Terrazzo is often used in school buildings because it is highly durable, long-lasting and can be refinished repeatedly. This environmentally friendly substrate possesses a compressive strength of nearly 500 pounds per square inch. Terrazzo is generally non-porous and does not support microbial growth or the accumulation of moisture, making it highly sanitary. Unlike carpet, VCT or wood, terrazzo floors will almost certainly never need replacement, even when located in high-traffic areas.
However, despite its super strength, this substrate still presents a set of unique challenges. It's important for facility managers to understand terrazzo flooring and implement smart solutions to maintain it over time.
Terrazzo Floor Challenges
Terrazzo flooring is susceptible to issues such as cracking, chipping, gradual erosion and brittleness that can impact both the look and feel of the substrate. Seasonal contaminants can also be detrimental to these floors. For example, salt applied near building entrances can damage terrazzo. It's important for facility managers to stay away from ammonia- and acid-based detergents, alkaline strippers and harsh scrubbing pads, as they will cause the floor to deteriorate.
While protective coating and other restorative programs can help prevent staining, they require specialized labor and ongoing maintenance costs which can add up quickly. Fortunately, upgrading your school's terrazzo floor appearance and cleanliness doesn't have to mean increased labor, cost or disruption.
Details on Diamonds
To keep terrazzo looking its best, consider regularly using diamond pads, which are designed to last three times longer than a standard floor pad. These pads can clean and polish your floor at the same time without the use of chemicals, saving valuable time and money while creating long-lasting results to help protect your facility's image.
Although they are the hardest minerals on earth, diamonds work gently and effectively throughout the pad's lifespan. Billions of microscopic diamonds embedded in a flexible pad micro-polish floors, making them more resistant to dirt without having to adhere to a lengthy or complicated multi-step procedure. Look for a range that offers different colored pads for everything from daily cleaning to deep cleaning to floor restoration so that employees can easily identify which pad to use on a machine.
Tending to Terrazzo
A school can rapidly become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, as well as winter contaminants, so it's crucial to have a fast and easy floor cleaning routine that also gets the job done. Diamond cleaning pads are a simple, cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach that can contribute to cleaner, safer terrazzo floors for your facility.
Visit our Floor Care page to learn how Diversey can take your terrazzo floors to the next level.