There are 4 main reasons for maintaining floor
surfaces. They are: 1 - Protection, 2 - Safety, 3 - Ease of Cleaning, 4 -
Appearance. While the order of importance shifts in some situations, the
fundamentals always remain the same. Protection
The primary reason for maintaining any surface is to protect it.
Most often this is accomplished by applying a protective, maintainable wear layer.
Traffic wears down the protection, but it can be easily maintained and even
replaced without damaging the surface itself.
Safety
Clean, well maintained floors are safer, more slip resistant than
dirty floors. Dirt, liquids, spills of many types reduce the slip resistance of
floor finishes, making them less safe. A thorough and well defined program will help
prevent slip and fall accidents before they happen.
Ease of Cleaning
Well maintained floors require less effort to clean, they are easier
to clean. Almost all floors have some degree of porosity, which means soil can get
trapped, dirt builds up and cleaning becomes increasingly difficult. Sealing and
finishing floors smooths out the surface, filling in the pores so soil has less
opportunity to deposit, and is easier to remove.
Appearance
Maintenance improves gloss and overall appearance. Customer
appeal, increased revenue and satisfaction all are good reasons to properly maintain
floors.
Create a maintenance program!
Any floor that gets traffic needs to be maintained. With few
exceptions, floors should be maintained starting with a good floor finish product followed
by a scheduled, routine maintenance program. Floors of all types, vinyl, vinyl
composition, asphalt, clay, terrazzo, the so-called "No Wax Floors", etc. are
going to be walked on, get dirty and therefore need maintenance.
Evaluating the four fundamental reasons for floor maintenance also
help define the goal of your floor care program. Match these important fundamentals
with the equipment available, budget resources and available labor to create a maintenance
program that best fits your need.
Should I maintain my "No Wax Flooring"?
"No Wax Flooring", simply means it does not require wax to
be shiny. The shine is built into the manufacturing process of the floor tiles or
sheet goods. The floor still needs protection from foot traffic. Foot traffic
and dirt are abrasive. Eventually traffic wears the floor down, often in uneven
patterns creating an unsafe and unsightly appearance. Once the actual floor surface
starts wearing down it can never be repaired.
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