MDF baseboards and tile cleaning

[jimmyolas]

we have a lot of mdf baseboards here. i have ruined several recently. what is your technique for not damaging these things. I have tried to blue tape them ,but the water still manages to get under them. I currently use mytee spinner with brushes on it. It seems that when i spray down and let it dwell it migrates in the channel to the baseboards. mind you i dont spray down to much. i use cimex to scrub ( less now because it splashes and im trying to be more cautious.

any suggestions jimmy

p.s. i try to wipe down the baseboards as i go.

 

[Mike Draper]

I've never had that problem. Usually when pre-spraying tile I turn down the pressure to about 300. Maybe I've just been lucky though. 8)

 

[dealtimeman]

realy never had that happen either but again i have only done fifty or so tile jobs. when you say ruined do you say they warped?

 

[Mikey P]

Nothing to do but Identify and PRE-QUALIFY.

 

[dealtimeman]

what are you saying mikey? tell the homeowner it might happen? i dont understand. :roll:

 

[Mikey P]

Exactly.


Not a damn thing you can do about it other than remove the base boards or come two days early and silicone the gaps.


They can replace the boards or find a very patient painter to gouge out the swollen areas, bondo and repaint.

 

[dealtimeman]

do the customers freak out or say something like - we will get it done later down the road?

 

[Cameron1]

Nothing to do but Identify and PRE-QUALIFY.

We are starting to see more and more of that chit. We see it mostly on carpet and in every width. We have replaced maybe 100 linear feet of it in several different homes and it is a real pain. Also, it can be hard to identify at times.

It bubbles up like blisters along the bottom and is ruined at that pointe.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I figure there might be a few here that don't know what "MDF" is.

It's medium density fiberboard.

for base board..it's CRAP!

..L.T.A.

 

[Guest]

For one,stay back a little from the base,are you using acid?I do areas at a time and wipe where it migrated before it can swell.

 

[BUSY BEE]

we have a lot of mdf baseboards here. i have ruined several recently. what is your technique for not damaging these things. I have tried to blue tape them ,but the water still manages to get under them. I currently use mytee spinner with brushes on it. It seems that when i spray down and let it dwell it migrates in the channel to the baseboards. mind you i dont spray down to much. i use cimex to scrub ( less now because it splashes and im trying to be more cautious.

any suggestions jimmy

p.s. i try to wipe down the baseboards as i go.

I'm now offering to caulk the gaps with the color of the baseboards a day before the job priced on how long it takes ($50-100 per hr, or whatever you want to charge). I'm telling the customer if the baseboards bubble or warp, I'm not liable because it's the only way to prevent water from going under the baseboards. It's a win-win situation, you collect a few more bucks if they say yes, if they say no, they've been warned and you're not liable if the inevitable happens. The last few I've done they said "No thanks" fortunately nothing bad happened to the baseboards, but my ass was covered.

 

[Mikey P]

Maybe meAt (or someone with cheesy wainscoting experience) can tell us the best way to identify MDF

 

[bob vawter]

soooo...i can't jus spray 'em down...then!

damn!

 

[Dolly Llama]

Maybe meAt (or someone with cheesy wainscoting experience) can tell us the best way to identify MDF

i personally don't know of any "easy" sure fired way to tell.

one thought that comes to mind though....."IF" all the finish nail holes aren't caulked, a close look with a magnifying glass might reveal whether it's real wood or cardboard.


..L.T.A.

 

[TimP]

You may want to try duct tape. You can put blue blocks behind it to keep it propped up if you don't want it touching the baseboards. Then come back and clean the edge by hand with a spray bottle brush and towel???


Sounds like a lot of effort to me.

 

[Motomark]

Use Air Movers to speed up drying time before starting work roll up towels or make a barrier out of plastic and create a line around base boards and hand scrub edges not with machine but by hand

 

[Chris A]

I usually just hit edges with a grout brush and then hand towel real quick, unless its a major traffic area, in which case, it won't have a baseboard. Just like carpet, not a whole lot of soil there.

