Oftentimes, facility maintenance managers will hire contractors to recoat their gyms floors. Because wood floors can be one of the most expensive floors in a facility, staff members don’t want to risk damaging them with improper equipment and inexperience. While recoating a wood floor does require a specific skillset, Reflections has experienced representatives who can train facility maintenance staff to recoat wood floors without compromising their quality, durability, and beauty.

Wood floor contractors can be a costly expense. By training staff members to recoat wood floors in house, facilities can cut down on costs. In person and online training are available through the Reflections Wood Floor Program to train staff members on proper technique, equipment, and products.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program can help facilities get the most out of their wood floors. With products and procedures that can extend the life and beauty of your wood floors, Reflections creates a custom program for each facility’s unique needs. Reflections representatives assess the floor, noting things like the age of the floor, damaged areas, and previous maintenance procedures in order to create the best program for that facility.

Because the Reflections program uses equipment most facilities already have, there are no added equipment costs. Training, both in person and online, can make recoating your wood floors easier, and in some cases, faster. Reflections water-based wood floor coatings allow for light sports play on gym floors only 48 hours after recoating.

For added protection, Arena^® 300 Microban^® Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating utilizes Microban antimicrobial product protection to help inhibit the growth of bacteria. Microban protection is built into Arena 300 during the manufacturing process. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban protection penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Once a floor has been recoated, Reflections will help facilities maintain their floors between recoats. In addition to in-person training, staff members have access to wall charts, literature, and videos that can guide them through each maintenance process. The Honors^® Custodial Training Program for Schools and Universities can also help guide staff members through each process with videos, PowerPoints, and literature. Honors is available 24/7 online, and comes with additional features like tests and reporting.

Make wood floor maintenance a priority this summer. Contact your local representative to schedule a Buckeye Reflections product demonstration or host a wood floor seminar at your facility.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program is built around meeting and exceeding tough environmental regulations, and manufacturing products that are easier and safer for employees to use, while also meeting the stringent expectations of Facility Administrators.

Health Safety Features

Reflections wood floor coatings do not require crosslinkers, which contain polyfunctional aziridene. Other manufacturers use this raw material to crosslink their products for durability. Unfortunately, this crosslinker can have a negative impact on the health of employees and visitors, including respiratory and nervous system health implications.

All Reflections wood floor coatings meet the strict VOC regulations of each state and are single component, 100% urethane products. Using 100% urethane products significantly improves indoor air quality, worker and visitor health safety, and reduces mixing mistakes and overall costs. 

Urethane Wood Floor Coatings

Reflections offers both water-based and oil-based wood floor coatings. When a wood floor is first installed, it’s important to keep water away while the floor boards expand, contract and stretch. For the first few years of a wood floor’s life, oil-based wood floor coatings can help fill the grooves of the new wood floor and move with the floor as it settles. Reflections’ Coliseum^® Oil-Based Wood Floor Coatings are easy to apply and meet VOC compliancy in every state. They offer superior gloss, exceptional durability, and are scratch and scuff resistant.

For older wood floors, Reflections’ Arena^® Water-Based Wood Floor Coatings offer the lowest VOCs, allowing for wood floors to be recoated during normal business hours. Unlike oil-based wood floor coatings, Arena Water-Based Wood Floor Coatings allow for light sports play just 48 hours after the last coat is applied and fully cure 1 week after the last coat is applied.

In addition to mild scents, high gloss, and exceptional durability, Arena^® 300 with Microban^® Technology provides facilities with an extra level of protection. Microban protection is built-in to Arena 300 during the manufacturing process, and provides continual 24/7 antimicrobial protection for the life of the coating while it is on your floor. Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, making floors easier to clean and keeping them cleaner, longer.

Training

Our experts can help you become an expert. When you begin using the Reflections Wood Floor Program, you receive hands-on, personalized training from our expert Reflections representatives. We also provide MFMA (Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association) approved web-based and DVD training, to help guide you as you learn about recoating and maintaining your floors in-house.

