Even with comprehensive daily and periodic cleaning procedures like vacuuming and cleaning with an auto scrubber, commercial hard flooring will eventually experience damage and begin to look worn.
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The top of your floor is covered with a finish to protect against wear and damage but over time will begin to accumulate dirt, scratches, and the other effects of foot traffic.
Floor finish wears down and daily and periodic procedures are no longer enough to restore your floor’s shine. When this happens, it is likely time to strip and finish your facility’s floor.
Pro Tip: A strip and finish is the process of removing old layers of wax and dirt from the floor, preparing it to be coated with new layers of finish.
Performing a strip and finish is time-consuming and expensive, but when performed properly it can revive your floor’s appearance and protect them from future damage.
However, there are several mistakes custodial staff often make when stripping the finish from commercial floors.
It is important to be aware of the most common mistakes so your staff can avoid rework and irreparable damage to hard floors.
In this article and video, we will review some of the most common mistakes custodial staff make when stripping floors.
1. Floor Is Not Compatible with Chemical
Floor strippers are extremely corrosive and can leave behind residue and damage floors if the floor substrate is not tolerant of the stripper being used.
Each floor substrate is different and will need to be compatible with the stripping product being used in order to not damage the floor.
For example, certain surfaces like granite, marble, linoleum, LVT (luxury vinyl tile) can be damaged by some floor stripping chemicals where VCT (vinyl composition tile) may not.
2. Improper Chemical Dilution
Floor strippers must be properly diluted with water before being used.
A common mistake custodial staff make involves assuming that “stronger” is always better. This is not the case with floor strippers. If the floor stripper is not diluted properly, it will be ineffective. It will not act faster or “better” by being diluted “stronger”, but rather make the stripping more difficult.
Improperly diluted chemicals can harm floors. For example, using too much chemical can permanently bleach floors.
Pro Tip: Use cool water when preparing the stripping solution. Using hot water can increase chemical odors and can decrease the effectiveness of the chemical.
On the other hand, too much water and too little chemical will be ineffective. If the chemical is overly diluted, the floor stripper will not work effectively and will require your staff to repeat floor stripping procedures.
The proper chemical dilution is also important for the health and safety of building occupants. The wrong chemical dilution can create caustic fumes and unhealthy amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Additionally, improperly diluted chemicals increase the risk of chemical burns and other related injuries.
Pro Tip: Always dilute to the manufacturers recommended levels. The proper chemical dilution can be found on the product container.
3. Not Enough Dwell Time
Without adequate dwell time, the stripping chemical will not have enough time to penetrate the top layers of floor finish making it harder to remove finish.
Pro Tip: Dwell time is the amount of time the product must remain wet on the surface for maximum efficacy. Different commercial cleaning chemicals require different dwell times based on the chemical formula and procedure.
Commercial floor strippers which are not used with the proper dwell time and removal process will not effectively remove finish, ultimately taking your staff longer to do the job and requiring more labor.
In most cases, the stripper needs to dwell for 10-15 minutes BEFORE any physical agitation (using a swing machine or auto scrubber) is applied, but may vary by manufacturer. Check the product label for recommended dwell times.
Warning: Be careful not to let the stripping solution dry on the floor. Apply more solution to areas that begin to dry before the recommended dwell time is achieved.
4. Floor Dries Before Chemical is Removed
On the other hand, if the stripper is left for too long and is allowed to dry, it has its own range of negative effects.
The most common reason floor stripper dries before being removed is because it is applied too thin. Floor stripper should be liberally applied to the area. If you notice that the stripper is beginning to dry before the recommended dwell time is achieved, it is important to add more.
An additional reason floor stripper dries before removal is because staff is attempting to cover too large of an area. As a result, the floor stripper is spread too far and too thin, allowing it to dry very quickly.
Pro Tip: Only strip an area that can be properly stripped within the next 20-25 minutes. When applying floor stripper, areas should be sectioned off in manageable working areas, typically 10ft x 10ft.
If the floor stripper dries on the floor it can cause damage to the floor, and it will require additional steps to remove.
5. Chemical Remains on Floor after Rinsing
The final step of stripping the finish from the floor requires rinsing the floor to remove all the slurry from the floor. There should be no chemical or other residue left on the floor after rinsing. This step is critical to the success of finishing procedures. If any residue remains on the floor, it can result in floor damage and a range of other problems.
Pro Tip: Floor strippers are very alkaline and will prohibit the finish from properly adhering to the floor during finishing procedures.
If staff applies finish before removing all residue, they will likely have trouble getting the finish to properly adhere to the floor. If this happens, staff will have to re-strip and finish the floor.
Leaving stripper and other residues behind can also cause the finish to yellow.
The best way to avoid these problems is to thoroughly rinse the floor. Check the floor by running your hand over the area. If there is white residue on your hand, there is remaining stripping residue on the floor.
You will need to rinse the floor again to remove all residue. Let the floor completely dry before beginning finishing procedures.
