Resilient Flooring According to the LaGrange, Ga.-based Resilient Floor Covering Institute, resilient flooring encompasses several materials, including vinyl sheet, vinyl composition tile, solid vinyl tile and luxury vinyl tile, linoleum, rubber and cork. These floor coverings have long histories, yet continue to advance in manufacturing technologies and design capabilities. For example, according to the organiza-
A sheen is created in the floor through a series of abrasions on a
building’s concrete slab.
tion’s website, “member companies are not only changing the ways that resilient flooring products are made, but they’re also changing the materials these products are made from. They’re discovering and implementing green innova- tions that impact every stage in the product life cycle—from design to manufacturing, delivery, installation, maintenance and beyond.” RFCI reports its members are
Using recycled and recyclable materials Cutting back on waste generation Reducing or eliminating packaging Lowering product emissions Conserving water use
During the polishing process, color can be applied to the slab with a water- or solvent-based dye.
PHOTOS: L&M CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS
Certifying products under the FloorScore Indoor Air Quality Certification Program, which was developed by RFCI with Em- eryville, Calif.-based Scientific Certification Systems, a third-party environmental au- diting, testing and standards development organization
Implementing post-consumer recycling programs
Certifying products under NSF 332, “Sustainability Assessment Program for Resilient Flooring,” which is maintained by NSF International, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Resilient flooring’s versatility makes it popular
in commercial-building applications. It is available in roll and tile form and is offered in many colors, shapes and sizes. It especially is a popular choice for schools and recreation centers because of its “bounce-back” qualities.
Polished Concrete
concrete is highly reflective.
60 RETROFIT // November-December 2012 Polished
Probably the most misunderstood of today’s popular flooring options is polished concrete. Brad Burns, executive director of the Stevensville, Md.-based Concrete Polishing Association of America, says his four-year-old organization was established to be an advocate for specifications, education and standardized procedures for the polished concrete industry.
“There wasn’t really any other
agency that we felt was qualified to lead contractors in the industry,” he says.
“Polished concrete is very unique—it’s concrete but it’s flooring and it can be decorative, not necessarily janitorial and not always new con- struction. We wanted an organization that knew the ins and outs of polished concrete to lead the industry.” Burns says there are misconceptions surround-
ing the product, which has only been around for 15 years, and its polishing procedures. In new and retrofit applications, the building’s concrete slab is systematically polished with heavy grind- ers. Through a series of abrasions with diamond tools—70 grip metal bonds to 3,000 grip resins— a sheen is created in the floor. “In layman’s terms, it’s a granite countertop for your floors,” Burns explains. “A granite countertop is a rock from a mountain that is cut and polished with diamond tooling. We’re doing essentially the same thing with an existing slab for a floor.” The procedure becomes complex because
there can be major variables in concrete’s charac- teristics. “Concrete is very regional in mix design, environmental curing, and placement and finishing processes,” Burns says. “There’s such a huge variety in the matrix that we’re polishing, the contractor has to understand the polishing process to adapt to those variables.” During the polishing process, color can be added to the slab. “The contractor avoids refining the concrete to a point where the color won’t penetrate,” Burns notes. “Typically color is applied by a water- or solvent-based dye. It’s a very small crystal that’s soluble into a liquid— acetone or water. You put it into the concrete, and as the water or acetone evaporates out, the color stays.”
If a building owner decides to change the color of his or her concrete floor, a light color can be re-dyed to a darker shade, but darker col- ors often have to be re-ground and re-polished before changing the slab to a lighter shade. Burns says polished concrete is very popular
in retrofit applications because it makes use of the existing substrate, requires little mainte- nance and creates a floor that never needs to be replaced. “In heavy-traffic areas, you have to be more on top of keeping the floor clean and you may have to restore or refurbish it every three to five years,” he notes.
In addition, polished concrete is highly reflec- tive. “In most cases, you get about a 20 to 30 percent light increase in the room simply because of the polished concrete flooring,” Burns adds. Although this is only a glance at the many flooring options available for retrofitting floors in commercial buildings, it provides an overview of the strides the flooring industry is making in ensuring its products meet the needs of today’s building owners and occupants.
‹‹
‹‹
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68