NUMIX HOMOGENEOUS RESILIENT TILE MAINTENANCE CHECKLIST

Proper care of your resilient floor will help maintain the appearance and performance of your resilient floor by following recommended preventative, routine, and wet cleaning guidelines. 

Maintenance instructions for Shaw Hard Surface Resilient. 

INITIAL MAINTENANCE AND FINISHING  

There are 3 options for post installation cleaning and maintenance of Shaw Homogeneous Resilient Tile  

• OPTION 1: Initial Maintenance Cleaning - This is a post installation light cleaning and leaving tile as is.   

• OPTION 2: Burnishing or Dry Buffing – This is a maintenance option to develop and maintain shine or gloss level of tile.  

• OPTION 3: Floor Finish Application – Application of a finish post installation.  

OPTION 1: INITIAL MAINTENANCE CLEANING  

Light Soiled Areas  

• Sweep or dust mop the floor to remove any large debris. Never use oil base treated dust mops.  

• Clean with a damp mop or use an auto scrubber with neutral cleaner. Rinse with clean water.  

Heavily Soiled Area  

• Use a broom or vacuum to remove dust and dirt particles.  

• Use a mixture of regular neutral cleaner/degreaser and water, as per manufacturer’s instructions on dilution factor. 

• Spread the solution evenly over the floor using a mop.  

• Wait 10 to 15 minutes before starting to clean. Do not allow the solution to dry on the floor.   

• Use a 175 – 350 rpm rotary swing machine or an auto scrubber equipped with a red fiber pad. A soft nylon brush can be used in difficult-to-reach areas.  

• Wet vacuum or mop up the residue.  

• Rinse with clean tempered water with a mop or an auto scrubber.  

• Let the floor dry completely.  

• No wax or sealer is required, and the floor can now be used as is.   

NOTE: It is very important to follow the specific directions for cleaning Shaw Homogeneous Resilient Tile. Treating it otherwise can negatively impact visual appearance and performance. Mixed lots cannot be made uniform by cleaning. Maximum lot sizes are 10,000 square feet.  

IMPORTANT: Never buff in excess of 375 RPM.  
  

OPTION 2: BURNISHING OR DRY BUFFING  

• Following the initial or regular maintenance, the floor is clean and dry buffing can be performed using a high-speed rotary machine (1200 - 1500 rpm) equipped with a white pad or equivalent.  

• By moving forward and backward, the desired gloss level will be determined by the number of moving sequences of the rotary machine. Generally, start with 10 passes to increase gloss level. Adjust the number of passes for desired gloss level.  

• Note: To avoid damaging the floor, care must be taken when dry buffing. Do not let the rotary machine turn without moving as permanent damage, like burns, could appear on floor surface.  
    

OPTION 3: FLOOR FINISH APPLICATION  

NOTE: No floor finish, wax or sealant is required for the Shaw Homogeneous Resilient Tile. The gloss level can be maintained by dry buffing, if needed. However, it is possible to apply a floor finish.    

• Prepare the surface by following “heavily soiled areas” instructions in the initial maintenance procedure.  

• Always follow the finish manufacturer’s instructions for mixing and method of application.  

• It is also recommended that if finish is applied, additional cleaning products be from the same manufacturer due to compatibility issues.  

Recommended Finishes  

• Solid Care Epic Urethane  

• Dr. Schutz Waxnomor  

• Matte Finish: Diversey Carefree Matte® Hilway Direct Plus Matte   

• Gloss Finish: Diversey Carefree® Hilway Direct Plus Gloss 

The above guidelines are recommended for maintenance and finish options for resilient tile. Application of finish is optional in certain applications. Always follow the finish manufacturer’s instructions for mixing and method of application. It is also recommended that if finish is applied, additional cleaning products be from the same manufacturer due to compatibility issues.  Contact the Information Center or Technical Support at 877.502.7429. 

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE 

1. Cleaning 

• Sweep or vacuum daily to remove dust and dirt. If necessary, clean with a damp mop and a regular neutral cleaner.  

• Allow the floor to dry completely before allowing traffic.  

• For areas that are more heavily soiled, follow the section “Heavily soiled areas” instructions in the “Initial Maintenance procedure” section.  

• To adjust the gloss level: follow the steps in the “Dry buffing” section.  

• Other option to adjust the gloss level without a high-speed rotary machine: Spray a diluted “spray buff floor finish” while using a swing machine (175 – 350 rpm) equipped with a white pad.  

