We were called by a previous client to screen and recoat the hardwood floors in a home they’d just bought. When we arrived, I realized we’d cleaned the carpet in the house before for the previous owners. We screened then cleaned the floors before tacking and rolling on the first coat. We left it to dry and then followed up with another coat. The floors turned out great, and we left another customer happy in one of my favorite neighborhoods to clean.

For an opportunity to win a gift card worth $250, send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Amanda Hosey, managing editor, at amandah@issa.com, or submit via Facebook Messenger at . Contest rules available by request.

[infobox title=’DID YOU KNOW’][/infobox]

“Screening” in wood floorcare refers to heavy cleaning or abrasion of the surface with a screen mesh disk or maroon-covered pad as part of the refinishing process.

Refinishing is needed when surface or gloss wear makes reapplication of finish necessary to return the hardwood floor to its desired appearance.

Read more at www.cleanfax.com/better-wood-floorcare.

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Q: What are the differences between ceramic tile and stone floors?

A: Ceramic tile is a manufactured product in which natural minerals have been pressed together with hydraulic pressure in a press machine. is a natural product taken from the ground, wherein minerals have been pressed together by the heat and pressure of the earth over long periods of time. Ceramic tiles can be produced to look very much like natural stone.

Q: How can you differentiate between ceramic tile and stone floors?

A: Compare the patterns on different tiles to see if they are similar or exactly the same. If the patterns on the different tiles are similar but not identical, the tiles could be made of either stone or ceramic. If the patterns match exactly, the tiles are most likely ceramic or another fabricated material. However, visually identifying these differences can be challenging because ceramic tile and stone can look comparable, especially with polished (shiny) materials.

Do not rely solely on visual identification unless you have a lot of experience with these types of tiles. Another option for identifying the material is a porosity test—most manufactured tile is not porous, whereas natural stone sometimes is.

Q: What are some typical challenges with cleaning and maintaining ceramic tile and stone floors?

A: The biggest challenge is that customers often wait too l for cleaning and maintenance, so the soil load is significant.

Another challenge is that customers have cleaned their flooring with a household cleaner for years, which has left detergent residue that attracts even more soils. As most professionals are aware, household cleaners are not neutral (that is, they do not have a pH of 7) and, therefore, need thorough rinsing after cleaning, which hasn’t been done.

The buildup is even more pronounced in the grout, which is not of the same texture as the tiles and releases soils very differently. The grout acts as a valley between the tiles, and soils are drawn to those low-lying areas.

Because of the grout’s low position, cleaners need to think about the tools they are using. Tools such as dust mops are flat, but tiled floors are not. Homeowners who use flat tools are actually driving dry soils into the grout. Adding water from a spray mop afterward creates mud in the grout joints, making cleaners’ jobs more difficult when they finally do arrive.

Q: Tell us about the types of grout that cleaners encounter. Which are easiest to maintain? What can clients do to make routine maintenance easier?

A: The three types of grout are cement based, epoxy, and furan resin. The first two varieties are usually found in residential and commercial buildings. Furan resin grout is mostly found in commercial environments such as meat-packing facilities and hospital operating rooms.

Cement-based grout is most popular and is used in a variety of residential and commercial installations. The problems with cement-based grout are the amount of soils that adhere to its surface and its porosity, which allows liquids to penetrate below its surface, causing stains. Cement-based grout should be sealed to prevent liquids from penetrating it.

Epoxy grout is a substance resembling plastic that doesn’t retain soils and cannot be penetrated by liquids or dirt in any way. This grout is the easiest to maintain, but because installation requires that a catalyst or hardener be used in the mixing process, it is difficult for the tile setter to install.

Clients can make routine services easier by substituting a broom for a dust mop. They should regularly use a broom to get into the low-lying area of the grout, removing dry soils before they get wet and become difficult to get rid of. Clients can also use a proper neutral cleaner during regular cleaning to keep detergent residue from attracting additional soils.

Q: Why does grout get so dirty compared to the rest of the floor?

A: Grout sits below the surface of the tiles; water finds the lowest point and brings any soils with it. Those soils are then added to the cooking and body oils that most homes have within the air, which settle onto the flooring.

