Stak Wood Care & Maintenance Guide

GENERAL INFORMATION
In order to maintain the beauty of your Tate Stak Wood tiles, we recommend that you follow the Care and
Maintenance Guidelines detailed below.
Environmental Conditions:
Wood is a living material, and over time it will naturally expand and contract as it reacts to moisture and
temperature. It is recommended that you maintain the humidity level between 45 60% and the temperature
between 60- 80 F.
Protection
From Common Everyday Activity
Best
Practices
Water Egress: Be careful not to allow excess water or any other liquid to sit on the floor. Water to watch for:
spills, water trapped under entrance mats, water from taps, and leaks.
Protection: Use felt pads on the legs of furniture and use protective matting at the entrance of your building to
absorb dirt and moisture that collects on your shoes. When moving equipment across the floor, use protection to
avoid scratches and other damage.
Surface Scratches: The finish on your floor is a matte eco oil this means that it will reflect less light thus
showing fewer scratches. Depending on the depth of the scratch, a simple localized buffed in application of Fuse
Maintenance Oil will help to make the scratch disappear. If it is a deeper scratch you may want to lightly sand the
wood around the scratch before applying the Maintenance Oil.
Maintenance
Daily maintenance: Soft bristle sweeping and / or vacuuming to remove hard particulate. Do not mop to remove
fine particulate, but a damp mop may be used on an ongoing basis to arrest dust development.
Ongoing: Wood soap combines efficient cleaning with re-oiling as the additional oil contained in the soap
penetrates into the wood forming a matte protective layer on the wood surface.
Frequency of ongoing maintenance is determined by the degree of traffic. For most applications a weekly
treatment is sufficient but some high traffic areas such as aisle ways may require more frequent applications.
This is a two part process:
1. Sweep the floor to remove all dirt, debris and particulates. Mud or surface
stains should be removed by a damp cloth or mop or as part of a soap
regimen.
2. Mop with lukewarm water and Fuse Natural Oil Soap, available through
Relative Space (all Fuse maintenance products listed in this document are
available from Relative Space. Contact information is at the end of this
document.) When mopping, ensure you use two water buckets: one for the
clean water with soap, the other for dirty water. If you mop with a single
bucket, you will just be evening out the dirt levels on your floor. Squeeze out
most of the water from the mop before applying it to the floor you should be
damp mopping, not leaving streaks of water.

7510 Montevideo Rd. Jessup, MD 20794 800-231-7788 tateinfo@tateinc.com www.tateinc.com

Stak Wood Care & Maintenance Guide

You may use the floor immediately after drying is complete. If there is soap film, or traces of dirt in cloud-patterns,
then most likely too much soap was used, or the dirt was not effectively removed. Oiled floors can be re-cleaned
using Fuse Natural Oil Soap and lukewarm water.
Annual or Semi-annual Maintenance
Properly maintaining your Tate Hardwood floor is the key to keeping the floor looking vibrant throughout its
lifetime. Your floor will require re-oiling and buffing from time to time. The length of time between re-oiling and
buffing will vary depend- ing on traffic, but it is typically 6 months to a year. Wood, as a natural material, should
look like it has life. When the floor begins to look grey, dull and lifeless, then it should be re-oiled and buffed.
The annual / semi-annual maintenance of your floor is a three step process:
1. Sweep the floor to remove all dirt, debris and particulates. Do not wet mop to remove fine particulates.
2. Clean the entire floor using Fuse Wood Cleaner mixed with lukewarm water. Always wipe a second time to
ensure as little water as possible remains on the floor. Repeat cleaning procedure if necessary. Once the floor
is clean, allow it to dry for approximately 8 hours.
3. When the floor is completely dry, buff with Fuse Maintenance Oil, polishing well into the surface. This ensures
full saturation of the wood. For large areas, buff the floor in sections. Polish the floor with clean, dry cotton
cloths or pads when finished or before proceeding to the next section. No excess oil should be left on the floor.
Allow the floor to dry for 6 to 8 hours before walking on it. The surface will be fully hardened after 48 hours at
70 F. Do not expose the floor to water during the hardening time.
Color Change: The process of oxidization occurs when wood is exposed to sunlight. As the wood oxidizes it will
often darken and richen in color. The amount of change depends on the species, but all species have a limit to
how much change will occur. This is a natural process of the wood and is unavoidable. The amount of exposure
to sunlight will affect the rate at which different areas oxidize.

For any other problems or if you have any questions, please contact Tates Technical Hotline at 1-800-231-7788.
Ordering Fuse Maintenance Products
In Canada:
Floorworks
365 Dupont St.
Toronto, Ontario
416-961-6891

In the United States and all other countries:

Relative-Space
2 Bond St.
New York, NY
212-353-3370

7510 Montevideo Rd. Jessup, MD 20794 800-231-7788 tateinfo@tateinc.com www.tateinc.com