EXPERT ADVICE
IF YOU’RE WORKING ON A FLOOR WITH A HIGH FOOTFALL AND THE CLIENT DOESN’T WANT TO AFFECT TRADE WHILE WORKS ARE TAKING PLACE, WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND? Top Floor Tip 4: This problem is perfectly normal, especially in buildings with high footfall, and shouldn’t be a concern. Whoever you are working with you plan accordingly to make it work. We’ve just started a project at the National Portrait Gallery in central London. Here, we are working on small sections of the floor at night time to avoid disrupting visitors – it will mean the job will take considerably longer to complete but it’s important to work in conjunction with clients and keep all aspects of the business happy.
WHEN TO USE A SEALANT AND NOT? Top Floor Tip 5: Use a natural looking sealant. Why? Many porous building materials such as marble, travertine, granite and limestone are actually like hard sponges and will readily absorb
damaging agents such as water, water-bourne salts and oil based stains. Not a good look.
So what’s the option? This is when a sealant works particularly well, even more so in buildings with high footfall. Depending on the floor there are different solutions to consider but applying a good quality seal means less time is spent maintaining surfaces once the treatment is complete. A sealant will prevent any absorption, limiting damage and ensuring easier ongoing maintenance.
A COLLEAGUE MENTIONED DIAMOND GRINDING THE STONE FLOOR IN OUR RECEPTION? WHAT IS IT AND WILL IT WORK? Top Floor Tip 6: For a superior look definitely consider diamond grinding stone flooring from time to time. Diamond grinding is a process that will remove unwanted scratching and will restore a tired stone floor overnight. It’s a very similar process to sanding a wooden floor and will instantly remove the damaged layer, which can then be finished to the required appearance.
WHEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN (STRIP) AND SEAL? Top Floor Tip 7: When an unsightly or ineffective sealant has been used to protect the stone in previous years and you need it removing to bring the floor back to its original quality, use professionals to provide a clean (strip) and seal the surface. This will deep clean and remove any polish or sealant that has previously been used – then the correct sealant can be applied. AquaFend G works well – it’s invisible yet offers an all-in-one protection
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
with a lifespan of up to eight years depending on footfall.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN CONSIDERING AN ONGOING FLOOR MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME? Top Floor Tip 8: When it comes to the appearance of flooring within commercial buildings it will always come down to who is entrusted to look after the floor and what do the company and their operatives know about cleaning and maintaining natural stone. These are the key things you need to consider, and can act as a great tick list for consideration before a big investment:
• What type of finish do you want to achieve?
• Do you have a periodic programme in place to deep clean, re-polish and re- seal the flooring or is it a one off? Is it right for the building and its footfall?
• Who maintains the floor on a daily basis? Is it outsourced to a different company or carried out in-house? Whoever is responsible for this needs to know the best care plan once a facelift has taken place.
• Do they have enough time to carry out the cleaning effectively and to the standard required? Does more budget need to be allocated to allow for this.
This is a constant topic I discuss with clients and is key when considering floor maintenance.
If both the daily
and periodic programme is not looked at together, any restoration work will soon deteriorate back to the current appearance.
www.thomann-hanry.co.uk Tomorrow’s Cleaning | 13
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