Reflections is focused on providing a program that offers the best combination of appearance, application, durability, safety, VOC compliancy, and cost on the market. To learn more about wood floor care and Reflections, contact your local Buckeye representative. 

Wood floors are some of the most beautiful floors in your facility. They’re also some of the most expensive floors. The Buckeye Reflections^® Wood Floor Program can help reduce the cost of maintaining your wood floors, enabling you to recoat them in-house, utilizing equipment already available in your facility.

Reflections products can help you achieve cleaner, brighter, longer-lasting floors that can extend your maintenance cycles. Depending on your facility needs, Reflections offers the greenest, lowest VOC water-based wood floor coatings and the latest, state-of-the-art oil-based wood floor coatings. Reflections maintenance products will clean and restore gloss to your floors between coatings without damaging the floor coating.

In addition to providing superior gloss and durability, Reflections also wants to put the health and well-being of students first. Reflections offers Arena^® 300 Microban^® Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating, a wood floor coating that continuously fights the growth of microbes and bacteria at no additional cost to you. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban protection penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Top-of-the-line products combined with in-person and online training is key to the success of the Reflections Wood Floor Program. Buckeye’s full line of wood floor care products comes with hands-on, personalized training from a Reflections representative. This hands-on training covers preparation, recoating, and maintaining your wood floors. For additional assistance, the Buckeye Honors Program can help employees review procedures and teach new employees the proper techniques. Honors presents the complete Reflections Program through a series of videos, providing tests for employees and reporting so managers can review progress of employees.

Reflections’ superior products and training programs can save help you save 35% or more on wood floor maintenance. Achieve lasting results and become an expert in wood floor maintenance with the help of Reflections representatives. See how much you can save by contacting your local Buckeye representative for more information.

Improving the indoor air quality while recoating your gym floors can be a challenge. Recoating your school’s gym floors takes time. Oil-based wood floor coatings can take up to two weeks to fully cure. During the application and drying process, wood floor coatings can emit VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), odorous gases that can sometimes be dangerous to the health of employees or others in your school.

Limiting the amount of VOCs that are released can make a difference in the time it takes to recoat your floors. Even more importantly, it’s better for the health of employees and visitors. Reflections Coliseum^® oil-modified wood urethanes have limited VOCs and Arena^® water-based urethanes have some of the lowest VOC ratings of any wood floor coatings in North America. Because Arena coatings are water-based and emit less VOCs, their dry time is faster, allowing for play on gym floors only 48 hours after application.

There are other advantages to using Reflections wood floor coatings. Many well performing water-based products require the addition of a Polyfunctional Aziridine Crosslinker. This raw material is used to crosslink products for durability. However, it comes with many health concerns, including allergic reaction of the skin, lungs, and heart. With each exposure, health concerns only become greater. Reflections wood floor coatings don’t use hazardous crosslinkers, helping limit employee exposure to hazardous materials.

Preparation methods can also contribute to poor indoor air quality. Dry prepping floors can create dust that lingers in the air. If your gym floor is older, the Reflection wet screening prep method can eliminate dust. The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program can help you decide the best preparation method for your floors that keeps your floors looking their best and considers the health of visitors and staff.

The Reflections Wood Floor Program prioritizes manufacturing safer-to-use products that exceed the strict environmental rules that regulate wood floor coatings. The complete program provides top-of-the-line products and procedures that keep gym floors shiny and durable without compromising employee health and safety. To learn more about the Reflections Wood Floor Program, its products, and procedures, contact your local Buckeye representative. 

Newly installed wood floors must be handled with care. New wood floors are far more susceptible to water damage than their older counterparts. Because newer wood floors have not had time to fill with polymer protection, the wood absorbs water more easily. This water absorption can lead to cupping or warping. Due to seasonal fluctuation and acclimation it is recommended to dry screen and use solvent-based oil modified urethanes for the first two, three or four recoats because of its flexibility. Using water-based coatings too soon can potentially cause boards to bond together to create one large panel of wood. This is called panelization.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program offers oil-based wood floor coatings that are designed to give your gym floors excellent durability and brilliant shine. Reflections can extend the life of your gym floors, providing years of beauty, performance, safety, and durability.

