CM/Spotlight: Hard Floor Care ■ Concrete and terrazzo The most widely used floor covering in the world is being transformed from a gray slab into a modern, upbeat floor covering through the use of hardeners, diamond polishing, dyes, etches, stamping, coatings and other innovative, decorative concrete techniques. Terrazzo products, both epoxy and cement-based, are seeing growing use in commercial buildings due to low mainte-nance costs. Though they can be up to 50 percent cheaper to maintain than other floor sur-faces, concrete and terrazzo are not main-tenance-free. ■ Wood, bamboo and cork Wood and wood-like products such as cork, bamboo and palm are becoming popular in high-end homes and offices. Wood and wood-like flooring should not be installed in areas where there are extreme fluctuations in temperature or humidity, as this will cause shrinking, cupping, crowning, cracking and other problems. Wood and wood-like floors do not like moisture from below or above; bamboo and other similar non-woods like grass, palm and bush floors are even more sensitive to moisture. In most cases, I would not recommend direct glue down of any wood or wood-like flooring over concrete. ■ Laminates These planks or blocks are extremely sen-sitive to moisture, so if the backing material is particle or press board, moisture can cause swelling along the ends and edges. Manufacturers consider these floors to be maintenance-free; however, topical coatings and repairs are being made with secondary sourced products. I’d say these floors should not be installed in high-traffic areas where moisture is pres-ent or where sand or grit are common and regular maintenance is lacking. ■ Linoleum Modern day linoleum is considered a green/sustainable floor covering and is see-ing renewed use in schools, public build-ings, offices and homes. True linoleum is not the same as vinyl or rubber sheet goods, as these floors do not like a lot of water or high-alkaline cleaners. These floors should not be left bare; they need a special topical finish applied to pro-tect them from wear and staining. ■ Rubber We are seeing an increase in the use of rubber flooring due to low maintenance costs — no stripping or topical finish is rec-ommended — environmental preference, comfort under foot and a variety in design options that include textured surfaces, bright colors, standard and oversize tile, sheet goods and planks. These products don’t like strong chemi-cals or stripping and should not have a topical finish applied. Product Information no. 212 on page 24 32 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • April 2012
CMM – Archives Apr 2012: 32
