As surfaces are used, they become degraded by abrasion, contaminants, and moisture. Depending on the surface and its appropriateness to the environment, floor maintenance may be required more often to avoid the costly work of floor restoration.
What is Floor Maintenance?
To maintain a surface means that the process curates the already performing finish. Work is done to remove contamination and refresh the surface with any necessary product that aids repellency or abrasion resistance.
After the floor maintenance work is complete, the finished surface should appear basically as it did before the process began. A good example would be removing fingerprints from glass. The surface is clean but the substrate itself has not been removed or abraded.
What is Floor Restoration?
To restore a surface means to remove not only the layer of contamination but also a micro layer of the finish. The amount of removal will vary by depth of damage, but in all cases, some layer will be removed.
After the floor restoration work is complete, the surface will look different than it did before the process began. A good example would be glass that has been scratched by abrasion. The surface must be abraded further to remove the scratches to the lowest point and then polished back to its required finish.
Floor Maintenance is Key to Avoiding Damage
A floor that has been polished must be maintained to avoid damage to the finish. This may include any or all of the following: daily washing, sweeping, and/or de-greasing. Prevention, also categorized as floor maintenance, could include any or all of the following:
- Installing walk-off mats at entry points
- Controlling traffic wear by using rubber tires instead of hard urethane
- Prohibiting chemical use on the floor that could damage the polish
In all cases, the floor needs to be cared for to preserve the finish. Floor restoration work will be less necessary to rejuvenate the floor’s shine because preventive and curative measures are described and executed. This is similar to teeth cleaning where daily flossing and brushing removes superficial damage and preserves the tooth surface.
Restore the Floor to Bring Back Shine
[The swing machine products in video are manufactured by Bonastre System.]
A polished floor that has not been maintained will need restoration if the original finish is desired. This may include any or all of the following:
- Micro-surface removal — using deep-cleaning, diamond-impregnated pads
- Macro-surface removal — using mechanical abrasion of diamonds or other hard minerals
- Macro-surface removal — using chemical abrasion with new application for resiliency
This work is usually done by floor professionals since this work is in and of itself damaging the surface to expose a new layer. Using the teeth analogy, restoring a floor is similar to hiring a dentist to fill a cavity which requires more skill than just cleaning and preserving.
In all cases of floor restoration, however, the surface will be noticeably changed and will appear new once the process is complete.
Floor Maintenance Costs vs. Floor Restoration Costs
Maintenance costs are reoccurring and can be pricey initially, but if used daily, ongoing maintenance expense is minimal in the long haul and greatly reduces the need and occurrence of future restoration.
Restoration, on the other hand, is a one-time, more expensive process because the work being done is a complete removal of the surface and requires skill and precision that takes time. Restoration costs can vary widely based on the level of neglect and damage of the floor.