Dogs and linoleum...

[cclarkego]

When the PO did the restoration in 2000, they put in some great vintage looking linoleum throughout. Since my dogs are in and out all the time, it gets messy and looks a little scuffy, I just sweep, vacuum or mop
My question, and please don't laugh, is what is the best product for keeping it nice and making it shine?
I have never tried waxing a floor in my life...
I think it would really look great if I could deep clean it (strip the wax? I don't even know if it was waxed before) and then put a protective coat of something down, then maintain it.
I need some ideas and product names…

Carol

[danalee]

It depends on whether or not it was no wax floor. You don't want to strip that. The best acrylic out there is Future floor wax you can even use it as a final coat over an acrylic painiting. If you feel like waxing try buther's paste wax. It takes elbow grease or a buffer but makes a nice shine.

[cclarkego]

How would I tell if it is a no wax floor? The PO was an architect who had Airstream Classics in LA (no longer in business) do a big restoration and spared no expense returning it back to showroom floor ... There is lots of documentation on things, but nothing on the flooring except it was installed...

[danalee]

I don't know but maybe you could go to a flooring shop and find something similar or even on line. I would doubt that he would put something in that required high maintenance (waxing).

[dlb435]

I did some research on this. You can forget about anything at the grocery store. Call a professional janitorial supply house and ask them. There are some products that can be used on no-wax floors but they are not commonly available.
BTW - What kind of dogs? We have a couple of Australian Shepherds we travel with.

[Lily&Me]

If nothing else, might get a flooring install guy to just come by, tell you what it is and give some suggestions. Might cost just a little but could be worth it. You might also find a corner under a cabinet or something where you could cut out a tiny bit and take it in. Good luck.

[Dakota's Dad]

or, you could do as we do...

We got dogs. They are messy. Just a fact of life. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Works for us.

[cclarkego]

I know...but, the PO really went to town when ordering stuff for his restoration and this floor is this gorgeous aqua-darkish turquoise with yellow and rust colored speckles and right after I mop it (just using warm water), when it is wet, it looks beautiful. Then it dries and and the color looks so much more dull. I thought it would be nice to give it a thorough clean, using the right product for linoleum, and then top it with a protective shine coat before those dainty big black lab nails scuff it beyond repair.

Carol

[vswingfield]

Try the Future on an inconspicuous spot. I'll bet it will be good.

You can also use it on the ceiling and walls after cleaning to prevent (forestall) sticky buildup.

[cclarkego]

The Mystery Is Solved!

I decided to pull out the whole Restoration folder ONE more time and go through it with a fine toothed comb.. Found a word Forbo in near flooring stuff, another page had Forbo Artoleum Piazza, googled it and there it was.
My floor... And directions for floor care! Forbo care product list... Forbo spray, Forbo Cleaner AND Monel, for a protective SHINE! My life must be getting too boring if I am excited over this kind of stuff....

PS Thanks everyone for all their help!

Carol

[Foiled Again]

So Happy you found the right information. Future works great on PVC - not sure about LINOLEUM, which is a completely different product - made from linseed oil and sawdust. I grew up in an older house that still had linoleum - I only remember my mother using Johnson's paste wax on it - YUCK! She had a polisher, but it wouldn't get into the corners or right against the baseboard, so guess who got to hand polish THAT?

Right, me...the little kid who was lower to the ground! I had to use something that looked a lot like a shoebrush, and man it was WORK.

I might actually have cried tears of joy when we finally got a new vinyl floor.

Paula