When stripping and refinishing your floor, you will revive floor appearance, protect the floor from future damage, and keep the floor more hygienic.
Before applying a floor stripping product to your floor, check to make sure your floor substrate is tolerant of the product. During the procedures, always follow manufacturer’s instructions for proper dilution, application, and dwell time for best results. Finally, before refinishing your floors make sure that all of the stripping product has been removed.
Imperial Dade locations have a large selection of commercial cleaning products and janitorial cleaning equipment to help you achieve best-in-class floor stripping results. If you’re located in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Caribbean, we’d love to help you with your floor care needs.
Fill out this form to have an Imperial Dade Specialist perform a free floor assessment. We’ll review your facility’s current floor cleaning protocols to ensure you are using the most cost-effective and labor-saving products and processes.
Flexible LED strip lights are used all over the world in various industrial, commercial and residential projects. LED strip lighting is popular among many Architects and Lighting Designers due to the improvements in efficiency, color options and brightness. The biggest draw is how easy they are to install. Their flexibility, low-profile and helpful accessories make them the most popular LED strip for the at home DIY types. With these LED strips, a homeowner can design like a professional with the right supplies and just an hour or two.
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There are many options for LED strip lights with no simple ‘one size fits all’ standard to go by. This LED Strip Resource Guide will educate newcomers and experts alike on finding the best LED strip lights for the job and how to use them while overcoming common installation hold-ups.
This Guide will educate newcomers and experts alike on finding the best LED strip lights for the job and how to use them while overcoming common installation hold-ups.
LED strip lights, also known as LED tape lights or LED ribbon lights, are known for their low-profile size and flexibility. Efficient LEDs sit on a 10mm wide circuit board, offered in 3ft to 16.4 ft lengths. Flexible LED strip lights have many features that make them easy to use in a variety of situations:
Cut-to-size – Cutting LED strips is very simple thanks to the cut lines along the strips. At each cut point there is a black line with copper solder pads that sit on each side. The copper solder pads make it so each strip piece is addressable even after being cut. This makes it possible to connect LED strips together or connect the strip in a different area of your home.
Flexible LED strip with Adhesive – The LED strips have a 3M adhesive backing for simple mounting options. The low profile, flexible strip has a peel-off backing which exposes the 3M adhesive, making for a simple peel-and-stick install.
Waterproof or Non-Waterproof – LED strip lights are not limited to indoor projects. The waterproof LED strip lights are IP65 rated with a silicone resin material that protects the strip components from dust and moisture. The waterproof LED lights are a little more expensive but are a must for any project that is outdoors or close to water.
12 volt LED lights – The LED strip lights need 12VDC power input to run. This will require an AC/DC transformer for in home use, but makes wiring the strips through the house a lot safer. Batteries also output DC power, so it is easy to make a battery powered LED light with these flex strips.
LED flex strips are great for all kinds of projects, but sometimes it is hard to know where to start. Follow this 7 step guide if you are stuck not knowing where to begin. The guide shows the various LED Strip options and and what to plan for in order to make your do-it-at-home LED strip lighting a complete success!
The density of an LED light strip means how many LEDs are in a set area. For LED flex strips, density is measured in ‘LEDs per Meter’. The Standard Density strip has 30 LEDs/M whereas the High-Density has 60 LEDs/M. A higher density strip equates to a higher quality, brighter light. The table below shows the differences between the standard and high density strips. Take note of the Lumen outputs as well as the differences in cut lengths and the max run length for each.
Density# of LEDsLumensWattageA Lumen is the measurement of brightness as perceived by the human eye. Thanks to incandescent lighting, most of us use watts to measure the brightness of a light. With LEDs, Lumens are the new standard to describe light output. Lumen output is one of the most important parts of choosing LED strip lights as it will determine the type of light you will receive.
Make sure to note how Lumens are tracked when comparing LED strips brightness . In the above table, strips are labeled as Lumens per Meter. In order to find total Lumen output just find how many Meters you will be running.
Lumen output is one of the most important parts of choosing LED strip lights as it will determine the type of light you will receive.
Different projects require certain amount of brightness to achieve their purpose. My advice would be to always go for the brighter option and add a dimmer. Below is a helpful guide on Lumen requirements:
LED strip color depends on personal preference. RGB LED strips are a good option for those that like some variety and color effects. RGB strip lights are color changing strips that are great for accent lighting all around the home. They use red, green and blue diodes so that they can be mixed to create many different colors. If you are using RGB strips just make sure you use a 3 channel controller from the dimming section of this guide.
There is an Ultra Violet (UV) version of the strips available. This is a great option for UV applications or for making your own black light!
The strips are also available in single colors of: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow and White (3000-6500K CCT).
CCT stands for Correlated Color Temperature which is the color temperature of light, measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The temperature rating of an LED strip directly affects what the light looks like. Look at the photos below for reference. Warm White is what we call 3000K which gives off an orange or yellowish appearance. As we increase degrees Kelvin the color changes from yellow to off white to natural white and then to bluish white which is known as Cool White.
