Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning
Many classic restaurants and fancy eateries have beautiful hardwood floors or parquet floors. Even if a wooden floor will require a bit more cleaning and maintenance, it can make the whole place feel welcoming and cozy. The misconception that a wooden floor is not suitable for the food serving industry comes from people that don’t clean their wooden floors regularly or they use the wrong cleaning products to clean it. But a well maintained and sealed wooden floor will make your restaurant look classic and it will create that luxury feeling.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Issues
Like any other type of floor, wooden floor has its advantages and its disadvantages. The main issue with wooden floors is its high absorbency if left unsealed. Naturally, the wood is likely to absorb liquids and dirt. You can dramatically reduce its absorbency by making sure that your hardwood floor or engineered floor has an unbroken protective coat over it. Also, wooden floors and water is not a great combination. A wood floor oversoaked with water will show water damage and discolouration over time. Many restaurant owners or their cleaning staff may regularly clean the wood floors with a mop and a bucket and will soak the wood floor. By doing so you will force the wood to expand and retract a lot and over time the floor will start moving around and creating squeaky noises. The wooden floors are also likely to scratch a lot. Even the most durable sealer is likely to get damaged when a 50-80 kg person moves a chair up and down on it. You can easily sort out that problem by installing protective covers on your chairs and tables. Unsuitable and highly alkaline cleaning products can also cause damage to wooden floors. So you need to make sure that whatever cleaning products you plan to use are “wood safe”. Poor ventilation and high air humidity is another factor that can affect your wooden floors. Unventilated restaurants that are maintaining a constant level of air humidity can negatively impact your wooden floors.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Advantages
A solid wooden floor can be restored many times without affecting the thickness of the floor. You can sand and stain your wooden floors in whatever color is trending at that particular time. A wooden floor enhances the look and feel of the premises, it is easy to clean and it is also a great insulator. Wooden floors are timeless and classic and never go out of fashion like other types of commercial floors.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Case Study
A customer contacted us a few weeks back trying to find a solution to wooden floors which were always slippery. They told us that the wooden floor is being washed every day with proper wood floor cleaning detergents but whatever they do, the floor seems to be getting dirtier and dirtier and as it is slippery it is dangerous to use. They have asked Floor Cleaning Dublin to assess the floor and try to find a solution. Within 24 hours, we had inspected the floor and of course, a solution was proposed.
Unsealed Wood Floor : The main issue with this wooden floor was the fact that the old sealant had cracked and it was absorbing residue. Basically, all the water from the mop was fully absorbed by the floor and stored right at the bottom of it. This issue was getting very serious because the water from the floor was causing an “old damp smell” all over the restaurant.
Greasy Wood Floors : Another serious issue was the fact that the staff were walking on the kitchen floor and then directly on the wooden floors. A lot of grease and residue from the kitchen was being moved around. Over time, the wooden floor had developed a thick coat of black fat that has made that beautiful parquet floor looking all patchy and dull. Also very slippery.
Dirty Mop Head : While the restaurant owners have done all they could to wash the floor with quality wood floor cleaners, they were using the same mop head to wash toilet floors, the main kitchen floor and of course, the restaurant floor. Basically, the dirt was just moved around the restaurant floors from one area to the other areas.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | The Solution
We proposed a plan to remedy these issues. We sent a free, no obligation estimate. The customer was happy to accept it and start the project. We started by degreasing the wooden floor. Years of grease and fat that were impregnated inside the wooden floors were as hard as a thick coat of lacquer. We used a pre-spray solution to soften up and help dissolve the dirt. The main wood floor cleaner used was Carver Deter Parquet with a hint of Cleanfast Shift Degreaser and a bit of Cleanfast Floor Cleaner. These three products combined together have incredible cleaning power. The results were visible nearly instantly. Within a few seconds of direct contact with the wooden floor, the black dots and all the impregnated grease marks were dissolving. To accelerate the process, we have agitated the floor with a low speed floor buffer and a blue floor pad. The level of grease deposited inside the floor was incredible. The whole floor had turned black and brown. Then we used a wet vac to extract the waste and get rid of pretty much all liquids. The floor has transformed in a matter of minutes. While the floor did not look new, it did look spotless. The trick is to use as little water as possible otherwise you can easily cause permanent damage.
