How to Give Your Marmoleum Floor a Great Looking Finish

The key to keeping your Marmoleum floor looking nice and making cleaning up a breeze is adding a floor finish. While this is best done soon after the floor is first installed, it's always helpful later down the road to help avoid damage and wear and tear, or to give your floor an extra-glossy shine.

Prepare

First things first, ensure that all debris and loose dirt is swept or vacuumed from the area you're going to be working with.

Clean the Floor

Now it's time to mop. Check the bottle's directions to ensure that you are using the correct dilution of Marmoleum floor cleaner concentrate and water. Dampen the mop and go to town over the entire floor. Make sure that it's all covered, but not enough that your floor is flooded.

Rinse the Floor

When you're done cleaning the floor, it needs to be thoroughly rinsed off. If you're using the same mop as in the previous step, make sure to clean it well before you do this so that all the dirt and gunk doesn't get dragged right back in.

Using a concoction of 1 tablespoon vinegar for every 5 liters of water, rinse off the Marmoleum floor cleaner. It is important to not use products such as ammonia to clean the floor, as Marmoleum is made from raw natural materials, and products with high pH or harsh alkalis can cause damage, whereas the vinegar will make certain that any alkaline residues are removed.

Dry

Take a break and let your floor dry completely.

Apply the Finish

Once your floor is dry, you're finally ready to apply the Marmoleum floor finish itself. To do this, it is best to use a lint-free cloth, such as one made out of rayon or microfiber. If you're working with a large area of flooring, the better bet to save you time and back-pain would be to use a microfiber mop applicator or a cotton-string mop.

Work backward to avoid cornering yourself in, and apply the finish evenly over the entire floor surface whilst being careful to avoid the wall bases, furniture or anything else that isn't the floor itself.

It will take 30 to 40 minutes for the floor finish to dry. When you are certain that it is completely dry, a second coat should be applied. A third coat may be applied if you want an even glossier floor, but is not necessary. A few thin layers rather than one thicker coat is recommended, but allow 40 or so minutes between each coat. You'll get a better, smoother shine, and the multiple coats ensure you don't end up with streaky or spotty floors.