I have been asked to problem solve on a marmoleum floor. It is 2.5 to 3 years old.          

The floor and desks of a 5700’class room on the third floor were covered with plastic sheets. (visqueen) . Then a cement base fire retardant was sprayed onto the ceiling. When the plastic was removed approximately a week later there were dark spots as if the water had seeped between the plastic.  There is no change in the surface texture,it ‘s just darker in areas. 

The building janitorial had tested by sanding with a screen and did remove the darkness but also the factory finish.  Thinking this was a Ph problem from the cement laden water, I had tried an acetic spray. No change. We then applied stripper and hand scrubbed an area, rinsing well with an extractor. This left it clean, surface dirt and darkness gone but a bit yellowed. We applied the manufacture recommended fix of 50/50 bleach. WOW did it brighten up. Realizing it is an absorbent surface and was still wet we left it to dry for a few days. Today I saw it still slightly yellowed and the bleached area had toned down some but still much brighter.

The customer asked for a price to clean the whole floor with the bleach.  Spotting is one thing but whole area cleaning with bleach?????   I could see us working in small areas at a time to keep it under control. There are screen windows to vent to the outside with ducting, but this still worries me. Anyone else ever cleaned a large area with bleach?

Comment from SCRT member, Pat Moffett:

You pose an interesting question. As you know, Marmoleum is made from linseed oil, rosins, and wood flour with possibly natural jute or polyester backing. Because Marmoleum is a natural organic product and it has certain anti-microbial properties. How the fire retardant properties are reacting with linseed oil properties is not easy to understand. I recommend speaking with the manufacturer Forbo and ask their chemists your question.

I agree that worker safety is a concern. Chemicals tend to react violently when they are in contact with other chemicals. It is for this reason the manufacturer of Marmoleum should be contacted. A case in point: linseed oil is fairly benign but  it can polymerize in the presence of some solvents, and the natural odor of linseed’s triglycerides may become an unpleasant smell to some persons; while in the presence of some chemicals an exothermic reaction may develop; improperly applying a solvent to reduce or pull-out the stain (peroxide or bleach) may permanently cause damage to the flooring.

Additional information from SCRT member, Carol Blaha:

The wood pulp in the marmoleum makes it a very absorptive floor.  It requires multiple coats of sealer or as soon as you remove the stains-- it will stain again.  While I don't question the fire rating-- because its a non PVC product it is sold as a "green" product.  I've always questioned linseed oil as a low voc product.  I would recommend downloading the maintenance procedure off the website (once you get the stains out) and remind your client this product will need continual upkeep (and land the service contract) or this will be an ongoing problem.  I would bet the reason it stained in the first place was they did not have the continual maintenance this product requires.

Answer: Contact the manufacturer for the correct and safe procedures.