Most soils are held into the grout by detergent residue when household cleaners are not rinsed properly. In fact, the same soils are found in both carpet and grout— just hides the soils better than grout does.

Q: Can you list and describe the types of planned maintenance programs cleaners should use?

A: Initial maintenance is the first process. A common problem with new installations, for example, is grout haze. This occurs when the installation crew uses only water to remove the cement debris that has spread over the flooring while the grout is “floated” into the gap between the tiles. Once dried, this haze forms a thin layer of concrete on top of the tiles. Acidic products work well to remove this type of residue, but cleaners should be careful not to get acid into the grout joint itself.

Routine maintenance is the process most homeowners, maid services, and building service contractors perform frequently to remove daily or weekly soil buildup. The key here is to clean effectively with neutral cleaning products to limit any detergent residue.

Interim maintenance is done when routine services are no longer effective or practical. An example includes using a narrow grout brush with a neutral cleaner to service the low areas of the grout joints. This is done more frequently than restoration maintenance but less frequently than routine maintenance.

Restoration maintenance is needed when the soils on the flooring get out of hand and when either routine or interim maintenance can no longer remove them. Implementing lower production rates, combined with strong detergents and large amounts of water, are usually needed to completely remove the soils. Because of the potent detergents and the large amount of water needed for rinsing, take special precautions to avoid splashing the walls, furniture, or appliances by masking off areas adjacent to the flooring. Also, be careful with high-pressure rinsing, as this can cause grout to break off and be vacuumed out of the grout joint. All grout lines should be checked thoroughly before high-pressure rinsing.

Q: What are your top three cleaning and restoration tips for ceramic tile and stone floors?

A: First, evaluate the flooring for damage before you begin maintenance. Document the floor’s current condition, including the floor characteristics, installation issues, and damaged areas. Extra minutes here can save hundreds or thousands of dollars later.

Second, use high-quality products for all maintenance. Many times, a good neutral cleaner and heavy scrubbing action are all that’s needed. Don’t automatically use strong detergents in a light soil situation where they may not be appropriate—match the detergent to the soil load.

Finally, if using pressure tools, make sure that the flooring can handle the amount of pressure you plan to use. Even though grout is similar in composition from job to job, each grout joint is a one-off construction project. Too much water added into the mix ratio during installation can cause a professional cleaner huge headaches. This extra water can create a large pore structure, allowing liquids to penetrate more easily and deeper than in proper installations. Grout with a larger pore structure will also require more sealer to completely fill those spaces.

Dane Gregory is national sales manager for Carpet Cleaner America and is an approved IICRC instructor for the Floor Care Technician and Stone, Masonry, and Ceramic Tile Technician classes. He is also approved in the Carpet Cleaning Technician, Upholstery and Fabric Technician, and Commercial Carpet Maintenance Technician classes. He can be reached at dane@carpetcleaner-usa.com or dane@danegregory.com.

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Terrazzo has been used as a flooring material for three centuries, so floor care technicians are bound to encounter terrazzo floors in need of cleaning or restoration.

Terrazzo is made of marble chips (about 70 percent), as well as glass and other aggregates embedded into tinted cement. One type of terrazzo flooring we see today dates back to the 1700s when it was first found in Italian homes, offices, schools, and stores. It has even been used for sidewalks, including the well-known Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Terrazzo made its entry into North American residential and commercial buildings in the late 1880s. An early problem with terrazzo was that it would often crack shortly after installation, so some developers lost interest in terrazzo and it went out of style. By the 1920s, new installation techniques were developed to minimize cracking, and as a result, terrazzo became a very popular floor from the 1930s to the 1970s.

In the 1970s, terrazzo fell out of fashion as the “poor man’s marble floor,” as marble, granite, and stone floors became more popular and less expensive. But since the 1990s, terrazzo has regained its popularity and certainly is no longer considered the “poor man’s marble floor.”

In fact, today terrazzo can be very costly to install. It must be mixed and poured over a specially prepared surface, then leveled and polished. While the process may have been inexpensive a century ago, that has changed largely due to high labor costs.

