FLOORINGS
FLOORINGS
Key Words: Preparation before flooring, Interior decoration and flooring, choosing flooring, Types of flooring – Terrazzo, Granolithic, Marble, Ceramic tiles, Wood, Rubber, Thermoplastic, Vinyl and Carpets, Cleaning of floors – Lizol, Phenyl and Dettol.
Flooring is truly fashion underfoot and can add character and charm to any interior setting. Floors are important areas, which are readily noticed on entering a room or particular area, and they may be both functional and decorative. They cover a tremendous area and are subjected to a great deal of wear and tear. They play a very large part in the cleaning and maintenance programme of any establishment. In order that floors should remain in an hygienic condition, and retain as good an appearance for as long as is possible, some knowledge of various types of floor finishes, their advantages, disadvantages and maintenance is required.
Preparation before floorings (SUB FLOOR) - When laying a floor covering, the underlying floor surface must be dry, flat and level. Solid concrete, stone or tile floors with a damp problem need to be treated with damp-proofing compound. If the trouble is serious, we must dig up the floor and re-lay it.
We can smooth out uneven solid floors by spreading a leveling compound over the top. However this raises the floor surface and may involve re-hanging doors. For the neatest effect, remove the skirting boards, and replace them once the new floor covering is down.
Choosing the right floor...
Choosing the right floor that will give you years of performance and enrich the charm of any room can be difficult if you don't understand your floor covering options. Use the comparison chart on the next page to help you decide which floor covering types may be best for your situation.
When selecting either floorings or carpets consideration should be given to their:
GENERAL CLEANING AND CARE OF FLOORINGS
Once a floor finish or flooring is laid the treatment it receives is of tremendous importance, in order to prevent the penetration of dirt and to provide an easily maintained surface many types of flooring are sealed or polished.
Seals (like pot plastic) are applied to a clean, dry floor and gives a non-absorbent, semi- permanent gloss or finish which will wear in time i.e. 1-2 years approx.
Polishes are also applied to unsealed floorings when they prevent the penetration of dirt and spillages. Floor polishes are either spirit based or water based. Spirit based polishes may be paste or liquid and require buffing when dry to produce a shine; water based polishes, which may water/wax or plastic emulsions, are liquid and dry to a shiny surface which in some cases can be improved by buffing, and in others cannot.
The amount of cleaning required by any flooring will depend largely on the amount and type of traffic it receives, but some form of daily cleaning will be necessary, while special and periodic cleaning will be required at less frequent intervals.
Floor cleaning methods
1. Mopping
2. Buffing and Burnishing
Buffing involves spraying the floor with a polishing solution and buffing the floor with a rotary floor machine. Spray buffing effectively removes scuff marks, heel marks, and restores the gloss of the floor.
Burnishing (polishing) is a relatively new kind of floor cleaning method. It is something like buffing except that it is a dry method. Another difference is that burnishing requires faster rotation of machine heads than buffing. Burnishing is recommended only in low traffic area and only on hard floor.
3. Scrubbing
4. Stripping and Refinishing
Stripping solutions may be water or ammonia based. A rotary machine can be used to strip the old finish and spread the new finish on the floor. Finishes come in two types – wax based or polymer finish. Wax based finishes require at least two coats of wax to attain maximum protection for the floor. Almost all finishes can be spray-buffed.
Daily cleaning entails removing:
1 Dust and dirt by sweeping, mopping, vacuum cleaning, damp mopping or washing according to the type of flooring;
2 Resistant marks, normally by rubbing with a damp cloth and fine abrasive;
3 Stains should be removed as soon as possible, because on drying they become set and are much difficult to remove.
Special cleaning may involve:
1 Removing dirt by scrubbing or spray cleaning;
2 Improving polished appearance by buffing or spray buffing;
3 Re – polishing.
Periodic cleaning of polished floors involves:
1 Stripping polish and possibly;
2 Re – sealing;
3 Re – polishing.
Where floor is sufficiently large and sections are subject to heavy wear, Spray buffing (Use of diluted emulsion polish or water based ready to use compound) or Spray cleaning (Use of a neutral detergent and then scrubbing is done)
To prevent accidents and further damage to the floorings:
Loose edges should be attended immediately;
Metal strips should be placed over the edge of the flooring at doorways, staircases, etc;
Spillage should be wiped of as soon as possible;
Excess water and polish should be avoided during cleaning.
