FLOOR CARE
WALL CHARTS
pH Principals

TILE COMPOSITION
Identification
Non-Resilient Tile:
Clay, Concrete, Magnesite, Marble, Slate, Stone, Terrazzo, Travertine
Resilient Tile:
Asphalt, Cork, Linoleum,  Rubber, Vinyl, Vinyl Composition, Wood

PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY
Floor Finishes
Floor Sealers
Sealer/ Finishes
Strippers
Maintainers
Cleaners
Systems

PROCEDURES
Floor Care Life Cycle
Dry Cleaning
Damp Mopping
Wet Mopping
Automatic Scrubbing
Stripping
Sealing and Finishing
Top Scrubbing
Spray Buffing
Burnishing
Restoring

REFERENCE MATERIAL
Trouble Shooting Guide
Glossary & Terminology
Helpful Hints

CARPET CARE
RESTROOM CARE
EARTH-GARD

TROUBLE SHOOTING GUIDE

Proper solutions to floor problems start with correct investigation of the problem.

    1. Be a good listener.
    2. Write down the facts as they are related or observed.
    3. Go over the problem as many times as necessary until you understand the whole problem.
    4. Follow directions outlined for correcting individual problems.

PROBLEM

POSSIBLE CAUSE

REMEDY
Powdering
  • Poor Adhesion (Bond)
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  • Temporary - Apply 2 coats of finish until such time as the following steps can be taken, strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish.
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  • Harsh Buffing
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  • Sweep and damp mop. Re-apply finish. Reduce aggressiveness of buffing pad.
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  • Finish applied over softer finish, detergent, salt, or oil residue.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish.
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  • Film applied too thin, dried too fast or on cold floor.
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  • Use medium coats, reduce air flow and never apply to floors below 50°F.
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  • Old, frozen or bacterially contaminated finish.
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  • Strip and replace with good finish.
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  • Sand or grit trackage
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  • Install mats at entranceways, sweep more frequently, switch to wax if necessary.
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  • Floor too soft, flexing of floor under traffic. (Spongeback floors or sports floors).
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  • Use less finish or change to softer finish.
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    Poor Gloss
  • Not enough material on floor.
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  • Surface scrub, rinse and apply additional coats of material. Use higher solids product.
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  • Buffing medium to harsh.
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  • Use less aggressive pads.
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  • Sand and grit trackage grinding off finish.
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  • Prevent grit from being tracked over finish.
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  • Improper cleaner dilution or wrong daily cleaner used.
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  • Use approved cleaner only. Always measure detergent. More is not better.
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  • Thin coats of finish applied
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  • Apply in medium coats. Don’t wring out mop.
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  • Very Porous Floor
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  • Apply more coats of finish, or use undercoater.
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  • Dirty or contaminated equipment used.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish, using clean equipment.
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    Scuff Marks
  • Soap scum, oil or detergent residue.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish. Check for source of problem and eliminate.
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  • Finish too soft for traffic.
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  • Harder polymer should be used.
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  • Contamination of finish when applied.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish using clean equipment.
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  • Radiant heat.
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  • Wax may be in use when a polymer should be or use a harder finish.
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    Scratching
  • Excess dirt and grit on floor.
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  • Dust mop frequently, vacuum entry mats and runners more often.
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  • Buffing to harsh.
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  • Use less aggressive floor pads.
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  • Not enough scrubbing, buffing or burnishing.
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  • Set up a program of proper daily cleaning, frequent scrubbing, restoration and recoating.
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    Yellowing or Darkening
  • Yellowing of finish due to oxidation of polymer.
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  • Switch to finish that does not yellow with age.
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  • Yellowing due to migration of plasticizer from vinyl or rubber mats.
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  • Thoroughly strip to remove all finish. Then scrub a 1 to 1 solution of household bleach with bristle brush or red pad. Rinse thoroughly. Repeat until stain is removed. When dry, seal and refinish. Change to a tested mat that won’t stain.
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  • Yellowing or darkening of rubber floors due to UV from florescent lights, sunlight or highly alkaline cleaners.
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  • Repeat above procedure using nylon scrub pad or black strip pad for agitation with bleach. Use 2 coats of seal and 2 to 4 coats of finish.
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  • Apply floor finish over dirty floor.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish.
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  • Darkening due to burnishing or restoring prior to proper cleaning.
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  • Always dust mop and auto scrub floor prior to burnishing or restoring.
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  • Applying floor finish with dirty mops.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish with clean mop.
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  • Damp mopping with dirty water leaving dirt which can be buffed into finish.
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  • When damp mopping, change water frequently.
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    Streaky Appearance
  • Previous coat not dry before applying the next.
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  • Burnish. If appearance still poor, scrub, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply. Always allow adequate dry time between coats.
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  • Too many coats applied in one day.
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  • Limit the number of coats applied in one day to 4, for additional coats wait 24 to 48 hours.
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  • Contaminated finish poured back into drum.
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  • Dispose of contaminated product. Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply. Don’t use left over finish unless placed in separate container and sealed.
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  • Finish has been frozen or stored in extreme heat.
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  • Dispose of damaged product. Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply new finish.
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  • Floor not properly rinsed before coating.
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  • Rinse floor after scrubbing or stripping, before applying floor finish.
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  • Finish applied too thin.
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  • Burnish. If necessary, scrub, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply medium coat.
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  • Use of cotton mop heads that have not had sizing removed.
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  • Soak new cotton mop heads prior to first use for mopping or applying floor finish. 24 oz. Rayon mop heads are recommenced for finish application.
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  • Oil treated dust mop run over floor prior to finish application.
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  • Do not dust mop after scrubbing and rinsing and prior to finish application.
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    Slippery Floors

