Terrazzo floor cleaning

[daniel@procarpet]

I don't have the materials to refinish this type of stone floor. I have a customer that wants it cleaned. I told her that the floor would come out better if it was poilished, but I could clean it for her if she was just concerned about it being dirty.

What kind of results can I get just scrubbing with an alkaline cleaner and rinsing with my tile tool?

 

[Ron Lippold]

you could always scrub rinse and put 6-7 coats of finish on it

 

[Mikey P]

Monkey pads after cleaning.

400 and 800 should do the trick.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

I need a stone class.

AL Spate told me I would be wasting my time and to just fly out and work with his guys for a few days.

I wish I could do that.

If you are serious about the monkey pads, I am sure I can go that route.

In my mind slapping down 6 coats of floor finish would be a bad idea.

Is it a good idea or not?

It sure would be easier.

So should I buy the monkey pads (where can I get them) or go with the finish?

 

[daniel@procarpet]

I watched the video on the monkey pad site. That looks like a time consuming process.

Al told me if I went to a stone class they would have me going through a dozen grits and using all kinds of products.

He said that is not neccessary. Al was the BEST part of Mikefest by far for me. He gave me loads of valuable marketing info and real world advice that I use to this day.

What am I going to weight my 175 with?

Is 800 really enough? I see the grit goes up to 11,000.

I'll say it again. I need to learn stone cleaning and polishing from a real pro.

 

[Mikey P]

800 will give a decent livable shine . Being your first time, it will take for ever. And you'll lose money.

 

[Ron Lippold]

there you go mikey just scare him off...

 

[pitmaster]

Terrazzo is not really a stone it concrete or epoxy-resin with a top layer of glass, porcelain or marble chips

 

[J Scott W]

Cleaning the floor with an alkaline cleaner works fine for getting it clean. You will likely remove some - but not all- of the layers of finish currently on the floor.

Most terrazzo has a lot of marble chips in it along with cement or plastic resin. It can be treated simialr to marble floor.

The MOnkey pads or Spinergy pads or Viper pads would all be a great way to follow cleaning and strippin off the present layers of finish.

Depending upon the current condition of the floor, you might not need the 400 grit. For hone finish, the 800 would be the only grit you might need. For higher levels of shine you could go up to the higher grits.

Check with Interlink in Nashville or possibly Springdale Arkansas for a stone class at thsoe locations. Dane Gregory and Larry Jeppsen are teaching some of those classes now. They both do a lot of stone work. Larry's main work is installing and maintaining stone.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Simple question.

Is this a strip and wax job?

All this talk about finish is pointing that direction.

You don't apply finish to marble so why would you want to apply it to terrazzo?

 

[J Scott W]

I agree that Terrazzo should be polished and not finished. But people frequently put finish on terrazzo. That plus other comments on finish led me to assume that there was already finish on it. Sorry if that assumption was wrong. My mistake.

If there is finish on it -
You can clean with mild cleaner and stop.
You can strip present finish off.
Polish the floor with Spinergy pads, Monkey pads or Viper pads or
Replace the finish you removed

If there is no finish on the floor -
You can clean with an alkaline cleaner. This will leave the floor clean, but not necessarily with any shine. Depends upon the care and maintenance the floor has received up to this time.
You can also polish the floor using the Spinergy, Monkey or Viper pads.

You can also add a penetrating or impregnating sealer to help protect the floor. It will not change the appearance or give it a shine.

I think a polish floor will look better and hold up better than finishes. But if you are not familiar with polishing stone, the finish may be a more comfortable route to take.

 

[sweendogg]

Scott, there seems to be a difference in grits and some of the pads... Some systems only use 400, 800, 1500, and 3000, while the spinergy goes from 400 to 11000. What are the advantages of having the higher grits vs. stopping at 3000? I'm guessing that you can bring out better clarity with the finer grits.

 

[J Scott W]

Scott, there seems to be a difference in grits and some of the pads... Some systems only use 400, 800, 1500, and 3000, while the spinergy goes from 400 to 11000. What are the advantages of having the higher grits vs. stopping at 3000? I'm guessing that you can bring out better clarity with the finer grits.

