FLOOR SEALS & FINISHES
SEAL OF APPROVAL
Lisa Breakspear, head of sales for Mapei UltraCare, shares a best-practice guide to enhancing natural stone floors with sealants and finishes.
When it comes to sealants and floor finishes for natural stone, there are many different options to choose from. Based upon the look that you want to achieve, you can opt for a natural finish or a colour enhanced sealant; as well as accentuating the tone of a limestone tile, other natural stones like slate really lend themselves to colour enhancement.
Before application, it’s very important to address the correct preparation of the floor. Whether you’re looking to treat a newly installed floor, or you’re restoring an existing floor, ensuring that the surface is completely clean is crucial to the success of the application of the floor sealant or finish. In the case of a newly installed floor, ensure all installation and grout residues are removed and, for an existing floor restoration, ensure that any remaining finishing product is stripped back and that the surface is thoroughly cleaned to remove all residue. Depending on the finish of the stone, we recommend either Mapei UltraCare HD Cleaner on an unpolished natural stone, in a dilution of 1:5 – 1:10, or Mapei UltraCare Multicleaner in a dilution of 1:30. For newly installed natural stone that’s acid resistant, you can use Mapei UltraCare Keranet diluted 1:5 – 1:10 to remove cementitious grout residues and installation dirt. In all cases, ensure that the solution is removed and thoroughly rinsed with plenty of clean water.
WATER-BASED V SOLVENT-BASED FINISHES
Having prepared the floor, and considered the finish, you’ll need to decide between a water-based or a solvent-based product. In terms of practicalities, water-based products offer an element of speed, as they can generally be applied with residual moisture present, whereas solvent-based products should only be applied to stone that’s completely dry. Factors that affect drying time are the thickness of the stone, its porosity, temperature, air flow and humidity. Using a moisture meter can help to understand the level of moisture in the stone.
˝The strongest natural stone finishes begin with the right
preparation – a clean, residue- free surface is essential for sealant performance.˝
In addition to speed of application, water-based solutions also bring environmental and safety benefits, as they’re solvent-free and produce significantly fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These formulations reduce harmful emissions, minimise concerns relating to hazardous waste disposal and they offer a safer, low-odour option for the contractor.
24
www.tomorrowscontractfloors.co.uk
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
