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Contributed by Ameripolish 

ABM Industries is a leading comprehensive international facility solutions provider. In December of 2020, they were approached by a current grocer client that was undergoing the process of switching their stores from vinyl composition tile (VCT) to polished concrete. Unfortunately, the store’s cleaning staff were not trained on proper polished concrete floor maintenance or equipment. Over time, the floor lost its shine and began to deteriorate.

Needing a refresh to return the floors back to their post-remodel shine, the grocer was concerned with having to close stores during business hours. They needed a solution that could be done completely wet to avoid dry grinding and the interruption of noise and dust. The distinctness of image (DOI) numbers, which measure floor shine, had also dipped into the 20s, well below the standard of 80 the stores were required to maintain.

“DOI numbers were crucial, and we had some readings as low as 5 and 10,” says Brian Terrana, director of operations, ABM Industries. “Achieving high DOI in such a large space while minimizing downtime meant we needed a unique solution.”

Solution

ABM approached Ameripolish, a leading provider of architectural concrete products, to evaluate their completely wet SmartFloor Refinement and Maintenance systems. With Ameripolish’s color-coded and numbered pad system, ABM was able to complete large areas of flooring with minimum downtime.

“The customer needed to be able to keep its stores open during the process, so we couldn’t do a dry grind which creates too much dust,” says Terrana. 

The Ameripolish SmartFloor pads feature innovative patented composite resin abrasive technology that grinds and restores floors. The pads can be outfitted to existing power trowels using the patented Universal Blade Holder option. The blade holder simply slides onto a machine’s existing blade, and SmartFloor system abrasives can be attached via a Velcro lining. The system also features SmartFloor Refinement System GPR Series Abrasives that can be used with a company’s existing planetary systems. These custom grinding and polishing rings (GPR) come in a variety of sizes and are easily installable with Velcro head attachments. The pads can be made in any size or shape to accommodate any machine regardless of type or manufacturer.

Impressed with the ease of use and longevity of the pads, ABM quickly deployed Ameripolish’s system across the grocer’s footprint.

“We’ve deployed this system into 15 stores,” says Terrana. “The number system is easy to understand, and pads are color-coded to match. My teams can easily verify that they’re grabbing the right pads, and they change out very quickly and easily on existing equipment.”

Results

ABM has seen a multitude of benefits since deploying Ameripolish products, including:

Efficiency Gains: within a seven-hour window, ABM can completely restore 20,000 square feet of concrete floors using Ameripolish’s SmartFloor Refinement system, compared to only 5,000 square feet completed in the same timeframe with a dry competitive system.

High-Shine Flooring: DOI scores that were once as low as 5 and 10, are now scoring in the upper 80s and mid-90s, creating the high-shine flooring customers expect.

Lower Equipment Costs: Ameripolish’s pads last up to four times longer than competitive pads  — ABM can order fewer pads and cover more square feet per pad.

Improved Indoor Air Quality (IAQ): With the wet system, the customer does not need to worry about dust impacting guests like traditional dry grinding systems.

Easy Maintenance: Once the floors are refined, ABM can easily train the customer’s cleaning and maintenance teams on the proper use of pads and equipment.

Next-Level Service: Ameripolish prides itself on being available to its clients, working closely with ABM to ensure its products are at peak performance.

“We’ve seen demand for polished concrete floor maintenance explode,” says Terrana. “We’re starting to get into projects with huge square footage, so finding a solution

that can be done completely wet is a huge benefit. A lot of our clients are concerned with indoor air quality, so this gives us a solution to meet customer demand. We invested in polished concrete due to market growth, and Ameripolish has been a wonderful partner.” 

For images of the system in action, click here.