How Do I Know What Hard Surface Floor I Will Be Cleaning? – Floor Identification Series – Part 1 of 7 parts
Due to the great variety of choices available in hard surface flooring today, it can sometimes be a challenge to determine the type of tile or stone or concrete you have been asked to clean. After all, many tile and stamped concrete designs are made to look just like natural stone. Sometimes they even fool the experts – until the testing is completed. However, it is possible to narrow your options to one of the major classifications of the types of floors. With experience you will be able to recognize specific materials. For the purpose of our discussion in this series, we are leaving out three major categories of hard surface floors you may be called upon to clean. The first are wood floors (laminate, engineered, or solid). Steps for cleaning, re-coating, and even re-surfacing wood floors require cleaning products and tools specific to wood floors. The second major category of hard surface floors we are omitting from this series are two different types of commonly encountered commercial tile floors – vinycl composition tile (vct) and resilient tile. Cleaning and re-waxing or re-coating those kind of commercial floors are beyond the scope of this discussion. The third and final hard surface floor we are leaving out of this series is residential “sheet” linoleum. We are going to focus on the types of floors you can restoratively cleaning with your high performance extraction equipment – tile, stone, concrete, and hybrid (a mixture of concrete and stone).
Types of Floors – Major Classifications
- Tile: Ceramic, Porcelain, Quarry and Saltillo (Terracota) Tile
- Stone: Marble, Flagstone, Sandstone, Granite, Slate, Travertine, Serpentine
- Concrete: Finished, Polished, and Stamped Concrete
- Hybrid (Concrete and Marble chips): Terrazzo
In part 2 of the series, we will begin to investigate and learn about the various testing and evaluation procedures you can use to determine the procedures and solutions for the effective deep, restorative cleaning of these floors in a residential or commercial setting
Tags: concrete, hybrid, identification, stone, tile
Doyle Bloss
R. Doyle Bloss has been a part of the cleaning and restoration industry for over 35 years. He presently serves as the Vice President of Marketing for HydraMaster in Mukilteo, Washington. Doyle has a long, successful track record of developing education and training systems in the areas of technical procedures, as well as marketing and management principles for the cleaning entrepreneur. He has headed up the two largest training programs in the industry, assisted in developing complete chemical lines for three leading manufacturers, and has been honored and awarded for his innovative programs that build bridges throughout the cleaning and restoration industry. He has a passion for hands-on presentation that provides an entertaining and thought provoking style that fully engages the student into the learning process. When not thinking about the latest innovations for removing cat pee, and how to market that service, Doyle enjoys college football, wildlife photography, Yellowstone National Park, and church activities. Doyle and his wife Tammy have three children and currently reside in Snohomish, Washington. Doyle can be reached at doyle.bloss@hydramaster.com
