Discoloration on resilient flooring can be frustrating for business owners and cause the workplace to look poorly kept. Identifying the causes of persistent staining may be one of the biggest challenges for flooring inspectors because there are many different causes. When it’s time to be a detective and figure out what’s happening with vinyl flooring, looking at the clues can help figure out what’s going on.
Resilient flooring is often used in commercial spaces like stores and offices. When discoloration or yellowing begins to appear in the field areas of these high traffic locations, one of the first things to look at is whether asphalt tracking is to blame.
Asphalt tracking takes place when the floor turns yellowish in the areas where people walk the most. Often this is near the entrances and exits and next to checkout counters or registers. When the residue from asphalt outside is collected on people’s shoes and tracked inside, it can stick to the surface of the flooring at attract dirt and grit. The chemicals also react with the flooring, causing discolorations. The yellowing that appears and coincides with foot traffic patterns can almost always be traced back to asphalt tracking.
Asphalt tracking is definitely treatable, but the sooner it can be addressed, the better. Special floor cleaners and non-abrasive scrubbing pads can usually remove the asphalt discoloration and restore the floor to its former glory. However, waiting too long can make it harder to get rid of the staining.
Owners can present asphalt tracking by placing mats at the entrance to catch a lot of that residue. Regular cleaning with the appropriate products and tools can also keep these types of stains to a minimum. Preventative steps as well as cleaning existing stains with the appropriate products and tools can keep resilient flooring looking wonderful for many years.
VCT in Dollar Tree yellowing in all the aisles caused by asphalt tracking. No wax present. Likely replaced and never serviced by a floor company. Contacted to strip and wax but the tiles are ruined and I don’t want it to reflect on me when they see shiny discolored floors.
That is an important thing to be thinking about. I always tell installers that “it’s better to walk away from a job, if don’t think you will be able to make the customer happy.”