Like a vivacious personality, a clean and well-maintained floor can help liven any room. With such shine and brilliance, who wouldn’t feel warm and welcome? However, to maintain those good looks, flooring should be sealed and protected. Whether after a new installation or evaluating an older floor, one of the first things to consider is the sealer. Here are things to keep in mind when deciding which types of flooring should be sealed.
What to Know About Sealing Floors
First and foremost, floor sealer serves as a protective barrier. A sealer is vital to guard against the usual wear and tear activity that accompanies any commercial floor space.
Penetrating sealers soak into the micro-pores of stone, concrete, and grout. It helps prevent absorption and staining. These sealers are durable. They impregnate the stone or grout, soaking into the porous material. It hardens as it dries and cures. These sealers generally have a matte-finish with low to no shine. This allows the original, natural look of the stone to remain in-tact.
Durable surface sealers protect against surface scratching and other abrasive damage from objects scraping or scuffing the floor. Did someone topple a vintage bottle of red wine? Don’t sweat it. Surface sealers are looking out for you. They also serve as a barrier to stains.
Which Types of Floors Need to be Sealed?
Many floors can benefit from having a sealer properly applied and maintained. This will extend the floor’s lifetime and keep it looking good for years to come.
Hardwood: Popular and (unfortunately) expensive. A coat of sealer is a great choice here because water damage to wood floors can lead to separation or warping. Sealer will fill both the pores and any gaps between boards. It will block water or moisture from finding its way between or underneath the floor (wet sub-flooring can also be problematic).
Visually, a sealer will amplify the rich color of the wood stain. It can also bring out more of the wood’s natural grain.
Natural Stone: stone flooring is highly porous, making it vulnerable to many elements. Protective measures are recommended. The threats are many, including moisture getting into the pores, which can lead to bacterial growth. In commercial flooring this can be problematic in areas where foot traffic from outside can track in all kinds of fun things.
Ceramic or Porcelain Tile: these floors should have the grout sealed. This prevents against moisture getting underneath the grout, which can lead to erosion. It can also prevent mold growth in spaces with high humidity or moisture such as showers or locker rooms.
VCT or Sheet Vinyl: whether you have a VCT (vinyl composite tile) floor or sheet vinyl, a water based wax is your best ally against degradation and damage over time. Water based wax is a surface sealer with high shine. It allows the color of the floor to pop, and can give it that glossy wet look. Wax is not as durable, and can chip and flake away over time. Therefore, it must be maintained on a routine basis with periodic scrubbing, buffing, or stripping.
Concrete: Interior or polished concrete is sealed in certain environments. In restaurant settings a penetrative sealer can help against discoloration and staining of oils and foodstuffs.
Need help with your commercial flooring? At Business Cleaning Solutions we have many years of experience keeping our customer’s floors looking great. Whether you have questions, or would like a quote, we’re at your service. Contact us today to get started!
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