3 Ways to Make Floor Maintenance Easier
Floor maintenance does not have to be arduous and time-consuming. This article will discuss a handful of ways to make floor maintenance easier for facility managers and how Kaloutas can help.
The Importance of Floor Maintenance
Floor maintenance plays a critical role in a facility’s safety and reputation. It is one of the first features customers or visitors see as they enter a facility, and it can influence their perception of your business. Clean floors show you care about people’s well-being, while unkempt floors only communicate neglect and poor hygiene. Besides affecting your facility’s image, flooring also impacts workplace safety. Your employees and customers may slip, trip, and fall when the floor is wet, greasy, or uneven. Those who sustain serious injuries may file a lawsuit against your facility. This could result in unnecessary expenses and hassles for your team.
Furthermore, dirty floors may attract pests and insects. They’ll bring in more germs and bacteria that could get your employees sick. Even worse, germs and bacteria may contaminate your products. Dirt, dust, and negligence can also damage your flooring. Spills can cause staining and other irreversible visual imperfections on some flooring systems. Chemicals can quickly deteriorate unprotected, porous substrates, leading to expensive repairs or premature flooring replacement. Unmaintained flooring is also not up to code, which could result in hefty fines and penalties. Clean, well-maintained floors leave a positive impression on people. They also minimize the risk of accidents and even improve employee productivity. Additionally, adequate flooring maintenance ensures compliance with relevant rules and regulations.
Make Floor Maintenance Easier with These Three Tips
Keeping floors spotless at all times takes a lot of hard work, especially in big, busy facilities. It is also costly. You will need to pay for cleaning supplies, repairs, and maintenance personnel wages (and benefits). That said, taking good care of your floors day in and day out is less costly than the long-term hassle of major repairs and replacements. This is why Kaloutas prefers programs over projects. When you allow us to develop and implement a floor maintenance program at your facility, you can rest assured that your floors stay in great shape so you’re not scrambling to seek repairs when something goes wrong.
Below are three ways Kaloutas helps our customers make the floor maintenance process more efficient.
Invest in Easy-To-Clean Flooring and Floor Coatings
Some flooring systems are low maintenance, including:
Polished Concrete Floors
Polish is one of the best concrete floor finishes. It offers many benefits, one of which is ease of maintenance. Polishing creates a smooth finish that makes cleaning a breeze. It often only requires daily dust mopping using a microfiber pad to prevent abrasion. You can also use a wet mop but avoid highly acidic or alkaline cleaning products.
Polished concrete floors still require spot cleaning and spill management. You should clean up any spills right away, particularly chemicals and liquids with extreme pH levels. Otherwise, the spill may etch through the surface polish and stain or damage the floor permanently.
Epoxy Coating
Epoxy is one of the concrete floor finishes ideal for heavy-duty industrial facilities. This coating is a mixture of epoxy resin and hardener applied on top of an existing concrete floor. It creates a seamless and glossy finish with superior durability. This is a cost-effective way to make your old concrete flooring easier to maintain.
It doesn’t take much to keep epoxy flooring looking like new. It’s resistant to various chemicals, including acids and solvents. Its smooth, seamless surface stops contaminants from accumulating. You can quickly wipe away spills and stains without leaving any residue. Regular sweeping and occasional mopping are usually enough to keep the floor looking great.
Urethane Floor Coatings
Urethane coatings create a non-porous and waterproof surface that is easy to maintain. Standard cleaning practices and products will often suffice. This flooring coating is highly resistant to chemicals, as well as mold and mildew. It can also accommodate substrate movements that typically cause floor cracking. Most of these flooring and floor coating options require a hefty upfront investment. However, the ease of maintenance and other benefits far outweigh the costs. If you want to learn more about these flooring options or determine the best options for your facility, please don’t hesitate to talk to a Kaloutas expert.
Schedule Regular Cleaning and Maintenance
Adopting and following a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule is another efficient way to keep your facility floors looking good. The schedule will vary depending on the flooring system, tool and vehicle traffic, and overall use of your facility. Your floor maintenance schedule should include daily and periodic maintenance. Cleaning floor every day is crucial to prevent dust and dirt buildup. Specify the time of day your maintenance team is supposed to carry out this task. Consider off-peak hours to minimize disruption to your facility’s operations.
Periodic flooring maintenance may involve deep cleaning, thorough scrubbing, buffing/burnishing, and other specialized tasks. The goal is to ensure the floor is functional, safe, and appealing. You should periodically review your cleaning schedule based on changes in your business, customer feedback, or evolving cleaning needs. Make any necessary adjustments as you go along. For example, your maintenance personnel will have to address salt and snow residue brought in from the outside during winter. While you’re at it, document everything related to flooring maintenance for future reference and compliance purposes.
Partner With Flooring Pros That Can Lay Out the Right Maintenance Program
Create and implement a floor maintenance program right after installing your flooring system. Don’t wait for problems to occur before taking action. If you don’t have a floor maintenance plan, partner with a trusted flooring professional to create one. A flooring expert can easily lay out a plan that works for your facility. All you need to do is provide details, like your facility’s maintenance budget, floor plan, and room usage.
Creating a Flooring Maintenance Program
Creating a flooring maintenance plan that works is not as straightforward as it sounds. Different flooring materials have unique maintenance requirements. That’s why there are no one-size-fits-all recommendations for maintenance. You need to customize it to your facility’s needs. Generally, a floor maintenance plan details tasks and frequencies for periodic flooring upkeep. Routine maintenance includes tasks that are done daily or several times a week, depending on the amount of the area receives. This usually means cleaning, like dust or wet mopping. Periodic maintenance includes tasks you do monthly, quarterly, or annually. You’ll also need to determine who will carry out these maintenance activities. Many businesses leave daily maintenance to their in-house janitorial staff and periodic upkeep to professionals. This ensures the job is done right, and your flooring stays in the best condition.
Get a Custom Maintenance Plan Today!
At Kaloutas, we know the value of flooring maintenance. Investing a little now will save you a lot later. However, with a long to-do list, it is common for facility managers to forget about the floors. Unfortunately, neglecting maintenance can be expensive. It can lead to more extensive floor repairs, safety issues, low productivity, and code violations.
Don’t skip flooring maintenance — partner with our team. Allow us to handle your preventive facility maintenance so you can focus on other responsibilities. Our experts will sit down, listen, and create a maintenance plan that will work for your facility.
Let’s talk! Call (978) 532‑1414 to learn how to improve and care for your industrial or commercial flooring or request your maintenance evaluation today.
