Contract cleaners stone

Contract cleaners today have a variety of opportunities to grow their business and increase profits with add-on services. One excellent, yet often neglected opportunity is-type surface floor care.

There is a growing and significant number of facilities with stone surface floors. These hard-surface floors are expensive to install. Accordingly, commercial owners and managers are eager to obtain skilled professional care for their substantial investment.

Contract cleaning companies often pass up lucrative maintenance contracts because they don't feel confident in their floor care skills. Their concerns are not without cause, since the liability of damaging an expensive stone floor may be much more prohibitive than the liability of damaging a less costly surface. There's a window of opportunity opening for contractors willing to learn about stone floors and how to maintain them. The service can be a very profitable added value.

Many surfaces, many settings celestialindia

Stone flooring is found in a wide variety of buildings where a durable yet attractive surface is desired.

The first step in learning to maintain stone surfaces is to identify the floor type. Is the floor a natural stone or man-made masonry? Identifying stone type can be difficult at first; if in doubt, consult a certified stone care professional.

Popular natural stones used in floors include:

• Marble: A hard and durable floor covering that, under normal conditions, requires little maintenance other than regular daily care. A naturally occurring stone, marble is a form of limestone that is hard enough to take a polish. Many grades and colors are available, from Sicilian white to Belgian black and the colors of Roman stone. 
   
• Granite: Granite is an igneous stone that has cooled into a hard compact mass. Colors range from dark gray to white and silver, with occasional shades of black, blue and green. is one of the stronger stones, and, because of its tightly bonded atomic structure, one of the most durable. 
   
• Slate: A metamorphic rock composed of shale and clay deposits, slate has a very fine texture. Its colors vary from blue-gray and different shades of green to blue-green. 
   
• Sandstone: A sedimentary rock composed mostly of sand grains, sandstone offers a variety of colors. Red-brown is a popular shade, as well as light yellow, gray or blue. 
   
• Quartzite: Quartzite, formed from sedimentary deposits of sand grains, is much harder than sandstone. It contains minute flakes of mica, which reflect light and cause the surfaces to sparkle in appearance. Quartzite colors are gold and olive shades or silvery gray-green. 
   
• Limestone: Limestone is a sandy sedimentary rock and contains variable quantities of calcium carbonate and quartz. Common colors are light gray or tan, with occasional shades of yellow, white and pale brown.
   
  Natural stones range in hardness: sandstone is the softest, granite and quartzite are the hardest. Stone flooring is laid in tile size or slabs, which vary in thickness and are set in a screeded concrete sub-floor. Cement grout appears at the joints between stone slabs. 
   
• Terrazzo: This popular flooring is used in high-traffic areas where appearance and cleanliness are highly desired. Terrazzo is composed of crushed chips, angular in nature and embedded in a cement matrix. A wide variety of colors and shades are available. 
   
• Clay or ceramic tiles: Ceramic tiles are composed of a basic clay and are manufactured the way they have been for thousands of years. The clay with water added is fired in a kiln at carefully controlled conditions.

Many different clay tiles are used as floor surfaces. Some of the most popular are quarry tiles, faience tiles, paver tile and brick. All are available in a variety of colors -- both glazed and unglazed -- and are installed in a bed of cement matrix.

Finally, there are cement or concrete floors, which are among the least attractive but most durable and maintainable surfaces.

A stone floor maintenance program involves other factors besides stone identification. Consider the age of the floor. Is it new or is it well worn?

Initial maintenance on new floors may require different cleaning techniques and the use of a penetrating seal. Older, severely scratched stone floors may need a restoration procedure to bring them back to an acceptable appearance.

If you are assumed maintenance duties on an existing stone floor, ask how it was maintained in the past. Find out which chemicals were used in treating the floor, and whether it requires penetrating sealers and impregnators, or floor finish.