Start with wood, finish with Blanchon How to keep your wood floor looking beautiful? maintenance guide
Your wood floor deserves the best possible maintenance... You have selected a Blanchon product to protect your wood floor and we would like to thank you for choosing us. You now have the benefits of a hard-wearing floor with all the natural beauty of wood and an easier maintenance. For almost 60 years now, Blanchon has been designing and manufacturing wood protection and decoration products: not only lacquers but also waxes, oils, varnishes, patinas and exterior wood stains... And for almost 60 years, Blanchon's laboratories have been carrying out major research alongside specialists in the wood flooring industry to develop high-performance maintenance products which respect the nature of wood. For a simple way of keeping your wood floor looking beautiful, we would like to give you some advice and information on maintenance products specially designed to the floor you have chosen. Whether it is lacquered, waxed or oiled, Blanchon offers an effective maintenance solution for every type of wood floor (or even laminated floors): a guarantee for beautiful, hard-wearing wood.
... Here are some guidelines from Blanchon, the specialist in beauty for wood floors. Few precautions... page 4 REGULAR CLEANING The easiest way to clean any wood floor in a jiffy page 5 LACQUERED WOOD FLOORS How to keep your wood floor looking like new? page 6 How to remove stubborn dirt and stains? page 6 Easy maintenance and protection page 7 WAXED WOOD FLOORS How to get the shine back into your wood floor? page 8 Routine maintenance page 8 OILED WOOD FLOORS How to clean your oiled wood floor? page 9 How to maintain and refinish your oiled wood floor? page 9 Oiled wood floors and the environment page 10 LAMINATED FLOORS How to keep your laminated floor spotlessly clean? page 11 WOOD AND COMPOSITE MATERIAL DECKING How to avoid ingrained atmospheric dirt and how to remove grease stains? page 12 OUR VALUES page 13 ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE page 14-15
4 Few precautions... It is important to allow the lacquer (or a penetrating product like oil or wax) to harden right through i.e. fully cure during 10 days following the application. To achieve this, we advise you not to wet the floor but to simply sweep or vacuum it. In addition, you should put felt or leather guards under chair legs and pieces of furniture. Wait 8 to 10 days before putting any rugs back down. To prevent from scratches, place a doormat at the entrance to retain dust and grit. Use a vacuum cleaner for routine cleaning. Never wash your wooden floor using a large amount of water. Do not use strong detergents or products containing ammonia, abrasives or silicone. Remove stubborn stains with a damp sponge and a neutral detergent.
The easiest way to clean any wood floor* in a jiffy. Are you looking for a fast way to remove the marks left by day-to-day wear without placing the room off limits for any length of time? Now it's simple, thanks to Lagoon, the new cleaning solution developed by Blanchon. Just spray the products a few times directly onto the floor and wipe with the special micro-fibre brush. No rinsing is required, and your wood floor is left clean once again, without any marks. Lagoon is an odour-free, non-slip solution, which can be used on lacquered or oiled wood floors (whether finished on site or pre-finished ones in the factory), and also on laminated and vinyl floors. REGULAR CLEANING Even more convenient: Lagoon is now available in kit form, comprising a spray Lagoon and a microfiber mop. *For varnished wood floors & oiled wood floors Not suitable on waxed wooden flooring 5
LACQUERED WOOD FLOORS How to keep your wood floor looking like new? Your wood floor has a matt, natural-wax, rough-wood or invisible-effect finish? Use Métamat. If you have chosen a gloss or silkmatt floor, use Protector instead. Both products will give your floor a genuine protective coat and they will keep your wood floor looking as good as new. They are also recommended for use in high-traffic areas such as entrances, lounges etc. They should be used neat (1L for one coat on 40 sqm) and applied with a micro-fibre mop, a sponge mop or a clean cotton cloth: apply one or two coats onto a lacquered wood floor which has been damp mopped. They are silicone-free and slip resistant. How to remove stubborn dirt and stains? Heavy Duty Cleaner can clean the most stubborn stains. It is applied using a damp sponge or cloth which has been well wrung out. It can also be used to clean varnished surfaces before applying a protective coat of Protector or Métamat (0.5L diluted in 10 litres of water followed by rinsing with a floorcloth or a damp sponge). It also removes any build-up of Protector or Métamat which may occur after several years of maintenance for instance (1 or 2 litres diluted in 10 litres of water). 6