This means that if a facility now has a terrazzo floor, especially a very old floor that covers a large area and is in good condition, it is treated as a building gem. This is where terrazzo floor care knowledge becomes important for floor care technicians.

Terrazzo deterioration

While terrazzo has gone in and out of style, no one can deny that it is durable. Some ancient palacios and palazzos in Italy still have their original terrazzo floors hundreds of years later. However, without proper care, terrazzo can succumb to deterioration.

Moisture, soil, and foot traffic all take a toll on terrazzo, so the first goal of a floor care technician is to reduce this corrosion. As with other hard surface floors, this is best accomplished with the use of floor mats.

When it comes to matting, urge your clients to do the following:

• Install “high-performance” matting systems designed to trap soils, especially moisture, at all building entries near the terrazzo.
• Mats should be as much as 15 feet long.
• Install mats in transition areas (areas where terrazzo meets another flooring type).

Terrazzo floor care

While the cleaning and care of terrazzo may be similar to other types of hard surface floors, it is not exactly the same. Understanding these differences is crucial to ensure proper terrazzo floor care.

Even with effective matting in place, moisture and soils will find their way onto the terrazzo. Because of this, terrazzo should be swept or vacuumed daily. Excess moisture can deteriorate terrazzo, especially older terrazzo, so damp mop the floor as needed using as dry a mop as possible.

It is advised to regularly clean terrazzo floors using a neutral pH cleaner diluted according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Always use fresh or freshly cleaned floor mops, as soiled mops may spread soils over the floor. It is also a good idea to rinse the floor with a fresh mop after mopping. This final step helps remove any remaining soils or chemical residue from the floor.

Newer techniques

A new technique for terrazzo floor care involves a one-time protective process that improves durability, thereby reducing the amount of ongoing maintenance needed for terrazzo floors. It involves the following steps:

Strip

If a finish or sealant has been applied to the floor, it must be stripped or scrubbed off. “Scrub-free” strippers are available that should eliminate the need for a machine scrubber. Properly mix the stripper and follow dwell time instructions per the manufacturer. Apply to the terrazzo using a flat mop and a bucket filled with the solution.

Clean

After stripping the sealant, deep clean the floor using an automatic scrubber with a 200-grit pad and a “restoration” cleaner. If performed correctly, these steps should only need to be completed once for the life of the floor.

Quick tip: When using the scrubber, move forward over the floor and then turn around, overlapping about half of the floor area just scrubbed. This ensures that all floor areas are scrubbed clean.

Apply densifier

Once the floor is dry, apply a substrate “densifier.” This is a water-based formulation that penetrates the pores in the terrazzo to increase its density and hardness, which provides additional protection for the floor. Using an automatic scrubber with a 400-grit, 800-grit, or even a 1500-grit pad enhances the shine. Again, this step only needs to be performed once in the life of the floor.

Ongoing maintenance

Once the foundation has been created, the floor should only need to be cleaned and machine polished/burnished on a regular basis using a terrazzo cleaning solution.

While the process may sound a bit involved, it is a worthwhile investment in the life of a terrazzo floor. This one-time protective process makes ongoing maintenance quicker and easier, saving floor care technicians time in the long run while preserving the beauty and durability of terrazzo floors.

James Flieler is the Vice President of Training at Charlotte Products Limited, a manufacturer of innovative, environmentally responsible cleaning solutions. Other members of the professional floor care division also contributed to this article. For questions on this article, contact experts@charlotteproducts.com.

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Historically, the flooring market, like all markets, tends to change. In the late 1800s, linoleum was the latest and greatest choice. Throughout the early 1900s, asphalt tile, followed by vinyl asbestos tile, were the flooring of choice. Due to the harmful health consequences of asbestos, the manufacturing of these materials ended in the 1970s and 1980s, and this pushed forward the popularity of contemporary vinyl composition tile, or VCT.

Now we have luxury vinyl tile (LVT) as the hottest-selling resilient flooring material. Of course, that can and probably will eventually change.

Vinyl composition tile facts

VCT is a composition of polyvinyl chloride, plasticizers, and limestone filler. The prominence of VCT in the market had to do primarily with its durability and affordable costs.

