CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE 
LACQUERED FLOORS

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This instruction describes how to conduct cleaning and maintenance of Junckers lacquered hardwood floors installed in commercial and residential areas.

A solid hardwood floor from Junckers is delivered prefinished with lacquer and is ready to use as soon as it has been installed. The factory applied lacquer is an extremely hard wearing polyurethane product and several coats are applied during manufacture.

Keeping your Junckers floor clean will retain its natural beauty and will ensure that you have a floor which will last for generations. The life span of the lacquer depends heavily upon the frequency and standard of cleaning.

In high traffic areas, those which may be subjected to high levels of spillage and where very frequent cleaning will be needed the floor may be given a further coat of Junckers HP Commercial lacquer after it has been installed. 

REGULAR CLEANING

The floor must be regularly swept and vacuumed, and when necessary wiped with a well wrung out mop or cloth. For larger floors a scrubber dryer machine can be used.

To help removal of dirt from the surface a solution of Junckers SylvaCleaner can be added to the cleaning water or the scrubber dryer. Find more information under the section "Further information". 

When to clean a newly lacquered floor
Floors which have recently been relacquered must not be cleaned for at least 72 hours after relacquering.

Use of water - Important
Always use as little water as possible for cleaning.
Use a well wrung out mop or cloth and remove excess water immediately.
Any water spillage must be wiped up straight away so as to avoid water damage.

PROTECTION AND LIGHT RESTORATION OF THE SURFACE

If the floor needs to be revitalised then Junckers Refresher will help to hide scuffmarks and minor scratches. 

Refresher is a quick drying maintenance product for wooden floors treated with one of Junckers water-based lacquers or for Junckers solid hardwood floors prefinished with lacquer.  

The product is water-based, ready to use and is easily applied with a flat mop. A simple way to revive a dull looking surface and protect the floor in the period between professional recoats.

Direction for use:
The lacquered surface must be clean, dry, free from dust, grease, and soap residues.

• Mix Junckers SylvaNeutralizer with warm water and wash the floor. Then leave the floor to dry.

• Wet a a flat thick-piled microfiber floormop in warm water and wring out the mop hard.

• Mount the mop to the mop base and spray a thin S-shaped line of Refresher directly onto the floor.

• Use the mop to spread the Refresher and make sure to work in the longitudinal direction of the floorboards. 

• Apply in an even layer and work in small sections of 3-4  m².

• Remember to keep overlaps between the individual sections moist.

• Always apply Refresher on the entire floor area to ensure a uniform appearance and gloss level.
• Leave the floor to dry for 1-2 hours before walking on the floor.
• If the floor is very worn, re-treatment can be conducted after 3 hours.
• Wait 24 hours to place furniture and lay out rugs.

Before treatment of the full floor, it is recommended to conduct a trial application in an inconspicuous area. After drying check the appearance of the floor and adhesion by scraping the surface with the edge of a coin. Find more information under the section "Further information". 

If the lacquered surface is worn through to bare wood:
Refresher cannot not be used if parts of the existing lacquer surface is worn through to bare wood. In this case the floor must be sanded and re-lacquered.

Refresher can be overcoated with lacquer:
Refresher is compatible with Junckers range of water based lacquers. This means that in the longer term a surface treated with Refresher may be lightly sanded and then over-coated with lacquer to keep the floor protected.

LONG TERM MAINTENANCE

Periodically, when the lacquered surface becomes dull and worn the floor may be cleaned, lightly sanded and then over-coated with one of Junckers water based lacquers.

See product range below and choose a lacquer matching the expected wear of the floor.

The time between maintenance coats depends upon the amount of foot traffic that the floor receives. Therefore floors in busy commercial areas such as retail, restaurants etc will require resealing more often than residential floors.
It is recommended that the floor is inspected on a regular basis and the floor must be resealed before the lacquer wears through to bare wood.

Maintenance procedure
Clean the floor using Junckers SylvaNeutralizer and sand thoroughly using 150 to 180 grit sandpaper or a mesh disc.
Thorough cleaning of the floor is critical to ensure that the new lacquer coat will adhere properly.
Vacuum clean and wipe with a well wrung out cloth or mop to remove all sanding dust. Apply one coat of the new lacquer in accordance with the product instructions.

WAX POLISH TREATED FLOORS

Hardwood floors which have been maintained with wax polish must be sanded back to bare wood before resealing. 

PROTECTION OF THE FLOOR IN USE

Felt pads
Protect the floor from scratches and scuffs by fitting felt pads to furniture legs. Please note that felt pads will eventually wear out and will need to be replaced periodically.

Wear and tear from office chairs etc can be reduced by use of purpose made plastic mats.

Barrier matting
A good quality barrier mat is a very effective way to keep dirt, water and grit off the floor. Mats must be of sufficient size and the correct type to suit the type of building and number of users.

STAIN REMOVAL

Remove any spillage and stains as soon as possible. Dried out stains are often more difficult to remove than fresh ones.

Fruit juice, milk, cream, tea, soft drinks, beer, wine, coffee; Remove with Junckers SylvaCleaner.
Chocolate, grease, oil, shoe polish, scuffs marks from shoes; Remove with Junckers SylvaCleaner or white spirit. 
Ink, lipstick; Remove with Junckers SylvaCleaner or methylated spirit.
Blood; Remove with cold water

PREVENTION OF SLIPS AND TRIPS

A properly maintained and installed Junckers floor will have good slip resistance, however any spillage will make the floor more slippery and increase the likelihood of accidents. Always wipe up spillage straight away. 

TEMPORARY PROTECTION OF THE FLOOR

Point Loads; eg legs, static wheels.
In order to prevent damage to the floor it may be necessary to use pressure distributing plywood or metal plates to spread the load.

- The flat side of the plywood or metal plate must be placed against floor surface.
- By risk of spillage of liquids, it is recommended to place a waterproof covering on top of the plywood or metal plate.
- For specific advice on protection contact Junckers technical department.

Ordinary covering of the Floor
Use a breathable covering where possible, eg, cardboard, ply, hardboard etc. If protection from extensive spillage is needed a waterproof covering may be used eg polythene.

Ensure that the covering is laid flat and that there are no creases or seams that may cause indentations to the floor under load. Ensure also that the covering does not have printing or anything similar which may transfer to the surface of the floor.

For floors with under floor heating use only a breathable covering and the thinnest type possible so as to prevent the floor from over heating.

USE OF ADHESIVE TAPE AND LOGOS ETC.

Adhesive on tape and logos often have a very high tack value and can therefore damage the lacquer on the floor if the tape or logo is pulled off quickly.

Always use low tack adhesive tapes and logos.

FURTHER TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Products
F 4.2 – Junckers Profinsh
F 5.1 – Junckers Strong
F 8.5 – Junckers HP Commercial
F 10.2 - Junckers Sylva Cleaner
F 10.5 - Junckers Refresher