Reflections oil-based wood floor coatings include Coliseum^® 450, Coliseum^® 350, Coliseum^® 275, and Super 40 Gym Coating. Each coating is extremely durable and can achieve high gloss with one to two coats. Reflections has VOC (volatile organic compounds) compliant oil-based wood floor coatings with less harsh odors. They are also not as viscous making them easier to apply.

Age isn’t the only factor in choosing a wood floor coating. Not all new gym floors are the same and other factors such as time and equipment availability play a part in the recoating process. The care put into a new gym floor can last for the entire lifetime of a floor. Reflections experts understand each component of the environment of your gym. Reflections provides the products and training that fit your facility and its staff members best. Because coating your gym floors is not the only thing needed to maintain them, Reflections has all the products you’ll need for daily and long-term maintenance.

Ensure your new gym floor is well taken care of with Reflections training. This includes in-person training from Buckeye representatives as well as online training through the Buckeye Honors^® Training Program. The Honors Custodial Training Program for schools and universities is available 24/7 with videos, PowerPoints, wall charts, and product literature to help staff members with wood floor care and more. Supervisors have the ability to assign videos and tests on various maintenance tasks to staff members. They can then view the results to ensure each staff member is up-to-date on maintenance procedures.

To find out more about how Reflections can be customized to fit your gym floor, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Wood floors are susceptible to water damage, especially if they are newly installed. Because new wood floors have not had time to fill with polymer protection, the wood will easily absorb water. Water can cause the boards to warp, which is why for the first two to three years of a wood floor’s life, oil-based wood floor coatings are the best option.

The Reflections^® Wood Floor Program provides oil-based wood floor coatings that are extremely durable and achieve high gloss after only one or two coats. They are VOC (volatile organic compounds) compliant and hold up well to scuffing and scratching. Traditional oil-based wood floor coatings are usually accompanied by harsh odors. Reflections oil-based wood floor coatings have less harsh odors, are less viscous, and are easy to apply. To cater to the needs of all facility types, Reflections provides a variety of oil-based coatings. Coating options include Coliseum® 450, Coliseum® 350, Coliseum® 275, and Larry’s Super 40 Gym Coating.

A lot of factors go into coating selection, including budget, facility location, and overall maintenance program. The choices and technical questions can seem endless when it comes to recoating your gym floors. This is why many facilities use contractors when it comes time to recoat. It may seem as if facility staff members are not qualified to get the job done.

The Reflections Wood Floor Program is designed with those concerns in mind. Recoating a school’s gym floor in-house can result in savings of 35% or more. Reflections representatives have the knowledge and expertise to educate the staff of any facility on products and procedures. Buckeye’s local distributors are trained to overcome any concerns surrounding your school’s gym. Backed up with Buckeye’s dedicated corporate sales team and top-of-the-line research department, Reflections is the perfect solution for any wood floor.

Local representatives give your staff hands-on training, answering questions and demonstrating techniques that make it possible to get the job done quickly and easily. In-person training is coupled with online resources like the Honors® Custodial Training Program for Schools and Universities. Honors provides wall charts, PowerPoint presentations, training manuals, and product literature as well as step-by-step videos meant to walk staff members through the recoating process. Honors’ online tests ensure staff members are prepared and refreshed on procedures before big projects like recoating your gym floors.

Recoating your gym floors can seem like a monumental task. Whether your wood floor is new or old, Reflections has the wood floor coating to fit your needs and the expertise to answer your questions. Contact your local Buckeye representative to see which coating is right for your facility.

Cure time. Floor prep. Safety. A lot can factor into coating your wood floors. Here are some things to consider before deciding which wood floor coating is best for your facility.