For decades, this product has been used extensively in commercial, retail, healthcare, and educational environments. VCT is prevalent everywhere, and there is still a significant amount sold and installed today.

LVT may be the largest-selling resilient flooring on the market today, but there are billions, if not trillions, of square feet of existing VCT in use every day. VCT is still the workhorse of the resilient industry and is very much alive. Its versatility in the built environment is unparalleled by all other flooring materials.

Vinyl composition tile maintenance

There are several factors purchasers consider when choosing flooring material, of which maintenance is an important one.

It may not be as highly regarded, considering its aesthetic appeal or initial cost, but it must be considered in the overall price and ownership of the floor. Because floor maintenance of VCT is accomplished using floor polishes, it is often considered a high-cost maintenance system, which may not be entirely accurate.

The cost of maintaining a sacrificial film versus maintaining the actual flooring material becomes highly apparent when “low maintenance” results in abrasion of the floor surface instead of the floor finish. This can ultimately end up as visually unacceptable or prompt replacement of the floor altogether.

Polishes are an integral aspect of maintaining VCT, and technicians that know how to maintain polish can keep a VCT floor looking great for years. Acrylic sealers and finishes are the most popular polishes used to maintain VCT. Used in conjunction with a good floor maintenance program of daily/ routine, periodic, and restorative service procedures, VCT flooring can be flawless for decades. There are many schools, hospitals, and large retail stores that can attest to that fact.

One of the most astonishing facts about VCT is that no matter how much abuse the floor is subjected to, if the tiles themselves are not damaged or broken, they can almost always be restored to an acceptable condition or better. For the floor maintenance technician, there is no better story than the one about how a pleased customer was astonished to find that his floor was not ruined, but completely restored to like-new condition by the flooring professional he hired.

The argument regarding high maintenance costs of vinyl composition tile may be a valid point; however, you can effectively maintain VCT and, in some cases, bring it back from the dead.

Stan Hulin has over four decades of hard floor maintenance, services, training, education, sales and marketing, and management experience with companies such as ABM, DuPont, and milliCare. He is president and CEO of Future Floor Technology Inc. and the League of Hard Flooring Professionals. He can be reached at sqhulin@futurefloortech.com.

The post The Impact of VCT appeared first on Cleanfax.

The development of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) over the last decade has increased the sales of these products significantly. Floor Covering Weekly estimates 1.87 billion square feet of luxury vinyl tile worth 1.50 billion dollars was sold in 2016. This represents a substantial percentage of resilient flooring sales.

Since LVT began making inroads in the United States flooring market, it has been touted as a game changer, especially in the resilient category. Every year seems to bring more and more attention to this product and rightfully so. Sales in 2016 represented 50.83 percent by value and 34.99 percent by volume of the resilient category (see below graphic).

The term “luxury vinyl tile” is not recognized as an ASTM classification in the flooring industry; however, the name and acronym are recognized as accepted terminology and used extensively. Technically, LVT is defined by ASTM F1700 – 13a: Standard Specification for Solid Vinyl Floor Tile as Class III, Printed Film, Type A (smooth surface) or Type B (embossed surface). Because it is really a sub classification of solid vinyl tile (SVT), and due to its physical properties, it was named LVT, which is much easier to remember and say.

Luxury vinyl tile construction

Commercial LVT is a high-quality flooring material that is manufactured as a layered product (see graphic below). The construction consists of a base layer (LVT back) and core (solid rigid core) of poly vinyl chloride, which is flexible yet stable.

The next layer is a printed film (decorative layer) with a high-resolution digital image that resembles stone or wood or has an abstract design. The printed film is protected by a heavy-duty, clear vinyl, wear layer (urethane wear layer) that can be up to 30 mils thick — 1 mil is equal to 1/1,000 of an inch — and is applied over the surface. LVT manufacturers often provide an application of urethane or polyurethane coating as additional protection, which may contain aluminum oxide or silica for reinforcement.