2. Promptly address spots and spills.  

• All spills should be addressed as quickly as possible to avoid staining and slip/fall hazards.  

• Absorb wet spills and if necessary, use a neutral pH vinyl cleaner* and rinse with water.  

• Isopropyl alcohol or mineral spirits can be used for oil/grease (petroleum-based) and/or scuff marks.  

3. Remove scuffs.  

• Cleaning with an auto scrubber or spray buffing with a spray/buff solutions* using a low (175 rpm) machine and red pad will remove scuff marks. Agitation is the key to remove these marks.  

• A tennis ball placed on the end of a stick, such as a broom handle, can be used as a tool to remove scuff marks. This allows you to remove scuffs from a standing position on smaller areas. 

*There are many available cleaning and maintenance products for hard surfaces, especially resilient floors. These products should be evaluated since each location can have different requirements due to the type of soil, performance expectations and available maintenance equipment. Applying finishes will change the original product and the finish becomes the wear layer. The following are suggested products to assist the maintenance program: 

• Neutral Cleaners: Diversey STRIDE® or PROMINENCE®, Shaw TOTALCARE® Hard Surface Cleaner, Hilway Direct Neutral Cleaner  

• Spray and Buff: Diversey SNAPBACK® 

 

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE  

1. Care for newly installed floors. 

• Avoid heavy traffic for 24 hours.  

• Adhering tape to the surface of your resilient flooring could damage the surface.  
  Do not use tape to secure floor protection directly to the floor during construction or renovation. Instead, adhere tape to the material used to protect the floor and secure it to the base molding along the wall.  A material such as ram board can also be used to protect your flooring. 

• Proper furniture protection is required to prevent scratching and scuffing of LVT flooring. It is recommended to use industrial strength felt protection. These can be purchased from the following websites: www.1877floorguy.com, www.expandedtechnologies.com, www.flexifelt.com. 

• Moving heavy objects requires protective barriers to distribute the weight such as ram board to prevent damage to the wear layer.  

• Place chair pads underneath rolling chairs to prevent damage to the LVT flooring.  

• Remove adhesive residue with a clean white cloth dampened with odorless mineral spirits or isopropyl alcohol.  

• Only low moisture or damp mopping is recommended initially, if needed.  

• Wait 4 days before normal wet cleaning and/or auto scrubbing the floor.  

• Avoid direct sunlight on LVT flooring as it can cause fading and expansion of vinyl planks. Use window protection. 

• Surface temperature should not exceed 100F (38C) from sunlight, bed bug treatment, steam mop, etc, and temperatures should not fall below 55F (13C). Exposing product to temperatures outside the recommended range could cause expansion of vinyl planks. 

• Avoid using mop and shine products on resilient flooring. 

• Some disinfectants contain chemicals that can stain, discolor and cause general harm to your flooring product.  Quaternary Ammonium Salts are among those that have been found to be harmful to your flooring when used over time.  Take care to choose pH neutral products only.   

• Walk-off mats should be used at all entrances to absorb soil and moisture. If mats are placed directly on top of the resilient floors, use mats without latex or rubber backings to avoid possible discoloration. 

2. Identify and address all sources of soiling. 

• Maintain a clean exterior (parking lots and walk ways) where dirt enters the building.  

• Proper mats should have non-staining backing, use PVC backed matting. Use mats at entranceways, transition areas and special areas such as food service areas/restrooms to confine soil, oil, grease and high moisture areas.  

• Entrance mats keep soil and moisture outside. Two matting categories are:  

• Soil Removal – used at exterior entrances to remove soil from shoes  

• Absorbent mats – used inside to minimize moisture 

• Mats should cover at least 6 footsteps to capture soil transferring from shoes. Additional matting may be necessary during inclement weather. Include mats in the maintenance program and keep them clean. 

SUGGESTED FREQUENCY CHART FOR RESILIENT FLOOR CARE 

Traffic Level	Vacuum or Dust Mop	Spot Removal	Wet Mop or Auto-Scrub
Light  Private offices   Cubicles	2+ times per week	As needed	Wet Mop Weekly Scrub Quarterly
Moderate  Shared offices   Secondary hallways   Conference rooms   Classrooms	1 time per day	As needed	Wet Mop Daily Scrub Monthly
Heavy  Common entrances   Elevators   Main hallways   Break rooms   Work rooms   Mail rooms   Patient rooms   Waiting areas	1+ times per day	As needed	Wet Mop Daily Scrub Weekly

This chart represents a general guideline; identify and schedule your facility for specific conditions and frequencies.