Easy maintenance and protection For routine maintenance on your lacquered wood floor, Blanchon offer two easy-to-use products which respect the nature of the wood. Daily Cleaner Easy to use and economical, this mild soap is perfect for regular cleaning and it revives the effect of Protector or Métamat. Daily Cleaner is used diluted (2 glasses to 10 litres of water) and applied with a damp sponge-mop or cloth. No need to rinse. LACQUERED WOOD FLOORS Maintenance Ideal for routine maintenance on lacquered wood floors as well as laminated, melamine or plastic floors: it cleans and keeps them looking as good as new. Maintenance is silicone free and slip resistant. It is particularly suitable for maintaining matt, natural-wax, rough-wood and invisible-effect finishes. 7
WAXED WOOD FLOORS How to get the shine back into your wood floor? To get the warmth back into your waxed floor, we advise you to polish it regularly with a lambswool cloth (or a buffing machine fitted with a white or beige pad). However, Professional Floor Polish should occasionally be applied before the protective coat has worn away. It is a high-quality polish thanks to its high content of top-grade waxes. It s revitalize waxed wood floors, it makes them as bright as new and besides, it is easy to apply: spread a little polish evenly over the floor and polish when dry. Routine Maintenance To keep the shine on your wood floor, all you need to do is polish. Do not wait for it to show signs of wear and tear: treat regularly with Liquid Wax. This will reinforce the protection and the shine of your wood floor. It is available in 2 shades, colourless and natural, it enables fast maintenance and has a pleasant fragrance. 8
How to clean your oiled wood floor? Natural Soap for Oiled Wood Floors is a 100% plant based product 100% enriched with natural oils, which makes it ideal for frequent cleaning of all oiled wood floors. It preserves and enhances their natural-looking finish. It should be diluted (about 1 glass to 5 litres of water) and applied with a damp floorcloth, micro-fibre mop or sponge mop: mops or cloths should be well wrung out to avoid getting the wood floor too wet. Rinse the mop or cloth regularly during cleaning. Available in colourless and white. ORIGIN NATURAL OILED WOOD FLOORS How to maintain and refinish your oiled wood floor? After careful cleaning as described above and light sanding of local marks if necessary (with very fine grade sand paper), apply a thin coat of the Maintenance Oil, with a cotton cloth or brush applicator, always in the direction of the grain, taking care not to apply it too thickly, and let it dry. To even the finish on your oiled wood floor, it can be polished during the application with a polishing machine fitted with a beige or white pad (or a white cotton cloth). Allow to dry before reusing the area. Choose the right colour for your oiled wood floor: Natural for light coloured or non stained wood, White for white or grey oiled wood floors, Oak for tropical wood or dark coloured oiled wooden floors. Photo P9 : Studio E. Saillet - Architecte : T. Alicot 9
OILED WOOD FLOORS Oiled wood floors and the environment Your specialist has recommended Original Wood Environment compliant with European ECOLABEL combining high performance and environmental friendliness. It highlights the natural beauty of your wood floor. Cleaning, maintenance and refinishing recommendations for Original Wood Environment are the same as for traditional oils: damp mopping with Natural Soap for Oiled Wood Floors (about 1 glass diluted in 5 litres of water) and maintenance with Original Wood Environment Maintenance Oil whenever the beautiful finish starts to wear off your wood floor. One thin coat is enough (using a sponge mop or a micro-fibre mop) and there is no need to buff. After only 30 minutes, the floor is dry and ready to use. For more details about local repairs and general maintenance please consult Blanchon Original Wood Environment maintenance guide, available from your specialist. And for your well-being and everybody else s, Blanchon Environment products are odourless! 10
How to keep your laminated floor spotlessly clean? Laminated Floor Cleaner is ideal for all laminated or melamine floors. It degreases, cleans and leaves the surface spotless. Recommended for regular use, it keeps the floor looking like new and prevents from building-up of dirt and grime. It should be applied with a floorcloth, a sponge mop or a micro-fibre mop and diluted as follows: LAMINATED FLOORS routine cleaning: 5 cl to 10 litres of water, major cleaning: 10 cl to 10 litres of water, removing stubborn stains: 10 cl to 1 litre of water. 11
12 WOOD AND COMPOSITE MATERIAL DECKING How to avoid ingrained atmospheric dirt and how to remove grease stains? Whatever the material of your patio: exotic wood, lumber or autoclaved composite material, the Exterior Wood Cleaner is a quick and effective product to remove stains and ingrained dust. Spray Exterior Wood Cleaner (available in spray, ready to use) on the spots or the surfaces to be cleaned. Leave on for 5-15 minutes, then brush and rinse with water, that's all! For particularly soiled surfaces, Exterior Wood Cleaner is also available in 2.5L refill concentrate to be diluted.
