Floor Finishes: Composition, Care and Cleaning
Floors are both functional and decorative and play an important part in the cleaning and maintenance program of any hotel. They cover a large area and are subject to a great deal of wear and tear. Clean and well-kept floors indicate the standard of cleanliness throughout the establishment. Only in rare cases is the type of flooring chosen solely for luxury.
Common considerations while choosing a flooring are:
- Appearance — color, design, cold, warm
- Resistance to spills — water, grease, food, acid, etc.
- Ease of cleaning in relation to the type and amount of soiling
- Sound and heat insulation
- Nature and condition of subfloor.
Hard floors are usually sealed to give a non-absorbent, semi-permanent gloss or finish which will wear off in time. A seal is applied on a clean and dry floor. Before re-sealing any remaining seal has to be stripped off. This is done with a chemical stripper, except in the case of wood and cork where sanding is done.
In order to preserve the seal, the polish should be applied to sealed flooring. Polishes are usually spirit or water-based. Spirit-based floor polishes may be paste or liquid and require buffing when dry to produce a shine. Water-based polishes are liquid and dry after application to give a shiny surface.
In large modern buildings, the subfloor is often made of concrete, but in older and smaller buildings it consists of soft wooden boards, nailed to wooden joints.
HARD FINISHES
Granolithic is a hard floor finish of graded granite chips set in cement. It is used for basement corridors, storerooms, stairways, and laundry. It is usually laid in tile form.
This is also a hard floor finish, consisting of a mixture of marble and other decorative chipping set in fine cement that can be colored. Marble is a rock (limestone) mainly found in Italy, and maybe white, black, green, or brown. When used as flooring it is laid in slabs. Marble is very expensive; terrazzo being only chips of marble is much cheaper. To prevent slipperiness self-polishing emulsions are applied. Terrazzo is used in foyers, cloakrooms, and kitchens.
Advantages of granolithic and terrazzo floorings:
- Removable pre-cast slabs can be made to cover service pipes for ease of maintenance.
- Coven edges facilitate cleaning.
- Not affected by water and may have a drain incorporated.
- Very durable.
- They are vermin-proof, impervious to dry rot, and fire-resistant.
- Cleaning is relatively easy
- The initial cost of granolithic is lower than terrazzo.
Disadvantages:
- Hard and noisy
- Cold in appearance
- Terrazzo is slippery when wet.
- Cracks may appear.
- Granolithic will chip, especially on stairs. In terrazzo, marble chipping may become loose.
- Acids and strong alkalis adversely affect terrazzo.