Education Market Solutions: Wood Sanding Solutions

Gymnasium floors offer some of the greatest challenges for facility managers and their staffs. If your job is to make sure your facility looks good, you can rely on 3M to help you. We manufacture top-quality sanding screens and non-woven abrasive pads for refinishing your wood gymnasium floors and racquetball courts at schools or sports facilities. 3M's screen-like discs feature silicone carbide material and strong synthetic fibers that provide excellent durability and performance while the uniform, open-screen construction helps reduce loading. 3M also pioneered the use of the Scotch-Brite™ Surface Preparation Pad System for water borne floor finishes used in sports floor applications. More important, we offer extensive technical support to help you implement 3M systems at your facility to help you get excellent results. If you are planning on refinishing your wood floors this summer, use 3M™ Sanding Screens or  Scotch-Brite™ Surface Preparation Pads and follow the subsequent steps for beautiful and resilient floors.

LIGHT REFINISH SYSTEM FOR WOOD FLOORS
Commonly called Screen and Re-coat

STEPS TO REFINISHING WOOD FLOORS

STEP 1: Clean the floor with appropriate floor cleaner to rid gum, black heel marks and other foreign articles.

Step 2: Read finish manufacturer's label to obtain recommended 3M™ Sanding Screen grit or Scotch-Brite™ Surface Preparation Pad System to use on oil based polyurethane or water based urethane coatings.

Step 3: Use an ordinary rotary or rectangular floor machine equipped with a Scotch-Brite™ Driving Pad.
Place appropriate 3M™ Sanding Screen grit or Scotch-Brite™ Surface Preparation Pad as recommended by the finish manufacturer under the driving pad.
Note: Any warped or cupped boards indicate a potential water problem. One should contact a reputable gym floor sander to investigate the problem before proceeding. If flooring contractor is not known in your region call the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association (847/480-9138), fax 847/480-9282, or e-mail mfma@maplefloor.org.

Step 4: Run the 3M™ Sanding Screen or Scotch-Brite™ Surface Preparation Pad dry to scuff the gym floor finish. Be careful not to remove court-marking lines.

Step 5: Remove the dry residue by vacuuming.

Step 6: Tack-clean the floor to remove all fine dust.

Step 7: Apply new floor finish** following finish manufacturer's instructions.

** The two general types of floor finishing coatings used are: oil based and water based polyurethane. Each type of finish has its advantages. Discuss your selection with your janitorial supply distributor who can help you determine which type of finish will give you the greatest satisfaction.