In the framework of the global challenge which is sustainable development, we would like to meet the needs of people today without compromising those of future generations: we aim to get the right balance between the following three objectives. Improving working conditions Our desire to protect the environment goes hand in hand with progress in working conditions. The men and women who put time and energy into our company every day are one of our greatest assets. Every time we make an investment, we allow for improvements in their working conditions and working environment. Economising Our approach has resulted in savings made by using environmentallyfriendly paints, wood floor sealers and stains. It includes savings in resources made throughout a product s life cycle. This environmental ethic has been giving concrete results for many years now: our protective and decorative water-based products have been awarded numerous environmental labels, and we have opened production and distribution sites which fully respect people and the environment. Protecting the environment OUR VALUES For the last twenty years, we have been working to offer high quality technical alternatives to solvents, using more environmentally friendly materials which we master perfectly. Today, we have gone beyond the stage of alternative solutions: we offer paints, varnishes and stains which address all the environmental and health concerns of our society. Numerous products throughout Blanchon range have been awarded the Ecolabel and they are the best proof of our genuine commitment towards the environment. Today, we are pursuing these 3 objectives with even higher standards and even greater conviction. 13
14 Blanchon, pioneering eco-friendly life Since the creation of the company, we have been fully committed to implement all technological and human means to preserve man and nature. Respect for people and the environment www.blanchon.com A label reflecting our values Human Beings and Trees are integral parts of Nature: This powerful idea is strongly rooted within our company and it fully expresses the uniqueness of our approach.
The Ecolabel For a better, safer world Better, because the Ecolabel Flower is only awarded to goods and services which meet strict criteria limiting the impacts of consumer products on the environment. Safer, because the criteria are devised to minimise harm to the environment your environment. The criteria apply to every stage of the product's life, from manufacture through to disposal, and cover every impact which is relevant to a specific type of product, such as the natural resources, energy, water and chemicals used in manufacturing, through to recycling, Products with the Ecolabel are independently assessed to prove that they are greener, and that they perform as well as other leading brands. The Ecolabel is backed by all EU Governments, and managed by Defra in the UK in partnership with TUV NEL Ltd. So the Ecolabel is special. For you, the Ecolabel provides an assurance that Blanchon cares about the environment you live in, and so cares about you. For more details, please consult Defra website: http://ecolabel.defra.gov.uk/ 15
For more details about Blanchon products and the maintenance of wood floors, please contact your specialist. As part of its commitment to respect both people and the environment, Blanchon has chosen to print that document on 100% recycled, and ecologically labelled paper, by an Imprim'Vert certified printer. BLANCHON S.A. - Est.1832 28, rue Charles MARTIN - BP 105 69192 SAINT-FONS CEDEX - FRANCE Tél.: +33 (0) 472 89 06 00 Fax : +33 (0) 478 70 07 18 Export Lines Tel.: +33 (0) 472 89 06 09 - Fax: +33 (0) 472 89 06 02 e-mail: info.uk@blanchon.com Internet: www.blanchon.co.uk RCS 390 112 886 LYON - APE 2030 Z Photo Couverture : Studio E. Saillet - Constructeur : Axe et D - 03/2011