public school, interior wide gym with wood floor

After you've put the correct cleaning and protection supplies in place for regular day-to-day maintenance of a school gym floor, stripping and recoating will be the final piece of the maintenance puzzle. Most schools tackle this job once a year, but some schools try to push it to every other year. Other schools strip and recoat their floors twice a year, during summer and winter breaks.

According to an article from California-based jan/san distributor Waxie, knowing your floor is the key to the refinishing process.

It's important to know how much area will be refinished. Varying finishes alongside individual application techniques can have certain finishes cover anywhere from 200 to 800 square feet per gallon.

Preparation also is key. Know where you will start with the finish and where you will end. Do not block yourself in. Any access points to the floor should be taped off, locked or blocked. Bring all the product and tools necessary for the job to one central location.

Check the weather. Most finishes have instructions that say allow a specific amount of dry time between coats but humidity and temperature can affect the dry time.

Have a team in place. It is important to have properly trained staff that can assist you in the scrubbing and preparation, application, and setup / clean up.

Finally, allow for cure time. You can walk on a dry court but you can bring out the balls and the running on a cured court. This can vary anywhere from 24 hours to five days.

Read the full article here.