Rubber Flooring Pops on School Stairs After Successful Restoration

Tom Leveille recently discovered the power of XL North’s rubber floor care products during a restoration project on the main stairwell at the William E. Norris School. Leveille, head custodian at the elementary school located in Southampton Massachusetts, explains the job. “The school renovation and addition took place in 1995 and is in great shape. The stairwell, however, had years of hard to remove grime and layers of wax that made them really stand out in a bad way. They did not make a good first impression.” His task was to remove the wax along with years of dirt and grime that had built up on the rubber flooring.

Tom discussed the 500 sq. ft. project with rubber flooring installers and each recommended replacement. “They said there are no cleaners out there that will work. This just made me more determined to try and get the floor clean.” He continues, “After a few searches, I found the XL North website with the products and the testimonials that convinced me there was a chance we could get the stairs as clean as the day they were installed.”

The Cleaning and Restoration Process

Tom’s determination paid off when he used XL Rubber Floor Stripper on a small test area. He realized the stairs could be cleaned and maintained, avoiding the cost of flooring replacement. He describes the renovation process. “I used XL Rubber Floor Stripper first, applying it with a wet mop, and letting it set for 10 minutes. I then used a stiff scrub brush on a power scrubber to remove what I could. I also got down on my hands and knees using an abrasive scrubbing pad to remove the old built up wax.”

Tom admits it was a job that required a lot of elbow grease because of the heavy layer of floor wax, noting in some areas he needed to use the product at 100%. He followed up with XL Rubber Floor Cleaner/Maintainer and a final buffing with a white buffing pad on a Bissell BGEM9000 machine.

The Results

The photos speak for themselves! Tom concludes, “Overall I am very happy with the results as are the staff here at the school. I would highly recommend XL products to anyone who has rubber flooring or stairs that need to be brought back to their original finish.”

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