Maintenance of luxury vinyl tile

LVT is manufactured predominately in tile and plank form, which may vary in dimensions and design. The properties and characteristics of the flooring make it an aesthetically pleasing alternative to natural wood and stone, and it can be used in many environments. The durability of the wear layer and polyurethane coatings give LVT a surface that can endure for years if maintained correctly.

The maintenance for LVT is the real game changer. Floor maintenance technicians traditionally have maintained vinyl flooring products using sacrificial polishes with various levels of buffing/ burnishing, agitation, abrasion, and reapplication of polishes. Because of the durable wear layer and polyurethane coatings, most traditional service procedures are not warranted. That does not mean that floor maintenance is eliminated altogether; it just changes the dynamics of the service procedures and the frequency in which they are performed.

The daily/ routine and periodic maintenance procedures are the key factors to keeping LVT flooring looking its best. Performing the dry soil removal and proper mopping procedures frequently is essential for the longevity of the floor. Machine scrubbing, with soft or medium scrubbing brushes or pads, and general-purpose cleaner will still be required periodically.

The use of acrylic polishes is not necessary but is sometimes allowed by manufacturers. When maintaining LVT products, it is always best to follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance procedures for optimum results.

Stan Hulin has over four decades of hard floor maintenance, services, training, education, sales and marketing, and management experience with companies such as ABM, DuPont, and milliCare. He is president and CEO of Future Floor Technology Inc. and the League of Hard Flooring Professionals. He can be reached at
sqhulin@futurefloortech.com.

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Resilient flooring constitutes one of the largest categories of hard surface flooring. The key part of the term is the word “resilient,” which means to spring back into shape.

The resilient property in flooring materials is the elastic energy that causes it to regain its original shape after being subjected to indentation from heavy loads, except for poured, seamless flooring. It is a hard surface that is not flexible at all yet belongs in the resilient category.

The resilient category includes linoleum, cork, rubber, vinyl, and poured, seamless flooring products. Although these flooring materials are classifications within the resilient category, there are some differences in the way they are maintained, particularly in the restorative service procedures. Identification of resilient flooring helps to determine which floor maintenance chemical system and floor maintenance programs are best suited for the individual classifications.

Resilient flooring may come in sheets (rolls), tiles, or planks, or they can be applied fluid, as is the case with poured, seamless flooring. Sometimes it can be very difficult to visually determine which is which, so it is always best to find out from the architect, distribution company, general contractor, or even the owner. The following list is a brief description of the most common resilient flooring used today.

Linoleum

Invented in the mid-19th century, linoleum has been around for a long time. Although, there are some slight variations in ingredients from manufacturer to manufacturer, linoleum floors are still made in pretty much the same way they have always been. The ingredients in linoleum consist of cork, wood flour, natural resins, limestone talc, and color pigments mixed with linseed oil, hence the name linoleum, which are then pressed on a jute backing. Linoleum comes in sheet and tile form and is sensitive to moisture, abrasion, and high-pH (above 10) cleaning and stripping chemicals.

Cork

This flooring material is manufactured from the bark of the cork oak tree and can be made in sheet or tile form. Most often cork flooring is manufactured in 12-by-12-inch tiles with variations of raw cork (with no seal or polish), traditional cork (with paste wax), and those with polyurethane, factory-applied coatings, the latter being the most common. Usually these floors are easily identified as cork because of how they look — like cork.

Identification of the factory polish or natural surface is essential for the long-term maintenance of cork flooring, each surface requires different maintenance methods. Cork flooring is sensitive to moisture and abrasion, making daily or routine removal of dry particulate soil, followed by damp mopping, important for longevity.

Rubber

Rubber has been around longer than linoleum but did not fare well in its early years. Currently it is doing quite well, but due to its properties and characteristics, it can be a challenging surface to maintain. Rubber is most commonly identified by raised, round or square profiling; however, it also comes smooth and in various textures such as hammered and embossed. There is also crumb or recycled rubber that is manufactured in sheets, tiles, and interlocking forms. Although not water sensitive, rubber is an abrasion- and chemical-sensitive surface that requires following the manufacturer’s recommendations in detail.

