There are many different types of floor substrates which each have varying care needs. This blog provides a brief overview of the most common types. Whether you’re looking to install new floors or maintaining what you already have, it’s important to know what you’re working with! Our janitorial and sanitation experts are always here to help advise you on best practices.
Black Plank
This surface is almost exclusively found only in Post Offices across North America. The black floor helps postal workers see letters that have fallen on the ground!
Ceramic
This surface is a mixture of clay and water which has been shaped and then fired at high temperatures. Ceramic can have a glazed (shine) look, but can also have an unglazed (dull) appearance. There will always be grout between the tiles, but due to different manufacturing processes, tiles will vary.
Unglazed ceramic can stain easily if unprotected and the grout requires frequent cleaning.
Concrete
This surface is a complex mixture of hydrated cement, sand, aggregate, and additives. Concrete floors are highly alkaline (pH 9 or greater), react with most acids, and are very porous. Most are gray, but they can also be colored and/or stamped.
Epoxy
Epoxy is a term that’s come to represent a class of materials and the act of using those materials. When mixed together, resin and hardener chemically react to form a rigid plastic material. The final material is strong, durable, resistant, and bonds extremely well to most base layers.
Granite
This surface is a natural-made stone. Granites are hard and not easily scratched by a nail, knife, or glass. Commercial granites are not affected by common organic acids such as a lemon acid and vinegar, contrary to marbles.
Limestone
This surface is a sedimentary rock formed in shallow waters. It contains calcite, dolomite and frequently contains fossils and shell fragments clearly visible in the surface.
Limestone is a softer stone and can be polished relatively easily and reacts negatively with most acids.
Linoleum
This surface is made from natural materials including limestone, cork flour, wood flour, pigments, and oxidized linseed oil added to a rosin. The mixture is heated and then pressed onto a jute/burlap backing under high pressure.
Linoleum has a unique linseed smell and is generally resistant to mild acids, grease/oil and solvents. This floor is very Alkaline sensitive and requires special stripping chemicals.
LVT
This surface is new to the industry. It can be found in the form of Luxury Vinyl Tile laminate and Sheet Flooring.
These floors are tough from their factory applied hard mill coating. This coating, while durable, cannot be repaired once damaged.
Marble
This surface is a limestone that has been subjected to intense heat and pressure for millions of years, transforming it into a very compact crystalline structure. Pure marble is a uniform white color with no markings or irregularities. The swirls and veins are caused by various minerals that work their way into the limestone as it crystallizes.
Marble is very acid sensitive.
Quarry Tile
This surface is made using a mixture of clay and water which has been shaped and then fired at high temperatures. The surface is usually unglazed and frequently found in kitchens & restrooms.
Quarry tile is intentionally porous to allow water and oil to travel through the substrate rather than create a slip hazard on the surface.
Rubber
This surface (tiles, sheets, or poured rubber) is a mixture of synthetic rubber, virgin rubber, fillers (synthetic, recycled, inert) and color pigments. The raw materials are mixed, heated, rolled out, and then cut to size.
Rubber is sensitive to alkalinity. Care must be taken to use a low-alkaline stripper.
Sandstone
This surface is composed of sedimentary rocks that are primarily quartz minerals loosely cemented together with calcite, iron oxides. and other colored minerals. It is recognized by its distinct sand-like appearance.
Sandstone is a softer stone that can be polished relatively easily and reacts negatively with most acids.
Sheet Vinyl
This surface comes in varied sizes, colors, and vinyl contents. Sheet vinyl is easily mistaken with linoleum. The easiest way to tell them apart is to look at the backing (when possible) to see if it contains jute or not. Jute backing signals a linoleum floor.
Older sheet vinyl requires a traditional maintenance program.
Slate
This surface is a hard, fine-grained, metamorphic rock that cleaves naturally into thin layers.
Slate usually has a very rough texture which makes cleaning it a challenge. Brushes work much better than pads.
Terrazzo
This surface is a type of substrate in which chips or pieces of stone (e.i. marble or granite) are mixed with cement or epoxy matrix and ground to a flat surface that exposes the chip. The poured in place terrazzo typically uses aluminum or brass divider strips that allow the terrazzo to expand without cracking.
Terrazzo is very acid sensitive. It can be polished relatively easily and reacts negatively with most acids.
Travertine
This surface is a type of limestone formed where underground streams have run through it. It is characterized by numerous holes of various sizes, which are often filled prior to installation on a floor.
Travertine is a softer stone that can be polished relatively easily. It reacts negatively with most acids.
VAT
This surface is very similar to VCT in construction, except it contains asbestos fibers. These tiles have not been manufactured since 1983.
Be sure to follow OSHA guidelines and your companies safety protocols when working with asbestos floor tiles. Never burnish asbestos tiles. Keep it coated and use very low abrasion methods when cleaning and stripping.
VCT
This surface is composed of clay, filler, and color pigments with vinyl resin used as the binder. It is somewhat more flexible and resilient than asphalt tile.
Vct is the most common floor type, but is becoming less and less popular due to high maintenance costs. It’s the least expensive floor to buy but the most expensive to maintain.
Wood Gym Floors
Gym floors are made out of maple planks. Maple is one of the toughest woods you can use as a flooring material as it can take a good beating. For an indoor sports floor, maple can withstand all kinds of activity.
Wood floors do not like moisture. Be careful applying too much water to wood gym floors as this may lead to issues like warping of planks.