So which color do I choose? Look at the below room with Warm White, Neutral White and Cool White Strips. Notice how color temperature of a strip light affects the look of the entire room? This totally depends on personal preference and the overall style and feel you want the room to give off.
Warm White creates an inviting, cozy area. It is generally used in rooms where everyone gathers to visit or relax (living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, etc.).
Neutral or Natural White creates a natural, daylight effect. This is the best selling strip as it mimics natural light and is comfortably used anywhere in the home. This is our most popular strip for under cabinet LED lighting.
Cool White complements contemporary and modern styles, casting a bright, fresh glow. Cool white is great for task lighting as it is a brighter, more focused light. The bright, cool colors are used the most in bathrooms, kitchens and work spaces.
It is best to outline your whole project to see how many feet of strip you will be using total. This gives you an idea of what to buy and the cost to do so. The LED strip lights are available in 3ft. increments all the way up to a full reel (16.4 ft.). It is important to find out if you want to purchase reel lengths and cut them down to size, or if it would be beneficial to have smaller lengths already cut for you.
At this stage, draw out your project. Plan where the strip lights are needed, how they will be connected, and if they will all come back to the same power supply or have separate power supplies. This step helps greatly as you progress through the next few steps.
What type of power do the LED strips need? The LED strips always need 12 volt DC input.
That is the easy part, the next step is finding the wattage. With the below chart, this should not be too terrible if you have already chosen your strip density and your total length.
If you are running more than one power supply just note the length of strip that will be running off each to find the power supply size you will need.
LED Power Supply Options:
This is where the sketch from before will come in handy to start considering where you will be running all the strips. Was the plan to run all the strips together in a long run? If your total length needed is over the maximum run length of the strip (32.8 ft. for SD and 16.4 ft. for HD) then you will need to run parallel wires from your power source to the separate strips.
As our sketch shows, sometimes you will want to power strips coming from different directions into one common power supply. In this instance you will already be running parallel wires.
Wiring LED strips when you are dealing with multiple reels of strips can be tough but we have a powering and wiring guide that you can follow to map out your LED strip light setup.
Wiring Accessories: LED Strip connectors and splitters
Connecting LED strips will be necessary for any strip project. We have some helpful accessories and guides to complete any LED strip connection.
Soldering wire and your own connections? Make sure to follow our soldering guide and our recommended wire for the strips is found here.
How to Connect LED Strips without soldering? Our EZ Click Strip Connectors work great for connecting strips end to end, running gaps in between LED strips or running around tight corners. Our full LED strip connector guide shows how to use these to make connections that will come in handy for any strip project.
How to connect multiple LED strips to one power source? LED strip splitters make it possible to plug multiple strips into one power supply with ease! Strip splitters are available with 2, 3 or 4 output channels.
LED strip lights are typically dimmed with in-line pulse width modulation dimmers. These dimmers go on the 12 volt side of the system and wire in between the strips like shown.
PWM dimmers are popular as they can work with any transformer or battery source, they do not need a power supply that is listed as dimmable. PWM dimming offers smooth control from the dimmest to brightest settings. They are affordable and easy to set up, making them the top option for dimming LED strip lights.
These simple dimmers are available in both WiFi and Remote Control options. The WiFi compatible dimmers work straight from a smartphone app and can be voice controlled with Google Home or Amazon Echo (Alexa) devices.
Some homeowners already have a central dimming system for their areas. In these cases, the owner wants to control the lights with the AC dimmers they already have in place. If you want to use an AC dimmer like this then you will need a dimmable power supply as described here.
RGB Controllers (WiFi / Remote / Bluetooth) – If you have a color changing RGB LED strip then you NEED a 3-channel RGB controller. These controllers control the Red, Green and Blue channels to mix colors and create the color changing effects of the strip. Without this unit, your RGB LED strips will not operate correctly so always remember to purchase one if you are using the Multicolor LED strips.
The adhesive on the LED strip lights is very helpful in mounting but sometimes there is more to be desired. As with most adhesives, it does not bond well with some surfaces and may need to be reinforced over time. In these situations, use one of the following:
Mounting track is another great option for those that want a professional finish. These aluminum extrusions house your light strips and have everything you need to mount. The LED strips adhere to the bottom of the track with a UV protected lens that slides over the top to diffuse the light.
Follow this guide to mount your LED strips properly!
Since this post has been written, we have come out with some very new LED strip tech called COB LED Strip lights. These light strips are very similar to the LED Strip lights we go over in this post with slight upgrades. The new strips eliminate hotspots on your LED Strip, delivering a smooth line of light and also run at 24V as they are brighter than even the high density 12V strips! Click below to learn more and see if these strips work better for you!
This is a lot of information for sure. If you are brand new to LED strips than your head is likely swirling with information and you are left with more questions. If this is the case ask yourself these simple starting questions which should help you work through the above guide to find the best LED strip lights and parts for you! If you still need some help feel free to use our LED Project Tool and our helpful Strip Tech Team will get you fitted with just the right LED Strips for you!
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