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Advertising supplement provided MFMA

SIX STEPS FOR PROPER DAILY MAINTENANCE:

1. Sweep the floor daily with a properly treated dust mop. If the floor is used heavily, sweep it up to three times per day.
2. Wipe up spills and any moisture on the floor.
3. Remove heel marks using an approved floor cleaner applied with a soft cloth or dusting mop. Contact your floor finish manufacturer for approved cleaning products.
4. Make sure the heating/ventilating/air conditioning system is functioning properly and set to maintain indoor relative humidities between 35% and 50% year round. In areas of consistently high or low outside humidity, a 15% fluctuation will not adversely affect the maple.
5. Inspect floor for tightening or shrinkage. Check for water leakage around doors and windows during wet weather. Remove debris from expansion voids.
6. Always protect the floor when moving heavy portable equipment or lifts. Ensure portable equipment does NOT have crowned wheels or wheels that include center ridges remaining from the molding process. These types of wheels can create very significant point loads.

Annual maintenance

To preserve the beauty and life of your maple floor, the MFMA recommends that multipurpose surfaces receive periodic refinishings. MFMA typically recommends that facilities having heavy use receive a new coat of floor finish every year to maintain its beauty and to protect the floor. Facility use, abuse, and maintenance will ultimately determine the appropriate recoating schedule. A typical recoating requires abrading floor’s surface and applying another coat of floor finish.

From time to time, even the most meticulously cared-for maple multipurpose floor should receive a complete resurfacing. Resurfacing restores the luster in an older maple surface, and assures long life and excellent performance. The frequency of complete resurfacing depends on numerous factors, but typically is performed about every eight to ten years. Typically, the installation sanding will remove a full 1/32 inch of maple thickness above the tongue. When a floor is completely resurfaced the sanding typically does not remove any more than 1/32 inch of thickness. The maple floor should be sanded with a minimum of three cuts using coarse, medium, and fine sandpapers. The first cut using coarse sandpaper removes the majority of the material in order to remove the scratches, dirt and stains that have accumulated since installation. The final two cuts do not remove as much material and should provide a smooth and even surface, free from scratches, drum stop marks or gouges.