Poured, seamless flooring

Fluid applied flooring, resinous flooring, and poured, seamless flooring are considered the same or very much alike. They are manufactured as epoxy, urethane, or other chemically based systems and are extremely durable. They are easily identifiable because they are generally homogenous and uniform on the floor and cove base. Seamless flooring is one of the most durable, resilient surfaces making, it relatively easy to clean.

Vinyl flooring

The most common resilient flooring material is vinyl, which also comes in sheet, tile, and plank form. Introduced in the early 20th century, vinyl has evolved into contemporary classifications such as homogeneous and heterogeneous sheet flooring and various solid and composition tiles.

The largest classification of vinyl flooring today is called luxury vinyl tile and plank. This classification has sub-classifications that are similar, but they have enough differences that caring for them will require closely following the manufacturer’s recommendations to ensure proper maintenance.

For those interested in expanding into hard floor cleaning, understanding the resilient category is essential, as it makes up a substantial portion of modern floors.

Stan Hulin has over four decades of hard floor maintenance, services, training, education, sales and marketing, and management experience with companies such as ABM, DuPont, and milliCare. He is president and CEO of Future Floor Technology Inc. and the League of Hard Flooring Professionals. He can be reached at sqhulin@futurefloortech.com.

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Marble is made up of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is highly reactive to even mild acids. When marble encounters an acidic agent, the acid dissolves parts of the marble surface exposing marble that was once below the surface. This newly exposed marble is unpolished unlike its surroundings. Consequently, these etch marks show up as dull whitish marks compared to its nice polished surroundings.

One of the most common causes of etching occurs from inexperienced marble owners trying to clean their marble. Many household cleaners contain acids as active ingredients, and once they are added to the marble surface, small light marks begin to show up on the surface. Therefore, it is very important to be aware of marble’s one big vulnerability and, thus, choose a safe marble cleaner.

What makes a safe marble cleaner?

A safe marble cleaner must not be even the slightest bit acidic. A strong acid will almost immediately create etch marks on marble, but a mild acid can get you in even more trouble because they are deceptive. You will not initially notice the damage, so you will continue to use the mildly acidic cleaner, and, before you know it, you have dulled the entire surface. To insure your cleaner is safe, the pH level of the cleaner must be above seven. Ideally, the pH level will be slightly higher than seven, so the cleaner will have some cleaning power.

For some reference, pure water has a pH level of seven, so to increase the cleaning power of the cleaner, the manufacturers of safe marble cleaners typically increase the pH to somewhere between seven and 10. Since a mildly basic solution is safe, these cleaners have the right balance of pH to be safe but effective. For more information, see this article on the role of pH in cleaning.

How to choose a safe marble cleaner

Due to the sensitivity of marble to acids, it is best to use cleaners that are specifically designed for marble. Therefore, safe cleaners will say “marble cleaner,” “safe for use on marble,” or maybe “pH balanced.” These cleaners are designed for marble and should be safe for use. To be extra careful, read the backside of the cleaner and see if it offers the pH level of the cleaner. Look for a range of seven to 10, maybe a pH of 11 for specific-purpose cleaners like soap scum removers. For more information, see this article on selecting .

Owen Franklin is the creator of , a site filled with completely free resource that is a one-stop-shop for everything you need to know to maintain and care for marble. TheMarbleCleaner strives to give actionable, easy-to-use, marble care and maintenance tips.

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That question is the reason for this article.

While teaching in Australia in August 2015, I was asked about a ceramic tile floor installed over a concrete slab in which the tile had “buckled up.” The ceramic tile failed just like hardwood flooring that has been wet for an extended period of time when it swells and finally heaves up.

What caused the ceramic tile to buckle? My initial reaction was to look for causes beyond the tile or slab:

• Possibly some form of hydraulic (water) pressure under the slab had “pushed” the tiles off the floor.
• Perhaps water had migrated through the slab from underneath and caused the mastic or thinset to lose its adhesive bond.

Both of these ideas were incorrect.

Buckled water damaged tile floor #1

The home was approximately seven years old and had experienced a significant water damage. The restoration company had performed the drying correctly; however, three months later, the floor “tented.” (The term “tenting” is used by the flooring industry to refer to the edges of tile rising up.) The restorer showed me pictures of the floor where tiles had buckled up in this way.

