How To Choose Floor Care Equipment And Understanding Polished Concrete

This is the first part of a three-part manufacturer roundtable on floor care equipment.

Manufacturer Roundtable takes questions Contracting Profits has received from building service contractors and poses them directly to cleaning industry manufacturers. Each month, questions and answers for a different product category will be featured.

What should be a building service contractor’s No. 1 consideration when buying equipment? Should BSCs focus on price, ease of use, durability or other factors?

The key factors to consider are:

1) Productivity
2) Performance
3) Return on investment (ROI)
4) Cost of ownership
5) Ease of use and training

Price is often confused with cost, and this can be a very expensive mistake. If the unit really drives up productivity, the gain in time will provide a high ROI and short payback-on-investment period. We see this regularly with our battery canister and backpack vacuums. With the ability to clean areas from 10,000 and 15,000 feet per hour, respectively, they certainly help the bottom line without compromising quality or performance. The savings in time and labor provide a high return, and the initial investment is usually recouped within months. Understanding the real cost of ownership is key. - Gareth Mason, president, NaceCare Solutions, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Durability is the most critical factor when considering which machine to purchase. The ability to extend the life of a capital asset allows the BSC to generate revenue for five to seven years from a single asset and across multiple contracts. While it may be tempting to purchase cheaper equipment, this often leads to poor cleaning performance, frequent downtime, higher maintenance costs and a shorter lifetime. So the up-front cost savings on the cheaper machine are offset by higher operational and maintenance costs, reduced customer satisfaction with the cleanliness of their facility, reduced productivity and higher procurement costs to replace equipment more frequently. - Scott Keller, marketing manager, BSC, Nilfisk, Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota

Polished concrete can be considered lower maintenance compared to other substrates depending on the level of appearance that the facility is willing to accept. There is no such thing as a "maintenance-free" floor. The proper processes need to be in place to protect the customer's flooring investment from constant foot and equipment traffic, as well as weather implications like salt and sand. To give polished concrete floors a long-lasting clean, glossy appearance, it’s critical to implement daily maintenance, timely clean-up of spills and periodic restoration work. - Grace Widseth, portfolio manager - floor care, Sealed Air Diversey Care, Charlotte, North Carolina


Is polished concrete really less maintenance than other hard flooring?

Polished concrete can be considered lower maintenance compared to other substrates depending on the level of appearance that the facility is willing to accept. There is no such thing as a “maintenance-free” floor. The proper processes need to be in place to protect the customer’s flooring investment from constant foot and equipment traffic, as well as weather implications like salt and sand. To give polished concrete floors a long-lasting clean, glossy appearance, it’s critical to implement daily maintenance, timely clean-up of spills and periodic restoration work. - Grace Widseth, portfolio manager - floor care, Sealed Air Diversey Care, Charlotte, North Carolina

It depends on the appearance level the customers want to maintain. Both VCT and polished concrete require daily cleaning, which should consist of a dust mop and scrubbing. Because most soil is light, both of these surfaces can be cleaned with a water-only solution or a very light chemical dilution. So on a daily basis, the cleaning isn’t significantly different.

Some customers still burnish their VCT floors in order to achieve a higher gloss on their finish. This operation is not required on a polished concrete floor, so this would be an extra step in the floor preparation process. However, polished concrete floors do require specific treatments in order to achieve maximum performance. A hardener or densifier needs to be added to help make the concrete more resistant to surface breakdown and a special sealant is required to make the floor impervious to stains from spills.

Acidic liquids can also cause erosion of polished concrete, so proper sealing is of critical importance to maintain the integrity and appearance of the floor. - Scott Keller, marketing manager, BSC, Nilfisk, Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota

When handled and maintained correctly it can be less maintenance than other types, and it certainly handles high traffic better than many other alternatives. - Gareth Mason, president, NaceCare Solutions, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada


Can the use of certain flooring, such as polished concrete, extend the life of a BSC’s equipment?

While there may be less aggressive maintenance activities required for certain types of flooring substrates, it's always beneficial to have a daily maintenance plan that will protect your investments and help extend the life of a machine. Having a total solution and training process in place is crucial in extending the life of equipment -- this includes the proper chemicals, procedures and machines for the job. Ensuring that the equipment's daily maintenance points are easy to identify, access and complete without the need for additional tooling is an easy way to make sure the machines are being properly cared for, which is the key to extending the equipment's life. - Grace Widseth, portfolio manager - floor care, Sealed Air Diversey Care, Charlotte, North Carolina


I don't necessarily believe this to be the case unless you are comparing polished concrete to rougher industrial surfaces found on factory floors; or to natural stones which are often seen in larger retail environments or airports. Obviously the latter flooring puts a great deal of additional wear and tear on the units as the machine bounces over the uneven surface. Polished concrete, like VT or any other smooth surface, does put the least amount of wear and tear on the equipment. - Gareth Mason, president, NaceCare Solutions, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

The most critical variable in extending equipment life is for it to be properly used and maintained. Smooth surfaces are much easier on the equipment than rough surfaces, so both VCT and polished concrete are generally easy on machines. Ensuring your operators are properly trained will significantly improve the life expectancy of your equipment, more than the type of floor that is being cleaned. - Scott Keller, marketing manager, BSC, Nilfisk, Inc., Plymouth, Minnesota