4 TYPE OF FLOOR SURFACE TREATMENT YOU SHOULD KNOW!

A treatment must be carried out to reduce the porosity of the surface and improve its appearance in the event of wear over time. The treatments, in addition to allowing the quality of the surface to be maintained over time, help
prevent the occurrence of infections because, by making the surface less porous, dirt cannot penetrate and remain at depth, facilitating ordinary cleaning operations.

TYPES OF SURFACES AND TREATMENTS

From the maintenance point of view, surfaces can be classified according to their nature and degree of porosity, in the following groups:-

i) Natural Stone Floor

ii) Mixture floor

iii) Siliceous Floor

iv) Textiles and fabric

v) Raised floors

Below are some types of flooring and related recommended treatments:

i) NATURAL STONE

These are poly crystalline aggregates generally taken from quarries. There are various types depending on the chemical characteristics and different percentages of their constituent minerals.
They can be divided into:

• Limestone : marble travertine and agglomerates (grit, marmettone, palladiana, etc.)

• Siliceous: granite, slate, porphyry, serene, luserna, etc.

Limestone

The treatments that can be performed are 3:

SEALING/WAXING (water/solvent based): with acrylic/polyurethane emulsions is a film-forming protection to obtain
a glossy or satin finish.

WATERPROOFING (water/solvent based):is a film-forming protection with a natural finish.

CRYSTALLIZATION: is an extraordinary maintenance technique for calcium carbonate floors. It can be defined as a form of “micro-grinding” of the ruined or opaque surface layer of the floor). It in fact consists of the removal of an imperceptible and thin layer of the surface, so as to restore the original shine, guaranteeing, among other things, greater resistance.

There are 3 actions involved in the crystallization process:
• Product, which acts chemically
• Machine, with its weight and with the rotating action of the disk
• Heat, generated by the friction of the steel wool disc with the floor

Siliceous

The treatments that can be performed are: sealing/ waxing (water/solvent based) and waterproofing (water/solvent based). Both for limestone and siliceous stones, subsequent maintenance with dedicated products for the various
procedures (sweeping, daily washing, low and high speed (UHS) spray maintenance will be important.

ii) MIXTURE FLOOR

These consist of crushed natural stones compacted using various binders (cement, mortar, resin). They can be divided into:
– Cold products: raw cement, resinated cement, cementine

For raw cement, both sealing/waxing (water/solvent based) as well as waterproofing, can be carried out, while for the resinated cement a waxing treatment but not waterproofing is recommended.
For cementine, water-based waxing is recommended.

– Products created in the oven: ceramic/single fired, ceramic biscuit, stoneware, porcelain stoneware, klinker, terracotta.

As for products created in the oven, the only surfaces that can receive treatment are terracotta
(sealing/waxing (water/solvent based), waterproofing) and stoneware (only water-based film-forming protection).

iii) RESILIENT FLOOR

These are surfaces which, subjected to an applied pressure, have the property, called resilience, to flexibly deform, resuming the initial configuration once the external force has been eliminated.

The materials used for this type of flooring are: PVC, linoleum, rubber.

As a treatment, waxing/sealing with water-based protective films (glossy/satin) and maintenance with low/high speed washer/waxers and sprayers is recommended.

iv) WOOD, LAMINATES & PARQUET

By wooden or parquet flooring is meant a flooring made wooden slats (planks, boards, blocks) of varying sizes. The characteristics of the timber determine the characteristics of the parquet.
Wooden flooring can be made of rough or pre-treated wood, laminate or WPC (Wood Polymer Composite).
In all these cases it must be remembered that these surfaces are not compatible with large quantities of water.

As far as treatments are concerned, for rough wood, sealing/waxing (water/solvent based) and the waterproofing (water/solvent based) is recommended; for pre-treated wood, laminate and WPC, it is recommended to carry out a preliminary sealing test of both treatments mentioned above.

v) TEXTILES

For the maintenance of textile surfaces, deep washing systems are recommended depending on the type of fabric and the time available for the treatment: injection/extraction, shampooing, Bonnet method.

Injection/extraction consists in injecting a specific solution of water and detergent into the fabric with a special machine, proceeding with subsequent extraction of the washing solution, which takes away the dirt with it, leaving the fabric clean.

Shampooing is a dry treatment that is carried out with a shampooing machine or single brush floor machine. This is a method particularly suitable for natural fibre textile floors. It is based on the ability of the foam to crystallize the dirt which is subsequently vacuumed away once the surface is dry.

Carpet Bonnet method consists of passing over the fabric with a single brush floor machine with specific pads called Bonnets which, by exploiting the mechanical action of the brush and the chemical action of a specific detergent, extract all the superficial dirt, ensuring a clean but not excessively humid surface.

vi) RAISED FLOOR

The floor consists of square panels of various thickness coupled to the finishing surface. These are positioned on a load-bearing structure that allows the floor surface to be raised, creating a cavity for passage of the electrical connections.

Particularly suitable in environments where there are computers and electronic instruments.

Regardless of the material constituting the floor surface, raised floors cannot be washed with water and, therefore, it is necessary to perform dry wax removal as a pre-treatment. The treatment, on the other hand, depends on the type of material constituting the floor surface and whether waxing is possible.

Credit information: SUTTER Professional