Occasionally, during the scrubbing or stripping process, you may encounter solid vinyl tile or sheet vinyl flooring that may appear to be damaged. These types of floor coverings are softer than vinyl composition tile (VCT) and can be scratched if too abrasive of a pad is used. It usually occurs when the technician is inexperienced or trying to remove excessive build-up, a deep scuff or black marks. These scratches may be light or deep depending on the pad used and the aggressiveness of the technician. They are also more noticeable on darker colors.

Sometimes these scratches can be reduced or eliminated using the following technique.

• Clean and dry the floor before beginning. You do not want to encapsulate soil into the floor finish and a dry floor makes it easier for the technician to see the damaged area.

• Apply seal or floor finish to the affected area using a spray bottle; the amount applied to the area will vary depending on the level of damage done. Using a red pad affixed to the pad holder of a 175-RPM rotary floor machine, work the seal or floor finish into the area using a circular motion until the solution has dried. This will generally remove the light scratches and blend the damaged covering with the rest. In some situations the process may have to be repeated several times. This is the same process as spray buffing the only difference is that you will be working on the covering and not the coatings. In cases of deeper damage, use a more abrasive pad such as a blue or green. Follow the same process as described above until you see noticeable results, then switch to the red pad and finish the process.

• Once the damage has been eradicated you may want to put a coat of finish over the entire area to blend it.