Floor finishes are by no means a new product category in jan/san. Innovation is not at a standstill, however. Manufacturers of floor finishes are meeting customer demand for “green” and safe products, but remain focused on finding effective methods for product training.

Floor finishes date back to the ancient Romans and Egyptians and were composed of a natural wax emulsion and a resin. Since that time, floor finishes have undergone a sea of change when it comes to performance, durability and safety.

The modern evolution of floor finishes dates back to the 1920s. Significant improvements in floor care chemistry continued from the 1940s to the 1960s. During this period, synthetic waxes with polymer finishes (blended with resins and plasticizers) and clear-finish acrylic polymers were introduced.

Later, zinc cross-linked acrylic polymer finishes provided durability, until facilities began using high-speed floor machines that required more resilient finishes.

Polythermic floor finishes were introduced to withstand the heat and abrasion generated by the high-rpm technology.

Polymers — the major component of modern floor finish formulations — form the basis for “floor polish film” that defines gloss, hardness, toughness and slip resistance.

Innovative Improvements
Manufacturers differ on the extent of recent floor finish evolution. Some, like Lee Chen, haven’t noticed a significant period of innovation in floor finishes recently.

“Although polymer technology has progressed over the years, I believe that recent advancements haven’t really occurred in leaps and bounds,” says Chen, vice president, Rochester Midland Corp., Rochester, N.Y.

“It’s not so much advances in technology as it is improved choices of products and methods of application,” he explains. “If people apply the right product correctly to the right floor, the floor finish will work. If they don’t, it won’t.”

Dennis Joy, national sales manager, Simoniz USA, Bolton, Conn., says his company continually strives to produce longer-lasting and labor-saving finishes.

“It all comes down to labor and durability,” he says. “It takes a long time to remove damaged finishes and then reapply the finish.”

“Polymers need to better withstand changing conditions such as high or low humidity — factors that create application problems. They generally don’t form as great a film under those extreme conditions,” Joy explains.

In response to less-then-ideal conditions, the company has developed longer lasting products that respond well to maintenance.

Mike Tarvin, technical director, Multiclean, a division of Minuteman Intl., Shoreview, Minn., also mentions his company’s recent improvements in floor finish technology.

He points to higher solids in floor finishes that allow users to lay fewer coats and get the same results.

“That has enhanced productivity by eliminating some of the labor that goes with applying floor finishes,” says Tarvin. “Products that provide longer lasting appearance with less maintenance have also generated improvements in productivity.”

In addition to creating labor savings during the application process, these products save valuable employee time because they don’t have to be buffered or burnished often to provide a “trademark” shine.

Becky Kaufold, a chemist with Spartan Chemical Co., Inc., Maumee, Ohio, says polymer technology has increased the overall durability and lifespan of floor care finishes.

“We want to extend the lifespan of floors and get away from regular maintenance such as burnishing or buffing, as well as the need to strip or recoat,” Kaufold says.

Eco-finishes
Both Joy and Chen point to an industry trend of environmentally preferable products. Floor finish manufacturers now are developing green products that eliminate certain polluting metals such as zinc. Finishes are also manufactured without harmful surfactants.

However, Chen doesn’t believe that zinc is completely on its way out. “The challenge for a non-zinc finish is providing durability and gloss, he says. “The zinc is what gives you the interlock that makes a finish durable, especially for high traffic areas.”

Kaufold says the jan/san industry has helped the green movement in that it has defined what “green”actually means.

“There are various industry certification programs, including one specifically for floor finishes,” says Kaufold. “These [programs] set parameters for different toxicity issues, for performance and for environmentally friendly products.”

According to Ian West, director of floor care marketing for JohnsonDiversey, Sturtevant, Wis., people have been talking about green finishes for a while.

“In the past, end users didn’t accept the idea because, in general, products that had been formulated green didn’t perform well,” West explains. “Today, thanks to various advances in polymer chemistry and formulations, our capability to produce environmentally responsible finishes has grown.”