By removing the thick layer of fat we have only sorted out half the issue. Within a few washes the dirt will be back again. So we had to make a plan for sealing and polishing the wooden floor to reduce its absorption and seal all the pores. Nothing works better than the new Carver Pronto Wood Floor Polish. This product can turn back the clock and restore old and damaged wooden floors in no time.
The floor was dried with a number of powerful air blowers to remove most of the water used to clean it and degrease it & then the whole surface was primed. A primer is like a coat of wood floor polish without any protective qualities. Its main job is to level up imperfections and create a perfect base for further coating. The floor can be sealed without a primer but it might not end up as smooth as a wooden floor that was primed before polishing. The primer dried within 30 min and then we have prepared for polishing. We use Concept Microfiber flat mopping systems & Concept Microfiber Flat Mop Heads. Achieving a streak free finish on wooden floors is not easy at all but using a proper quality flat mopping system is definitely a step in the right direction.
Carver Pronto Wood Floor Polish can be successfully applied over all kinds of wooden surfaces sealed with a water based or a solvent based lacquer/varnish. The first coat of floor polish has to be applied generously from north to south or going along with the fiber of the wood. It should take 30 min for the first coat of wood floor polish to dry and penetrate the wood. While the floor polish is wet, it might not look too glossy, but we have another step to do before applying the last coat. Buffing. The floor will be buffed with a high speed floor burnisher and a white pad. By doing so, we will heat the wood floor polish and we will reduce the wood floor porosity so the next coat of wood floor polish will not be able to penetrate the wood.
Same process will apply for the second coat and within 30 min it should be ready for burnishing. By now the floor should not look patchy any longer and a nice coat of wood floor polish should cover the old and worn areas. Remember, there are a number of wood floor polishes available from Carver, Bona, Tover & Cleanfast. Each one looks different and each one will create a different level of sheen on the floor. While some customers are looking for a very glossy finish, others are after a matt or semi matt finish. A high traffic restaurant floor should not be polished to a very high gloss finish to avoid becoming too slippery and also to prevent easy scratches.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Costs
Deep cleaning and polishing wooden floors will cost alot less than sanding and revarnishing. Of course, by sanding an old and worn wooden floor you will achieve better results, but in many cases this option is not suitable or easy to achieve. Floor polishing takes less time, it can be done more often & in some cases it maintains the “old” look of the wooden floor. Some fancy restaurants have a classic feeling and a new looking floor might not be what they want.
The final cost for restaurant wood floor cleaning and polishing will depend on the condition of the floor, the size of the floor and the finish required. Some wooden floors might look varnished but it could be sealed with a floor oil or a hard wax oil. Anyway, Floor Cleaning Dublin will provide a free no obligation estimate.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Expectations
Cleaning the wooden floor will not get rid of deep scratches or water damage. By cleaning the floor you will have your floor degreased and deep cleaned. Whatever is dirt is likely to come off while whatever is damage to the wood itself is likely to be still there after the floor was cleaned. Some semi solid or engineered wooden floors can only be sanded and restored a limited number of times so you would be better off having those floors regularly cleaned and polished to prevent permanent damage to the surface. Your floor will only look as new if the sealant is still intact and the humidity has not reached the wood. Otherwise it will look clean but with some imperfections.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Maintenance
Your newly cleaned and polished wooden floor will only stay clean if you use proper wood floor cleaners and maintainers. From time to time use a decent degreaser to deep clean the floor and for daily cleaning use a proper wood floor cleaner. We can recommend Carver Deter Parquet, Tover Pullito or Bona Wood Floor Cleaner. Each product is amazing in its own way.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning | Why Floor Cleaning Dublin
While there are a number of professional wood floor cleaning companies out there, none of them provide the same level of service, same approach or the same results. Floor Cleaning Dublin has completed thousands of wood floor cleaning projects over the years and all our staff are fully trained and highly qualified. We are happy to deal with complex and difficult projects and we are happy to provide our customers with an accurate step by step plan. Floor Cleaning Dublin only uses top of the range wood floor cleaning products and premium quality sealers. We can work with pretty much all types of wooden floors, varnished or oiled. Free no obligation estimates guaranteed. Floor Cleaning Dublin is happy to deal with small residential wood floor cleaning projects and also with large commercial wood floor cleaning projects. Call us or email us today.
Restaurant Floor Cleaning | Wood Floor Cleaning |