 

[TimP]

I usually just hit edges with a grout brush and then hand towel real quick, unless its a major traffic area, in which case, it won't have a baseboard. Just like carpet, not a whole lot of soil there.

There is when the customer is a fanatic about mopping (with improper mopping) and they spread the filth out to the edges.

 

[Chris A]

I usually just hit edges with a grout brush and then hand towel real quick, unless its a major traffic area, in which case, it won't have a baseboard. Just like carpet, not a whole lot of soil there.

There is when the customer is a fanatic about mopping (with improper mopping) and they spread the filth out to the edges.

yeah but you still don't have the soil in dirty mop water that you have from years of traffic-type soiling.

 

[Papa]

I usually just hit edges with a grout brush and then hand towel real quick, unless its a major traffic area, in which case, it won't have a baseboard. Just like carpet, not a whole lot of soil there.

There is when the customer is a fanatic about mopping (with improper mopping) and they spread the filth out to the edges.

If they've been moping all the way to the base board then you probably don't need to worry about getting them wet... right?

 

[sweendogg]

When some customers have tile installed, they often times will rip the base lower to match connecting areas of the house that did not recieve tile. That means teh MDF sealed edged has been broken making it prone to water problems. A simple way to fix this and create an upsell is to use either a sanded or coloered silicone caulk and run a bead along the edge of the baseboard. This eliminates the possibility of water running under when you clean as well as when the owner mops. When our tile and stone setters have to cut any baseboard they will do this around the edges to seal it up.

 

[Curtis Pennington]

One of our accounts has those baseboards throught each unit. We have tile cleaned over a 50 jobs with no problems...ironically another CC cleaned tile there and has replaced several base boards in every unit they cleaned..LOL....too much water bro or you have bad suckie.

 

[TimP]

One of our accounts has those baseboards throught each unit. We have tile cleaned over a 50 jobs with no problems...ironically another CC cleaned tile there and has replaced several base boards in every unit they cleaned..LOL....too much water bro or you have bad suckie.

I talked with one of the guys who did that.

 

[Greg Trigeiro]

Jimmy,

What problem are you having with MDF baseboard?

Are they swelling up? This happens when using acid cleaners.

I haven't had this happen with alkaline cleaners.

Greg Trigeiro

 

[jimmyolas]

the major swelling comes from water, i just recently started to use blue tape after my first incident( was unpainted mdf)
but i still ran into trouble even blue taping. water seems to migrate with uneven tiles or so towards the base and i dont notice. what i am trying to do now is keep cimex scrub away from walls, and wipe up as a rinse with spinner.

i was curious how others have dealt with this paper junk baseboard
thanks jimmy

 

[Mikey P]

I did one yesterday AM.


You just have to be extra careful and not let water stand next to the board.

 

[TimP]

For those who don't know what MDF is. And I didn't till I looked it up.

MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is a type of hardboard, which is made from wood fibers glued under heat and pressure.

There are a number of reasons why MDF is used for molding. It is dense, flat, stiff, has no knots and is easily machined. Because it is made up of fine particles it does not have an easily recognizable surface grain.

MDF can be painted to produce a smooth quality surface. Because MDF has no grain it can be cut, drilled, machined and filed without damaging the surface. MDF may be glued together with PVA wood glue. Oil, water-based paints and varnishes may be used on MDF. Veneers and laminates may also be used to finish MDF.



In other words it particle board made into baseboards..... :roll:

 

[Curtis Pennington]

I did one yesterday AM.


You just have to be extra careful and not let water stand next to the board.

Exactly!

 

[Walt]

I was a carpenter years ago - It's heavy but easy to work with. Totally inferior to real wood. Every Mc Mansion has it.

Their are a few ways to identify it.

1. it's perfect - absolutely no grain. Look closely.
2. Look for dings, it likely has blow outs some where. Wood will dent, MDF will blow out.
3. Swelling around exterior doors.

Qualify, Qualify, Qualify - Put it on your invoice. It's not your fault they used an inferior product.

The best you are going to do to mask it is this-

Put 3 inch blue tape on first, then duct tape over that. Clean it fast and pull it off. The blue tape will hold some moisture. Still be cautious of the edges. Don't soak it.