How to Apply
Rink owners apply Roll-On and Traction with their own crews. Watch the video, then follow the printed instructions for your product.
Applying Roll-On Skate Floor Finish
Notes on this video
- The milky look of the floor comes from proper screening with 80 grit mesh.
- Use a 2 gallon plastic garden sprinkler can. Cut off the top hand-hold and open the hole with a box knife. Pour with the side hand-hold.
- The zigzag wave pattern is three to four feet wide.
- On a 65 foot wide floor, one pour is about 1.5 gallons.
- Use light pressure on the rollers. One hand is enough.
- Rolling over the same area more than three times wastes time.
- The person pouring keeps the rollers' lines straight. Add product for a roller who falls behind.
- Step 1Abrade the old finishDull the surface with 80 grit mesh screens or sandpaper under a rotary floor polisher. Change sandpaper every 500 square feet.
- Step 2Remove the dustVacuum the floor. Then push a damp terrycloth towel across the width with a push broom. Use clear water only. Repeat until the floor is dust free.
- Step 3Prepare the finishWork at 68 to 74 degrees F. Pour Roll-On through a fine mesh strainer into a two gallon sprinkling can. Do not dilute it or add thinners.
- Step 4Pour across the widthStart about 36 inches from the end wall. Walk backwards at a normal pace across the width of the floor and pour in a steady zigzag.
- Step 5Roll it outUse 18 inch commercial rollers with a 3/8 or 1/2 inch nap. Roll with light pressure in five to six foot strokes. Overlap each pass 3 to 4 inches.
- Step 6Clean upClean tools with mineral spirits or paint thinner right after coating. Move leftover Roll-On into one gallon paint cans with lids.
Crew and time
Four people can coat 10,000 square feet in no more than an hour and a half. One mixes the pails, one pours, and two roll. A third roller can cut the time by up to 20%.
Pace your pails
A 170 by 70 foot floor takes 5 pails, or 25 gallons. Mark the wall with tape every 34 feet. Check your progress each time a pail is empty.
Air and humidity
Avoid coating when humidity is above 50%. Close the building while you coat and for 4 to 6 hours after. Then ventilate for the rest of the cure. Never point air flow down at the floor.
Applying Traction Wood Floor Coating
The application in six steps
- Prepare the floor with the wet screen or dry screen method in the printed instructions.
- Tack the floor with damp cotton towels until no dust is found.
- Mix the catalyst into Traction. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Pour a line along the floor and pull it with the Padco floor coater. Overlap the wet area 50% on each pass.
- Let the first coat dry 3 to 6 hours.
- Apply the second coat with catalyst. Let the floor dry 24 hours.
Do not apply Traction to
- New or freshly sanded wood. Seal it with Traction Wood Floor Sealer first.
- Finishes that are peeling, flaking, or poorly bonded.
- Floors less than 2 years old. Check the flooring manufacturer's warranty first.
- Floors with heavy finish build-up and sealed-in dirt and marks.
- Warped floors or floors with gaps wider than 1/8 inch.
- Parquet floors.
- Floors treated with oil or coated with wax.
- Any floor when it is above 85 degrees F or 50% relative humidity.
Printed instructions
Read the full instructions and the label on the can before you start.
Questions before you coat?
Call us for technical support. If you would like a crew to do the work, request an installer.