Examples of floor cleaners-Lizol – A disinfectant cum floor cleaner, Dettol – a disinfetant, Phenyl – a sanitizer.
Types of floorings- Ceramic tiles, Marbles, Granite, Granolithic, Cementitious, laminated floorings, Vinyl and Linoleum floorings, Hard Wood floorings, Carpets etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF FLOOR FINISHES
*Cork- a light soft material that is the thick bark of a type of Oak tree.
Common Tile Terms
Glazed – The most common style today in floor and wall tiles, as well as for residential and commercial applications. A liquid glass is applied to the body of the tile and fired at high temperatures. The glazing becomes hard and non-porous resulting in flooring that is:
Unglazed – There is no glazing or any other coating applied to the tile. Their color is the same on the face of the tile as it is on the back resulting in very durable tiles that do not show the effects of heavy traffic. The most common unglazed tiles are the red quarry tiles or the granite looking porcelain ceramic tiles used in heavy commercial areas.
Saltillo Tile – is a Mexican tile made of unprocessed clays.
Listello – a narrow tile used to accent field tiles.
Key Words: Preparation before flooring, Interior decoration and flooring, choosing flooring, Types of flooring – Terrazzo, Granolithic, Marble, Ceramic tiles, Wood, Rubber, Thermoplastic, Vinyl and Carpets, Cleaning of floors – Lizol, Phenyl and Dettol.
Flooring is truly fashion underfoot and can add character and charm to any interior setting. Floors are important areas, which are readily noticed on entering a room or particular area, and they may be both functional and decorative. They cover a tremendous area and are subjected to a great deal of wear and tear. They play a very large part in the cleaning and maintenance programme of any establishment. In order that floors should remain in an hygienic condition, and retain as good an appearance for as long as is possible, some knowledge of various types of floor finishes, their advantages, disadvantages and maintenance is required.
Preparation before floorings (SUB FLOOR) - When laying a floor covering, the underlying floor surface must be dry, flat and level. Solid concrete, stone or tile floors with a damp problem need to be treated with damp-proofing compound. If the trouble is serious, we must dig up the floor and re-lay it.
We can smooth out uneven solid floors by spreading a leveling compound over the top. However this raises the floor surface and may involve re-hanging doors. For the neatest effect, remove the skirting boards, and replace them once the new floor covering is down.
Choosing the right floor...
Choosing the right floor that will give you years of performance and enrich the charm of any room can be difficult if you don't understand your floor covering options. Use the comparison chart on the next page to help you decide which floor covering types may be best for your situation.
When selecting either floorings or carpets consideration should be given to their:
- Appearance, when colour, pattern and texture play a large part, the rules and effects of different uses of colours, pattern and texture are to be followed.
- Comfort, which is of importance to guests and staff, soft resilient surfaces are generally comfortable to walk on but may prove extremely tiring to the people continually walking on them e.g. housekeepers,
- The harder, noisier, colder floorings offer less heat and sound insulation,
- Noisy floorings can cause disturbance, and hence discomfort, to the occupants of a room and to those in adjacent rooms,
- Slipperiness may lead to discomfort but may often be due to the maintenance given to the flooring rather than to the flooring itself, a very shiny flooring looks slippery.
- Durability, without due consideration to the wear and tear expected in an area a flooring may become ‘tired’ looking very quickly,
- Life expectancy, a flooring needs to be durable for the length of life expected and this is not the same for all areas, like for kitchen it is more and for the rooms it is less due to change in décor.
- Safety, which is of great importance to all occupants of the building,
- Ease of cleaning, which is an important factor in the running costs of any establishment,
- The extra initial cost of a flooring which is easier to clean may be saved over a comparatively short time,
- Floorings cannot usually be constantly cleaned, however easy they may be to clean, so for a well maintained flooring the flooring material, colour and pattern must be carefully selected,
- Cost, this may limit the choice of flooring. The true cost of flooring is the initial cost, including laying, plus estimated maintenance costs.