    Initial application
  • Contamination of finish with wax from mop or bucket or with oil residual from cheap cleaners.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply new material with clean equipment.
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  • Radiant heated floors.
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  • Do not use floor wax. Use polymer finish only.
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  • Insufficient material on floor.
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  • Apply one or two more coats of finish.
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    After Application
  • Trackage of oil, water, soap scum, wax, dust, dirt, grit or powder residue from burnishing.
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  • Determine cause and eliminate through dust mopping, damp or wet mopping vacuuming or extracting walk off mats.
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  • Aerosol over spray of silicone based products or trackage of roach and bug sprays.
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  • Scrub floor thoroughly to remove, rinse, and re-apply one medium coat of finish.
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  • Ice melting compound trackage.
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  • Clean contaminated areas with clean water and reduce amount of ice melting compound used outside. Use adequate mats and runners.
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    Black Marking
  • Insufficient material on floor.
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  • Scrub, rinse, and apply additional coats of finish.
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  • Incorrect procedures being used.
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  • Set up a program of proper daily cleaning, frequent scrubbing, restoration and recoating.
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  • Asphalt or black top dressing trackage.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish. Use adequate walk off mats and runners at entrances.
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  • Finish being worn away thorough use of highly alkaline cleaners or overly aggressive buffing pads.
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish to affected areas. Use proper daily floor cleaner and/or less aggressive buffing pads.
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    Salt
    (Contamination of finish, whitening or curd formation.)
  • Magnesite floor (salt in floor).
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  • Strip with non soap stripper, rinse thoroughly, seal with salt resistant product (Super Gard or Accolade) and apply 2 to 4 coats of finish.
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  • Ice and snow removers.
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  • Dry vacuum, flood rinse with clear, warm water. Pick up with wet vac. If whitening remains, strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply floor finish.
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    Bleeding Floor
  • Alkaline residue from stripping or damp mopping.
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  • Strip, rinse with clear water, rinse with mild acid solution (1 part vinegar to 1 part water), rinse with clear water again, seal and refinish.
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  • Colored pigments removed by abrasion from coarse stripping or scrubbing.
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  • Reduce aggressiveness of floor pads.
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    Poor Lay Down/Leveling
  • Floor not properly prepared. Old finish or stripper residue remains
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  • Re-strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply floor finish.
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  • Sizing not removed from cotton mops.
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  • Soak new cotton mops thoroughly to remove sizing or use rayon mops.
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  • Dirty equipment used in preparation and application
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  • Strip, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish using clean equipment.
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  • Over applying leaves streaks and puddles. Under applying dries too fast and streaks.
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  • Deep scrub or strip, rinse thoroughly, and re-apply finish. Apply medium coats through better control of wet mop.
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    Poor Finish Removability
  • Excessive build-up of old floor finish.
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  • Repeated stripping operations and longer dwell time may be required. Or, use a more concentrated stripping solution.
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  • Aged or burnished film.
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  • Additional wetting time should be allowed. Or use a more concentrated stripping solution.
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  • Pads butter or load up due to excessive build up of old finish.