The damage looked much like when hardwood flooring “buckles,” as initially the water damaged tile edges rose up, then eventually the tiles “popped up.”

One possible cause for the damage was moisture rising through the slab. However, the ceramic tile floor was removed (after this failure), and the underlying slab was in perfect condition: No cracks, no seams, nothing. Other possible causes of damage were: 1) Either the ceramic tile had expanded (like wood does when it gets wet), or 2) The slab had shrunk.

In all my experience, I had neither seen nor heard of anything like this happening. I was truly baffled. This situation made no sense to me, so I discounted it as a one-off situation that did not seem to have a reasonable explanation.

Buckled water damaged tile floor #2

During an October class at the Restoration Sciences Academy campus in Nashville, a student approached me about one of his drying situations. It was virtually the same water damaged tile situation as what I had been asked about in Australia. Now, a one-time event I might have been able to discount as an unexplained episode not likely to occur again, but when I was asked about the same situation twice in three months, I had to consider something was going on which I did not understand. So I headed “back to the books” to undertake some serious research.

The science of tiles

I gleaned some science and engineering knowledge: In fact, ceramic will expand when it becomes wet, even though it has been fired in a kiln. Also, concrete slabs can expand when they become wet and shrink as they dry. The science corroborates these statements.

The science is complex, but I will try to explain it in terms that make sense to us practitioners. First of all, let me dispel some myths, replacing them with real facts:

Myths:

• Ceramic tile is inert and not affected (in physical size) by water.
• Concrete slabs may absorb water, but the slab dimensions do not change.

Facts:

• Ceramic tile of any type will absorb water and, because of this absorption, expand in size.
• Once dried, ceramic tile does not shrink back to its pre-loss dimensions; it stays in the expanded state. For this reason, ceramic tile manufacturers expect the installers to include expansion joints in the middle of any floor they install.
• Concrete slabs will expand when flooded.
• Unlike ceramic tile, concrete will shrink back to its original size as it dries.

This means in a water damaged tile situation involving ceramic tile installed over a concrete slab, both the ceramic tile and the slab will expand. When dried, the slab returns to its original size, but the ceramic tiles do not shrink back to their original size. When the concrete slab subfloor shrinks and the ceramic tile flooring itself does not shrink back, the resulting stress causes either the “tenting type” failure or tiles to simply crack into pieces. Some of the engineering terms used to explain this phenomenon are:

• Absorption: The absorption of water vapor by a solid material.
• Hydration: The capture of water molecules.
• Chemisorption: The phenomenon where ceramic tiles that have free silica and/or silicates expand when dried.

Moisture expansion essentially is due to the chemical and physical adsorption of water on the amorphous phases within the tile body. The amount of expansion, as moisture enters into ceramic tiles, is affected by many variables virtually unknown to restorers. Some of these variables include:

• The actual mineral composition of the tile material. (Most tile is made from clay, but the composition of individual clays depends upon where the clay comes from.)
• The temperature at which the tile was fired.
• The amount of time the tile was fired.
• Whether the tile was fired a second or third time to anneal (strengthen) its internal structure.
• Whether the top surface is glazed and, if so, what glazing compound material was used.

While the accepted science states that ceramic tile does absorb water and can expand, this expansion does not always appear to happen. Possibly the expansion is slight enough to be invisible or undetectable by normal eye sight, which then raises this question: If ceramic tile can expand, how much can it?

The science suggests expansion can be in the order of 0.9 mm for each meter of tile length (of the installed floor). Converting this to inches: 0.25 inches of expansion occurs for each 20 feet of flooring. This may seem an insignificant amount of expansion, but, if the tile is installed with no or minimal grout line spacing, then any expansion could lead to tile tenting or buckling.

Restorers beware

What does all of this mean for restorers? Most of us were of the opinion that ceramic tile is virtually inert, does not really absorb water and, if it does, dries out with no issues. This thinking is mostly true, except when it is not.

Restorers should be aware of situations, possibly rare, in which water damaged tile absorbs water, expands and does not shrink back after drying. This expansion can, in time (usually weeks to months after the event), result in the ceramic tile either rising up or buckling.

