The Principles of Floor Maintenance in Bangalore
A proper floor maintenance program is essential to the long-term care of any facility. Here, we will be touching on some of the principles to consider when developing a program of floor maintenance in Bangalore. It includes preparation, equipment, chemicals, and the daily and periodic tasks needed to maintain a floor.
Preparation
When preparing, first identify the type of floor in the building. There are two basic types of floors. Resilient floors may include rubber, vinyl, linoleum, and wood and generally have some give to them. They are less susceptible to damage and are not overly resistant to dirt, and need the protection of sealer and finish.
The non-resilient floor includes ceramic, concrete, marble, quarry tile, and granite. It might not be apparent, but many non-resilient floors are still porous and are susceptible to staining.
Equipment and Chemicals
There is a wide variety of equipment available, but choosing the right tools depends on the facility's needs. A basic floor maintenance program should include buckets and ringers, wet mops and dust mops, scrapers, and wet floor signs. Powered tools such as a floor machine, high-speed varnisher, or auto scrubber might not fall within the budgets in smaller buildings but will help maintain a superior level of cleanliness in all floor maintenance programs. In addition to the equipment, proper floor maintenance requires several different types of chemicals and can be quite complex.
Chemicals can include dust mop treatment, neutral floor detergent, floor stripper, neutralizer, floor sealer, floor finish, and spray buff solution. In recent years, multi-purpose cleaners have been developed with increased performance. Many of these blended formulas work in room temperature water and maintain a neutralpH. These new chemicals tend to be more friendly to the environment and safer to use as well.
Periodic maintenance
Periodic tasks such as top scrubbing, floor stripping, and refinishing, while historically done once or twice a year, are now done "as required." It is because not all floors wear down at the same rate, as this is highly dependent on the environment and the volume of traffic. These tasks are more labour intensive, so planning ahead is essential.
The first layer of protection is the floor sealer. It is a semi-permanent layer with high chemical resistance. The sealer contains small polymers which penetrate deeply into the small cracks and holes within the floor.
The second layer is the floor finish; this layer gives the floor its shine and protection. Once the finish has deteriorated, the floor needs to be stripped and refinished. This involves the chemical and mechanical removal of the old layers and the reapplication of the sealer and finish.