GENERAL CLEANING AND CARE OF FLOORINGS
Once a floor finish or flooring is laid the treatment it receives is of tremendous importance, in order to prevent the penetration of dirt and to provide an easily maintained surface many types of flooring are sealed or polished.
Seals (like pot plastic) are applied to a clean, dry floor and gives a non-absorbent, semi- permanent gloss or finish which will wear in time i.e. 1-2 years approx.
Polishes are also applied to unsealed floorings when they prevent the penetration of dirt and spillages. Floor polishes are either spirit based or water based. Spirit based polishes may be paste or liquid and require buffing when dry to produce a shine; water based polishes, which may water/wax or plastic emulsions, are liquid and dry to a shiny surface which in some cases can be improved by buffing, and in others cannot.
The amount of cleaning required by any flooring will depend largely on the amount and type of traffic it receives, but some form of daily cleaning will be necessary, while special and periodic cleaning will be required at less frequent intervals.
Floor cleaning methods
1. Mopping
2. Buffing and Burnishing
Buffing involves spraying the floor with a polishing solution and buffing the floor with a rotary floor machine. Spray buffing effectively removes scuff marks, heel marks, and restores the gloss of the floor.
Burnishing (polishing) is a relatively new kind of floor cleaning method. It is something like buffing except that it is a dry method. Another difference is that burnishing requires faster rotation of machine heads than buffing. Burnishing is recommended only in low traffic area and only on hard floor.
3. Scrubbing
4. Stripping and Refinishing
Stripping solutions may be water or ammonia based. A rotary machine can be used to strip the old finish and spread the new finish on the floor. Finishes come in two types – wax based or polymer finish. Wax based finishes require at least two coats of wax to attain maximum protection for the floor. Almost all finishes can be spray-buffed.
Daily cleaning entails removing:
1 Dust and dirt by sweeping, mopping, vacuum cleaning, damp mopping or washing according to the type of flooring;
2 Resistant marks, normally by rubbing with a damp cloth and fine abrasive;
3 Stains should be removed as soon as possible, because on drying they become set and are much difficult to remove.
Special cleaning may involve:
1 Removing dirt by scrubbing or spray cleaning;
2 Improving polished appearance by buffing or spray buffing;
3 Re – polishing.
Periodic cleaning of polished floors involves:
1 Stripping polish and possibly;
2 Re – sealing;
3 Re – polishing.
Where floor is sufficiently large and sections are subject to heavy wear, Spray buffing (Use of diluted emulsion polish or water based ready to use compound) or Spray cleaning (Use of a neutral detergent and then scrubbing is done)
To prevent accidents and further damage to the floorings:
Loose edges should be attended immediately;
Metal strips should be placed over the edge of the flooring at doorways, staircases, etc;
Spillage should be wiped of as soon as possible;
Excess water and polish should be avoided during cleaning.
Examples of floor cleaners-Lizol – A disinfectant cum floor cleaner, Dettol – a disinfetant, Phenyl – a sanitizer.
Types of floorings- Ceramic tiles, Marbles, Granite, Granolithic, Cementitious, laminated floorings, Vinyl and Linoleum floorings, Hard Wood floorings, Carpets etc.
CLASSIFICATION OF FLOOR FINISHES
*Cork- a light soft material that is the thick bark of a type of Oak tree.
Common Tile Terms
Glazed – The most common style today in floor and wall tiles, as well as for residential and commercial applications. A liquid glass is applied to the body of the tile and fired at high temperatures. The glazing becomes hard and non-porous resulting in flooring that is:
- Stain Resistant
- Scratch Resistant
- Fire Resistant
- Doesn’t Fade from Sun Light
- Slip Resistant
- Easy to Clean
Unglazed – There is no glazing or any other coating applied to the tile. Their color is the same on the face of the tile as it is on the back resulting in very durable tiles that do not show the effects of heavy traffic. The most common unglazed tiles are the red quarry tiles or the granite looking porcelain ceramic tiles used in heavy commercial areas.
Saltillo Tile – is a Mexican tile made of unprocessed clays.
Listello – a narrow tile used to accent field tiles.
posted by Dr. BHUPESH KUMAR at 1:19 AM
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