Insights and Advice

“Most finishes on the market meet the basic requirements of a floor finish. They’ll have similar dry times and no issues with application,” says Ted Tysak, principle scientist at Philadelphia-based Rohm & Haas, a major source of polymers for floor finishes. “The only differences to look at are what sort of environment the finish is intended for and what kind of maintenance it will have to endure.”

For resilient flooring, if it is subjected to a daily maintenance procedure such as detergent scrubbing and buffing or burnishing, that coating has to be designed to respond to that level of maintenance, he says. Typically, that means the finish should be less durable and soft so it can be restored to high gloss by burnishing. If maintenance is not done on a regular basis, then a more durable coating is required.

When it comes to claims of faster dry times or reduced application time, Tysak says the differences could me minimal. “The claim could be legitimate, but that simply means the coat dries a minute or 30 seconds faster,” he says. Typically, coatings dry within 30 minutes to an hour, depending on humidity and airflow. If something dries in in less than 30 minutes, that’s an interesting claim that the cleaner needs to look into more closely, adds Tysak.

When it comes to ingredients, cleaners should note that the polymer is the main thing to focus on. Polymers make up about 75 percent to 90 percent of the solids in any floor finish, and are the main active ingredient that affects performance.

For more information on a specific finish, Tysak suggests calling the manufacturer’s technical department, rather than a sales person, or contact a similarly technical person at the finish’s polymer provider.