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  • Allow longer dwell time, rewet with stripper, then remove swollen finish with squeegee. Pick up with scoop shovel. Then re-apply stripper and scrub with stripping pad.
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  • Incorrect pads used for stripping.
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  • Use more aggressive floor pad.
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  • Cleaner or degreaser used to strip floor.
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  • Use only appropriate stripper for complete removal of finish.
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    Whitening of Finish
  • Stripper not efficient enough to completely remove all finish.
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  • Use a more concentrated stripping solution and allow extended contact time, do not allow to dry.
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  • Alkali residual on floor picked up in finish upon application.
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  • Strip, neutralize floor with vinegar, rinse thoroughly and re-apply finish.
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  • Salt residual or salt floor.
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  • See "Salt" problems for cure.
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    Whitening of Floor
  • Harsh alkaline cleaner causes bleeding of color and eventual whitening of floor.
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  • Use a lower pH cleaner. Restore asphalt floor with harsh scrubbing rinse, then buff in a wet coat of seal before floor dries and re-apply finish.
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  • Too harsh a scrubbing pad causes a roughing of the surface and/or exposes the sand in asphalt and V.C. giving the floor a white look.
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  • Reduce the abrasiveness of the pad to hone the floor smooth and apply several coats of finish.
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  • Whitening caused by moisture from under the floor.
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  • Replace floor with a breather type floor so moisture can escape.
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  • Dark floors show whitening in traffic lanes when not properly maintained.
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  • Scrub, rinse thoroughly and re-apply adequate floor finish. Set up proper daily maintenance program.
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    Flooring Cupping
  • Excessive moisture.
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  • Determine source of moisture. If from over flooding in cleaning, eliminate it. If from the ground use a breather floor.
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  • Heat from buffing with carpet or lambs wool causes tile to expand and cup.
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  • Relay tiles and eliminate buffing medium.
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  • Laying tile in cold condition then, when building warms up, tile expands and cups.
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  • Relay tiles when building is warm.
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    Furniture Sticks to Floor
  • Furniture replaced before freshly applied finish has time to cure.
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  • Allow longer time for finish to cure. In high humidity this may require several days.
  • NOTE: To release stuck furniture DO NOT lift straight up. Tap legs near the floor, hitting in a horizontal direction.
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    Mop Drag
  • Recoating too soon.
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  • Allow longer dry time between coats.
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  • Higher than normal humidity.
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  • Allow longer dry time between coats.
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    Long Drying Time
  • Low temperature
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  • Apply finish at close to normal temperature 70°F.
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  • Application too heavy
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  • Apply in medium coats.
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  • High humidity
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  • After the first 10 minutes properly ventilate area. Do not aim fans directly at floor.
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    Tacky or Sticky Film
  • Mopping floor with improperly diluted disinfectant cleaner.
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  • Follow directions on label and carefully measure disinfectant cleaner.
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    Cleaning Technologies Group,  One Fuller Way,  PO Box 1247,  Great Bend, KS 67530
    Phone: 620-792-1711   Fax: 800-848-4901   Email: ctginfo@cpac.com
    Technical Service: 800-810-4829       Customer Service: 800-848-4901
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