Commercial floors can come in a variety of different materials, styles, and surfaces. Depending on what type of flooring that you have, it will need a certain type of cleaning process and care.
The most common types of commercial floor surfaces are basic concrete, polished concrete, and linoleum tile. Polished concrete can appear to be like any surface, including marble and hardwood, and that would all depend on the amount of money the business owner wants to invest to finish it off.
Floor finishes basically fall under one of five categories: polymer emulsions, film formers, modifiers, preservatives, and water.
How you care for each will depend on the type of floor finish that you have. The most important thing to keep in mind is that almost all of these commercial floors will have porous surfaces, which means that dirt and grime, stains, and even water can get into those pores and cause staining and other issues over time.
Keeping the floors clean is the most important aspect of caring for them. The more foot traffic (as well as other traffic) that a floor receives will determine how often they need to be cleaned. Cleaning by vacuuming or sweeping will do a fair job of removing a decent amount of dust, dirt, and debris. However, it won’t do anything to get the dirt, allergens, and contaminants out of the porous surfaces.
That’s when you need to wash the floors. A floor cleaning machine is essential as it will get the proper cleaning component, mixed with water, into the pores and then draw it back out, with the dirt, through a suction device.
Every commercial floor should be sealed, either with a wax or other sealant to help protect the surface. In time, the sealant will begin to break down and then it will need to be removed (stripped) and a new sealant reapplied. This can be time consuming, but it is the best way to ensure that the commercial floor looks like new for the longest period of time.