A Floor’s Age

Simply put, oil-based wood floor coatings are the only choice for newly installed wood floors. Because wood is composed of cellulose, it is porous enough to absorb water. This is why wood often expands when the air is moist in the summer and contracts when the air is dry in the winter. Over time, wood develops polymer protection against water. Until floors have been coated at least 4 times, it’s best to use an oil-based wood floor coating.

VOCs and Cure Time

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are odorous gases that can sometimes be dangerous to the health of employees or others in your facility.

While curing, oil-based wood floor coatings often emit more VOCs than water-based wood floor coatings. Oil-based wood floor coatings can take 2 weeks to fully cure. This means, for places like schools, wood floors must be coated in the summer to give them enough time to cure and disperse any VOCs emitted.

For water-based wood floor coatings, cure time is much quicker. Gym floors coated with a water-based wood floor coating can be played on within 2-3 days and are fully cured within a week. They also emit less VOCs while curing. Because of this, a school’s gym floor can be coated with a water-based coating over a long weekend or during spring break. This gives staff the flexibility to choose when to recoat the floors and keeps heavy odors away from teachers and students.

Burnishing

Oil-based wood floor coatings do not respond well to burnishing. However, some water-based wood floor coatings can be burnished to bring back gloss and traction to a wood floor. Buckeye’s Arena 300 responds well to burnishing, helping you regain the shine and durability of your wood floor without having to completely recoat.

Prepping the Floor

There are two ways to prepare a wood floor before coating it, wet prep and dry prep. Dry prepping your floors is not ideal because it leaves behind lots of dust. However, if you plan to use an oil-based wood floor coating and wish to prep and coat your floors on the same day, dry prepping is the only option. This is especially true for new wood floors. Wet prepping new wood floors can cause the floor boards to expand and lead to cupping and peeling. If your wood floors are new, dry prepping them before applying an oil-based coating is the best way to coat your floors.

With older floors and water-based wood floor coatings, you can wet-prep and coat the floor on the same day. This eliminates dust and saves valuable time.

Environmental Safety

Water-based coatings are not flammable. Buckeye’s Arena^® 300 is one of the most environmentally safe coatings in the industry, with a NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) rating of 0 for Health, Fire, and Reactivity. Also, when you have finished coating your floors with a water-based wood floor coating like Arena 300, all tools used during the process can be cleaned with water.

For oil-based finishes, this is not the case. Oil-based coatings are flammable and once you have finished coating the floor, the tools used to complete the process must be cleaned with flammable mineral spirits. Oil-based wood floor coatings often have more significant warnings on safety data sheets and, as mentioned, emit more volatile organic compounds into the air.

Room Temperature and Humidity

Fluctuation in room temperature can often cause wood floors to expand or shrink, causing cracks and air pockets to form between boards. The Maple Floor Manufacturing Association recommends that maple wood gyms be kept at a relative humidity of 35-50% and a temperature between 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit year round. While no coatings are immune to the problems that come with changes in temperature and humidity, oil-based coatings tend to resist cracking better than water-based coatings. If your facility has difficulty regulating its temperature or relative humidity, an oil-based coating may be the best choice.

Overall Savings

In addition to the features mentioned above, oil-based wood floor coatings are often less expensive to manufacture and therefore cheaper for the end user. They also only require 1-2 coats in comparison to the 2-3 required for water-based wood floor coatings.

In contrast, the overall savings offered by water-based wood floor coatings can make a difference in your facility. Water-based coatings can save staff time when prepping the floor. Their quick cure time can make the most of your gym floor year round.

Buckeye’s Reflections^® Wood Floor Program has oil-based and water-based urethanes depending on your facility’s needs. To find out more about Reflections and which wood floor coatings are right for your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Gym floors are some of the most expensive floors in your facility. Finding a cost effective way to maintain them can be difficult. Buckeye’s Reflections^® Wood Floor Program can reduce costs, provide excellent durability, and extend the life of your wood floors.