During the inspection of a water damage, can the restorer determine if this kind of tile failure is going to happen on a drying job with ceramic tile installed over a concrete slab?

The answer is no. Too many variables exist that are unknown and cannot be determined (for example, at what temperature the tiles were fired). This phenomenon does not mean that every water loss involving ceramic tile over a concrete slab needs to be removed, as this type of failure is very rare.

However, the potential for ceramic tile failure needs to be explained to insurance adjusters. Should a water damaged tile floor failure occur a few weeks after the drying job has been completed, the restoration contractor might be held responsible. Better to explain the possibility of a tile floor failing before the actual event occurs.

REFERENCES:
* Bowman, Richard. “Tile Growth: Fact or Fantasy?” Tile Today. Issue 36, 2001.
* Barrett, Bart B., and James M. Falls. Common Perils of Ceramic Floor Tile Systems. 2012.

Richard Driscoll has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Clarkson College of Technology, an MBA from the University of Dayton and is currently working on his doctorate. He is a professor at Webster University where he provides graduate and undergraduate level lectures. He is an IICRC Certified Master Restorer, Master Textile Cleaner and an approved instructor. Driscoll has been consulted by state governments on legislation related to the cleaning and restoration industry. He also is the author and instructor for Restoration Sciences Academy’s MR-110 and MR-210 microbial remediation classes and MR-211 trauma scene clean up class. He can be reached at Richard@MayhemMishaps.com.

The post Buckled Up: Addressing the phenomenon of tented, water damaged tile appeared first on Cleanfax.

IICRC-approved instructor Roy Reichow and the NAFCT will offer the class in locations throughout the US and Canada with some classes already scheduled for Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 19-20 and Toronto, Onterio, June 8-9. Additional classes will be listed at and as they are available.

The WFMT course is a 14-hour introductory wood floor maintenance training seminar presented over two days with emphasis on an overview of wood floor care, which includes initial, routine, periodic and restorative processes.

Developed for those engaging in floor maintenance, the WFMT is ideal for current carpet cleaning technicians and others in the industry wishing to expand wood floor knowledge. The course teaches basic understanding of wood science, wood floor finish types and proper care and maintenance, and readies attendees for the WFMT certification. While currently wood flooring continuing education (CCU) courses are available, these do not offer IICRC certification like the WFMT.

A 40-year wood flooring industry veteran, author and speaker, Reichow is an NWFA Regional Trainer and holds NWFA certifications in Wood Floor Installation, Sanding and Finishing, Sales Counselor, Inspector and Commercial Inspector. He is an IICRC Certified Wood/Laminate Floor Inspector and a Wood Floor Maintenance Technician approved instructor. He is a contributing author to The Journal of Cleaning, Restoration & Inspection.

Contact NAFCT School Administrator Paul Pleshek at Paul@nafct.com for class times or to arrange a course at your location.

The post NAFCT adds IICRC Wood Floor Maintenance certification appeared first on Cleanfax.

Photo of the Month Contest

The photo contest winner this month is Ryan Szemacs with Noble Carpet Cleaners of Las Vegas. His com­pany will receive a chemical prize package from Solu­tions by Steam Pros worth $500.

Ryan describes this particular job: “This is a client’s re­cently purchased house. The previous owners neglected to clean the tile or grout. We used a heavy, citrus-based degreaser along with a high-alkaline, powder tile and grout cleaner. We let it sit for 20 minutes and used a Brush Pro with tile brushes to scrub the floor. We then used our four-jet tile wand at about 900 psi to clean and extract the floor. The results speak for themselves. Our client was very happy, and along with that came another five-star Yelp review.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $500), send your images and a brief 100-word de­scription on how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive edi­tor, at jcross@Cleanfax.com or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH, 43062. Contest rules available by request.

Cleanfax Online Poll

On average, are your prices:

Higher than most of your competitors ……………………….. 51%

Similar to your competitors ………………………………………. 35%

The highest of anyone around …………………………………….. 9%

  Known as the lowest in your area ………………………………… 5%

Facebook Focus

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