finish.
The longer dye marks remain on a vinyl floor, the harder they are to remove. These marks will transmute directly into vinyl, making them almost impossible to get out. When it comes to maintaining your vinyl flooring, the sooner you eradicate the marks the better. When stubborn spots still remain, try our Wipeout or Tapemate products.
Another type of mark that infuriates dance floor owners is the gray/black marks produced by disintegrating aluminum taps. Once again, you pay the piper for inferior materials. The appropriate choice to preserve the quality of your floor is using only steel or aluminum taps. Aluminum compound taps break down leaving a residue (the metal turns black when exposed to friction or heat) which ends up sticking to the vinyl. There are two ways to get rid of this mess. First, purchase artificial chamois cloths (used for cleaning cars,) and dry mop your floor with the cloth. The shards of aluminum will stick directly to the chamois. Wash them out and reuse. The second method is to wet down the floor and use a wet/dry shop vac to dispose of the particulate matter. When stubborn spots still remain, try our Wipeout or Tapemate products.
Obviously, when planning your floor care maintenance program, using the appropriate products makes the whole process easier and less time consuming. We suggest using our Slip NoMor Finish or Tap Armor to restore the surface appearance, and most importantly, it will reduce tap residue by up to 50%. Keeping your floors in top notch condition is important to the health and safety of both teachers and students.
After you have removed the scuff marks, prevent new ones by purchasing Aeson's new product TapShield. TapShield is applied directly to taps, preventing the marks made from aluminum compound breakdown. You can purchase TapShield in individual uses or in our new studio size bottle.
TapShield and Slip NoMor Finish are available from Aeson.