One of the simplest ways the Reflections program saves money is through the training it provides. With Reflections, employees can be trained to prep and recoat gym floors. For daily, weekly, and as-needed procedures, the Reflections Maintenance Wall Charts guide employees in proper gym floor maintenance procedures. The program provides comprehensive in-person and online training with tools like the Reflections Maintenance training videos. These videos provide employees with valuable information, covering topics like burnishing wood floors and vacuuming mats.

Buckeye uses the most innovative methods to help save time and money. When you’re ready to coat your gym floor, the Buckeye Reflections Wood Floor Program covers the proper techniques for applying both oil and water-based wood floor coatings including recommended product coverage, dry times, cure times, recoat windows, and more. With Buckeye’s latest and most innovative preparation method, the Gym Bond/Autoscrubber prep method, facilities can save up to 60% of the typical time and labor spent on prepping wood floors.

Buckeye knows that every gym floor is different. Reflections products include both water-based and oil-based wood floor coatings, as well as other wood floor maintenance products. These products hold up well to scuffing and scratching. They are easy to apply, less viscous, and don’t have harsh odors. The Reflections Wood Floor Program and its products can be customized to fit your facility needs, ensuring the improved durability, shine, and life of your gym floors.

Find out how much you can save with the Reflections Wood Floor Program using the Reflections Cost Calculator. Contact your local Buckeye representative for more information.

A complete program is the best way to extend the life of your wood floors and maintain their beauty, performance, safety, and durability. The Buckeye Reflections^® Wood Floor Care Program combines Arena^® water-based wood floor coatings and Coliseum^® oil-based wood floor coatings with proper procedures to achieve beautiful, longer-lasting wood floors. The Reflections program also includes specialty products, one of which is Gym Bond, a water-based urethane bonding agent.

Gym Bond is formulated with exclusive technology to provide maximum adhesion when applied to previously coated maple wood floors before urethane wood floor coating application. When applied, Gym Bond drastically reduces peeling from tape on a gym floor and increases adhesion when applied both under and over gym floor paint and decals. Only one coat of Gym Bond is required and it covers 1,800 square feet per gallon.

Gym Bond is a low-VOC water-based bonding agent, making it safer for the environment. It also has a very low odor, excellent leveling, and dries quickly with no ambering. A floor coated with Gym Bond may be recoated with a Reflections water-based floor coating in 2 hours or a Reflections oil-based floor coating in 4 hours.

Other specialty products in the Reflections Wood Floor Care Program include Screen Clean^® Ready-To-Use Floor Prep Cleaner, Tenacity^® Pre-Cleaner, Buckeye Green Light^™ Daily Cleaner, and Floortonic^® Burnishing Liquid. In combination with Gym Bond, these other specialty products maximize your floor coating adhesion and make it easy to use the equipment already available in your facility.

Contact a Reflections representative in your area to learn more about the program.

Seeing is believing when it comes to picking the right products for maintaining a wood floor. With the Buckeye Reflections^® Wood Floor Program you can host a wood floor seminar at your facility. First, contact your local Buckeye representative to set the date and time. At the seminar you’ll receive hands-on training with the products, procedures, and equipment needed to keep your wood floor looking its best. After the seminar, you’ll meet with your Buckeye representative to discuss results and feedback. You’ll complete the program by picking the products that meet your facility’s specific needs.

Failure to keep up with yearly maintenance can decrease the lifespan of a refinished floor or replacement floor by as much as 30%. The Reflections Wood Floor Program is complete with tools and training, including the the Reflections Maintenance wall chart, to keep your wood floors clean. This wall chart includes daily, weekly, and as-needed procedures. It can easily be posted in janitorial closets where wood floor maintenance equipment and supplies are kept. The Reflections Maintenance training video is also a valuable tool for all employees. The video covers topics ranging from vacuuming mats to burnishing floors.

The Reflections Wood Floor Program is built around meeting and exceeding tough environmental regulations. The Reflections wood floor coatings meet strict VOC regulations and are single component, 100% urethane products. This improves indoor air quality and is safer for employees to use, while eliminating mixing mistakes and reducing overall costs. Learn more about the benefits of the Reflections Wood Floor Program here.