Step 1.
Please read these guide notes in full before you begin, paying particular attention to the safety notes at the end. Please read the safety notes on the bottles of solutions and follow these carefully. For the sake of your knees, use knee pads or a kneeling mat and ventilate the area well.
Step 2.
Make sure that all dust is swept off the floor and any residue from carpets (adhesives or rubber underlay) is scraped off.
If there are paint splashes from previous decorating, these should be removed using a liquid (not a gel) paint stripper, e.g. Nitromors Craftsman in the yellow can, with some medium grade wire wool. Make sure you wear heavy rubber gloves, and if you get any paint stripper on your skin, wash it off immediately (read the safety instructions on the can).
Step 3.
Now for the first clean. We suggest that you clean approximately 1 square metre of floor at a time, as you do not want to be kneeling in the chemical solution. Wear the rubber gloves.
Put a small amount of the KF Tile Restorer in the bucket provided. Dilute this with 10 parts water. Using the scouring pad, wet the area generously with the solution and leave for at least 10 minutes, checking that the floor surface does not dry out. After 10 to 20 minutes, start scrubbing. If the floor is particularly dirty, you may need to increase the strength of the solution, but never use it neat, always at least 5 parts water to 1 of Restorer.
Once you have given the whole area a good scrub, rinse off with plenty of clean water, lifting as much of the dirty water off as possible, with a cloth or sponge mop. If any “foamy” areas are apparent (particularly at the tile joints), rinse again. If the area still looks dirty, repeat the process. If any tiles are so worn that the surface is “dished”, give them an extra clean, as the worn surface tends to hold the dirt.
Step 4.
Once the whole floor has been cleaned, give it a final rinse to make sure that all residues are removed and allow it to dry. In warm dry weather, the floor may dry in an hour or so, but in cold damp weather, this may take several days. Do not try and seal the floor until it is completely dry. If you do have to leave the floor a few days, try to protect the surface from dirty footprints, but do not use a plastic sheet or newspaper.
To apply the sealer (HG Golvpolish), pour a small amount onto the floor and, using a fluff free cloth, wipe this over the surface in straight lines (not with a circular motion). You do not want to flood the surface – wipe the sealer well out just wetting the tiles. Incidentally, although the label of the bottle shows the Golvpolish being applied with a roller, we recommend using a cloth, as this gives a better finish.
When you have applied one coat to the whole floor, and it has dried (the first coat will dry very quickly), apply a second coat, but this time wipe in straight lines at 90 degrees to the first coat. This will help reduce smearing.
3 coats may be enough, and if you have a slight sheen over the whole surface you can stop there. If the sheen is still patchy, or you would like a little more sheen, apply more coats to your own satisfaction.
Once your floor is cleaned and sealed, it will only need an occasional mop over every 2 weeks or so. Do not use strong domestic floor cleaners (e.g. Flash) as these can attack the seal. We recommend that you use HG Superfloor maintenance cleaner in your washing water, as this helps protect the finish. If you can’t get Superfloor, then just use clean water.
You may find that after 6 to 12 months, the sheen may fade where it is walked on most. You can top up the sheen with another coat of HG Golvpolish.
Following the guidelines above should leave your floor looking very good. Some problems that we have encountered, and how we overcame them are:
Patent floor polishes. Over the last hundred years some strange floor polishes have been used that can be quite difficult to remove. If the cleaning process does not seem to be getting through to the tiles, try going over the area again with paint stripper and wire wool, as Step 2 above. Then clean again.
White tiles that have been covered with carpet for many years may be difficult to clean up. Try using an acid based cleaner (HG Extra or a patio cleaner). Always use some more KF Tile Restorer after using an acid based cleaner, as this will neutralise any acid residues.
Please remember that some of these chemicals are very strong
and can cause
burns if used incorrectly.
Always read the instructions on the containers carefully.
Wear the gloves and overalls or old clothes.
Do not kneel in wet chemical solutions.
Always wash chemicals off the skin immediately.
Keep children and pets away from the area when you are working on it.
Always store chemicals in their original bottles and secure from children.