Clean Floors, Safe Floors
“Today’s floor finishes must prove to be safe for those who walk on them and must be able to withstand the wear and tear of maintenance,” says Joy. “That’s a no-brainer. They have to prevent slips and falls.”

He explains that all products must meet industry standards before they are brought to the marketplace.

Curt Hitchner, floor care category manager for Betco, Toledo, Ohio, says there are several things that cause slip and fall accidents. “The test really looks at how the finishes test against materials, such as water, powders and other fluids, that inadvertently get on floors that cause slips and falls,” says Hitchner.

Testing for slip and fall prevention is essential to developing a product that performs. However, all the testing is for naught if end users do not know how to use the products correctly.

“We’ve come out with a slip prevention training module that provides good information on how to avoid these accidents in a facility,” says Hitchner.

Points Of Performance
The floor care industry is driven by performance, says Rocky Massin, senior product manager for Hillyard Industries, St. Joseph, Mo.

“For our products to withstand wear and tear, we’ve set certain quality levels that we won’t ever undercut,” states Massin.

Resistance to water and abrasion are key performance criteria. “Sometimes durability is a function of both of those characteristics,” Massin explains. “Floor finishes are water-based coatings. If you wet them down with an autoscrubber, the coatings will soften temporarily, so a coating must be able to withstand the abrasiveness of scrubber pads or a buffer.”

Rochester Midland tests its floor finishes to determine their durability and ability to hold up to regular floor maintenance.

“In our testing, we lay the finish down, and over a period of time, monitor it and see what traffic will do to affect durability and strength,” says Chen.

Multiclean also emphasizes durability, according to Tarvin.

He explains that the company considers how products will perform under a facility’s maintenance program. Multiclean also takes into account the type of facility and gauges the effect that traffic has on the floors.

“Some of our finishes are designed for retail applications where floors are burnished every night,” Tarvin says. “These finishes are formulated differently than a finish that will be burnished relatively infrequently. The floor environment of a big box retailer will be quite different than that of a school or a convenience store or even a health care facility. So designing finishes for those different applications is key.”

West says “durability” is a relative term. “To one person, durability means gloss retention capabilities and how well a finish responds to buffing or burnishing,” West says. “To another customer, durability might mean scratch and mark resistance.”

Scratch resistance is especially important in the Southwest as sand is frequently tracked inside facilities. Airports are one facility type that looks for floor finishes that resist black heel marks.

Maintenance Equals Resistance
Experts agree that regular maintenance of floor finishes has a profound effect on a product’s performance.

Hitchner says it is crucial that the correct finish is chosen for specific facilities.

“The way the finish was designed to perform is based on whether there is a low-maintenance, medium-maintenance or frequent-maintenance program in place,” he says.

Also important is to remember to allow enough dry time between coats. “Our company recommends using a finish applicator system to get even coats,” says Hitchner. “If a product gets put down too quickly or too heavily, that will affect how the finish will perform in the long run.”

According to Joy, there are certain ways to put a finish down correctly. “Put down thin coats,” he suggests. “Use clean mops and put a liner in your bucket to prevent contamination from anything that had been in the bucket earlier.”

A finish should take about 30 minutes to dry, but that could vary because of temperature, humidity and other factors. “It’s imperative to follow the label application’s directions,” says Joy.

According to Chen, it is important to choose the right pad to get the desired gloss. “That’s a most critical piece of the puzzle,” he explains. “If you use the wrong pad you could tear up the finish instead of buffing or burnishing to get the gloss back.”

Chen says a good cleaning program will prolong the life of a finish. To prevent accidental stripping of floor finish, he suggests using a neutral pH cleaner.

“It’s also a good idea to schedule a deep scrub in a recoating program,” he emphasizes.

Jordan Fox is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer.




POSTED ON: 12/1/2006