Hard-Surface Floors (Acrylic) Cleaning FAQ

Wear of any finish depends greatly on traffic, use and cleaning practices; an average lifespan is about one year.

Acrylic does have an odor during application, but it is generally mild and usually dissipates within a short period of time.

Acrylic finish is generally less expensive than other finishes. However, multiple coats may be necessary to achieve the level of gloss and level of protection you desire.

It may. However, most factory warranties do not cover scratching, wear and abrasion. If your floor has reached this stage, your best option is to protect it. Many factory finishes, like acrylic, will eventually wear out. You can most closely achieve that factory-type finish by applying a thin coat of acrylic. Refer to the manufacturer’s warranty.

Acrylic finishes that are scratched can often be spray buffed or burnished so that the scratch is either less noticeable or repaired altogether. In many cases, applying a thin coat over the scratch is helpful. Call your local ServiceMaster Clean professionals and let us repair the damaged area.

Furniture that is broken, in ill repair or not fitted with the proper floor protectors may damage the finish. Inspect all furniture before acrylic installation and apply proper protectors.

Preparation will depend upon the condition of the existing floor, the current number of coats, repairs required, etc. When applying an acrylic finish, stripping of the old finish is usually necessary. When that’s the case, finish removal plus the application of 3 coats of finish requires 1 hour for every 150 square feet of flooring. If a floor does not require stripping, it can generally be shower scrubbed, which is a procedure used for preparing a floor for receiving a new layer of finish. Once that has taken place, a floor can be recoated at anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 square feet per hour.

Unless your facility is open 24 hours, we can work after hours and the area worked on can be up and running the next business day. If your facility is open 24 hours every day, we can work with you to determine the least busy hours. During those hours we can come, cordon off traffic areas and work in such a manner to minimize disruption of your work environment.

Our acrylic finishes are non-yellowing.

All acrylic floor finishes can be damaged by highly alkaline products and alcohols such as the kind that you might see in hand sanitizers. If you must clean your floor yourself, we recommend using a neutral cleaning agent specifically recommended for cleaning acrylic floor finishes. We can provide more information on a suitable product.

Floors should definitely be cleaned when they appear to be dirty. It is good practice to clean floors before it gets to that level because the floor can accumulate many tiny abrasive particles that can scratch and mar its appearance. It is generally best to dry mop a floor with a microfiber cloth and then damp mop the floor with an appropriate cleaning solution to get up the soil.

Hard-surface floors treated with an acrylic finish can be walked on within an hour after the last coat was applied. We recommend allowing the floor to dry for 24 hours before allowing heavy traffic on it.

Our finish removal and floor preparation procedures are all done wet or damp to help minimize the generation of airborne dust.

Consider the cost of non-action. Any finish will enhance the appearance of your floor and provide protection as well. Acrylics provide shorter-term yet less expensive protection.

Leave the daily cleaning to the professionals at ServiceMaster Clean. We offer daily, weekly or monthly cleaning services for your facility. If you should choose to do some of the cleaning yourself, pre-clean the floor in order to get all of the particulate soils off the floor, such as dirt and sand, then mop the floor with a neutral cleansing agent and preferably a microfiber mop. Make sure to change the water and rinse the mop frequently to prevent the mop from leaving soil behind.

Yes, we ask that you remove breakables from the tops of furniture in the breakroom, lobby, conference room and other areas we will be cleaning. Pick up items from the floor such as rugs, plants, trash containers, recycle bins, file cabinets, chairs, etc. Vacuum or dust mop all debris found on your floors prior to your cleaning. If items are too large to move, consult with your technician.

Yes. We do not remove heavy items such as file cabinets, conference room tables, bookcases, lobby furniture, and large pieces of furniture. We recommend that you have any such items moved prior to your appointment date. If items are too large to move, consult with your technician.

Before you walk on your floors, it’s best to allow drying time of at least one hour. We recommend allowing 24 hours before walking on it with heavy traffic. Be cautious and protect floors from getting wet for 24 hours after the application of either finish as it is not thoroughly cured yet. You can return furniture to your floors (with the suggested use of felt pads) after 12 hours and return rugs to floors after 12 hours.