GENERAL INFORMATION AND UPKEEP

As in January, State Building Maintenance Limited is continuing its discussion of various types of flooring and their cleaning requirements. For those who are considering a new floor installation we recommend that you discuss the merits of your floor choice and definitely the cons with the manufacturer if possible, the seller, your installer and your contractor if you are using one.

IMPREGNATORS – SEALANTS – WHEN and WHERE
Many people regard these products as interchangeable – they are not – there is a major difference for the usage of each product.

IMPREGNATORS
State Building Maintenance Limited believes an impregnator is essential for all porous flooring. The purpose of an impregnator is to penetrate into porous flooring, inside the actual product. They essentially help to prevent water, dirt and oil from going INTO porous flooring, as DEEP stains are almost impossible to remove, if at all. What they do is give you time to clean up a spill so there is no DEEP staining. They do not provide 100% protection, they will not prevent acidic etching nor do they last forever. If used by experts they do not change the texture or appearance of your flooring. They are NOT a surface protector.

SEALANTS
So where does a sealant / topical sealer factor in? These sealers are your surface protectors, we also consider this product essential. They are the second step in protecting porous material but also the first step in providing added protection for non-porous flooring. They add surface protection from water, dirt and oils and make for easier daily floor cleaning and buffing. They can change the look of your flooring depending on the sealer, on whether you chose a mat, semi-gloss or a high gloss sealer. Their disadvantage is that they do wear, more so in high traffic areas. When that occurs State Building Maintenance Limited will strip and re-apply the sealer. We know it seems as if there is no end to floor maintenance and we have to agree but what our customers need to know is that it is our company’s job, working with pride, to protect your investment.

GRANITE
Buying and installing Granite as a floor choice can prove to be an expensive option. There are different qualities/grades of Granite. Low-priced Granite will generally have faults in the stone and can be a thinner tile, therefore weakening it. Although costly we recommend premium or first grade Granite for its strength, so the utmost protection is imperative. An impregnator is recommended to protect your Granite from deep staining. After that application a sealant should be applied for further protection and then re-applied as needed. For commercial spaces, to keep your sealed Granite looking its best, State Building Maintenance Limited recommends a daily sweeping with a treated sweeping tool and then a light washing.

SLATE
As with other natural stones Slate comes in a variety of colours but is mostly chosen and known for its rich shades of black and grey, providing a rustic look, but when paired with popular paint colours and brilliant silver decor it gives Slate a modern look. Because Slate is formed by the earth’s pressure of its stone layers it is crucial to lay Slate on an even subfloor or it may crack. Slate is a highly durable tile but because of the way it is formed surface layers have been known to flake off. So State Building Maintenance Limited advises our customers to apply an impregnator that will settle into the stone and then a sealant as further protection, with the sealant being re-applied when necessary. Daily care necessitates a sweeping and a light washing.

TRAVERTINE
Many consider Travertine to be a soft stone as it is a porous stone peppered with holes. Because of this it will absorb moisture easily, is prone to staining, can be scratched and show its wear and tear but don’t let that stop you from installing this attractive stone that has been used for centuries. If you are looking for warm tones in your flooring Travertine may be the answer, available in tones of beige, rust, tan, and brown. Some people prefer the unsealed, old tumbled look of Travertine and are willing to accept staining but as it can be greatly affected by moisture and acidic products, for businesses State Building Maintenance Limited definitely recommends that initially an impregnator be applied and then a sealant as a second line of defense. Once sealed we can maintain your Travertine tiles, keeping them looking their best, as we do with other natural stones, utilizing State Building Maintenance’s daily cleaning routine.

TERRAZZO
Terrazzo is a solid surface, extremely durable material, invented in the 15th century. It was originally made by combining cement and marble fragments. Nowadays Terrazzo is still manufactured from cement but can also be prepared with an epoxy base. What makes Terrazzo so versatile is that we can now add glass, metallics and other aggregates to create a custom look. This tough solid surface material, polished to a high shine and with no grout lines requires less time consuming maintenance, an added bonus when working out your yearly maintenance budget, but it can be slippery when wet so State Building Maintenance Limited recommends a non-slip coating be applied to its surface. As with other flooring it will require a daily sweeping and then a light washing when necessary.

VINYL FLOORING
Vinyl Flooring comes in an array of colours and patterns, copying the look of wood flooring and many expensive stones, so if it is not in your budget for the original, Vinyl flooring may be the answer. Buying the highest quality of Vinyl flooring will come with a warrantee of 15 years or more. For added protection State Building Maintenance Limited will apply a 25% acrylic floor finish. Although not the first choice for offices, you will still find the top rated Vinyl flooring in many offices but there is one limitation, Vinyl flooring can be gouged and cut so you must not push your office furniture over the surface of Vinyl flooring without using protection. Using furniture gliders or soft furniture pads is a must. To keep its appearance Vinyl flooring just needs to be swept and damp mopped daily. State Building Maintenance Limited can also PROPANE BURNISH VINYL FLOORS to create a very high shine, that wet look.

CONCRETE
You will find Concrete flooring in all our customers’ factories and warehouses because of its durability. It takes tremendous weight to damage Concrete, it will easily handle the weight of manufacturing machinery, the weight of your products piled high and the weight of trucks and forklifts that need to enter your premises. We at State Building Maintenance Limited recommend a daily sweeping of Concrete with a dust inhibitor and then a light washing, daily or monthly, depending on our customer’s requirements. In places where Concrete flooring is your show piece, being used now more than ever, and because Concrete is a porous material State Building Maintenance Limited recommends the use of an impregnator and then a sealant to help prevent staining. As concrete too is considered a solid surface material, once polished to a smooth finish and sealed properly it just requires a daily sweeping with a dust inhibitor and a light washing as needed.

Having read the above article it may dissuade some customers from purchasing their first choice of flooring for a future renovation but remember no one floor product is the perfect answer, not even solid surface materials like polished and sealed Concrete or Terrazzo. With a solid surface material, if there is major damage, and we are not saying it will happen, the repair to solid surface materials can be more costly than lifting and replacing a few tiles. Although there is no one perfect flooring, STATE BUILDING MAINTENANCE LIMITED is your perfect answer to your flooring’s upkeep. State Building Maintenance Limited has kept pace with the cleaning practices of all floor surfaces, old and new, we have the expertise, are trustworthy and efficient but more than anything, our aim is to provide complete satisfaction with our cleaning services.

So whether you need State Building Maintenance Limited to deal with your floor cleaning problems, chose to have your carpets or windows cleaned or are looking to set up a full service cleaning program daily, bi-weekly or once a week please call us for a free quote at 416-247-1290 or email us at info@sbml.ca