First, to dispell confusion - Spinergy pads, Monkey pads, Viper pads are all the same product with different labels. They all have grits from 400 up to 11,000

When compared to competing diamond impregnated pads, the Spinergy pads will give higher shine and more clarity when using the 8,000 or 11,000 grits that the other companies have not been able to produce.

The natural fibers also are greener and longer lasting than the competing synthetic pads. You will get more sq. ft. per pad.

The amount of diamond and abrasive grit is also greater and more evenly distributed across the face of the pad. So the floor polishes more evenly and again allows you to polish more sq. ft. per pad.

 

[Bee Busy]

need pictures....

 

[sweendogg]

You answered my question perfectly! Thanks Scott!

 

[floorguy]

think of it kinda like sad paper grits....

the smaller the number the bigger the grit/diamond and less of them...better to cut...

the higher the number the smaller and more of them...used to smooth/polish

the easy way to tell between a cement bonded terazzo and a resin/epoxy, is....how shiny is it in between the marble chips.....if its dull and the chips shiny then its resin...and its a pita to get the resin to shine

 

[Ron Lippold]

i have used most of the pads out there. you get the most pop from the 11000 grit. but this floor would be fantastic with a good clean and some finish. I done lots of them and i know where the money is.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Thanks Ron.

I am going to strip it, let dry overnight, seal it, and apply 4-6 coats of finish. I am thinking 2 dollars a foot or 1200 to clean 600 sq ft. I can make those numbers work for strip and wax.

 

[alazo1]

Scott, there seems to be a difference in grits and some of the pads... Some systems only use 400, 800, 1500, and 3000, while the spinergy goes from 400 to 11000. What are the advantages of having the higher grits vs. stopping at 3000? I'm guessing that you can bring out better clarity with the finer grits.

You're right, there are basically 2 systems. Larry Cobb's for instance is a 4 step vs the monkey that goes to 11,000.

The monkeys will orange peel the floor faster because they seem to be harder and more aggresive. This may be good for a honed look but clarity will suffer if you're going to high polish.

Larry's (which I believe are the same as "Norton") are softer and you'll have a better chance at not orange peeling.

Most of the times diamonds are faster and the results are better and more predictable. Take a class.

I mainly use diamonds but will often incorporate a pad to even out picture framing before powder polishing. As far as the polishing phase, learn how to powder polish, it's much faster, better results but takes a bit of practice.

Albert

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I have local examples of terrazzo floors that are at least 50 years old and look great. Treat just like VCT.

Thanks,
Lee

 

[floorguy]

Thanks Ron.

I am going to strip it, let dry overnight, seal it, and apply 4-6 coats of finish. I am thinking 2 dollars a foot or 1200 to clean 600 sq ft. I can make those numbers work for strip and wax.

ok ill see whats on my mind first


DICK...charging them stone prices for VCT work....


2nd, when you say SEAL...are you going to put a STONE SEAL or a vct seal??

cuz if you do stone seal and then wax, it will not adhere properly....

HENCE the 1st part....

 

[daniel@procarpet]

Thanks Ron.

I am going to strip it, let dry overnight, seal it, and apply 4-6 coats of finish. I am thinking 2 dollars a foot or 1200 to clean 600 sq ft. I can make those numbers work for strip and wax.

ok ill see whats on my mind first


DICK...charging them stone prices for VCT work....


2nd, when you say SEAL...are you going to put a STONE SEAL or a vct seal??

cuz if you do stone seal and then wax, it will not adhere properly....

HENCE the 1st part....

Yes everyone knows VCT needs to be sealed with a product like Ironstone before applying the finish. I am not talking about a penetrating sealer. I do two coats of Ironstone followed by 4-5 coats of Mainstay.

Recently I switched to a product called Plazza which is a sealer and finish in one product. I have been applying two coats of Plazza followed by 4 coats of Mainstay.

Don't worry about what I charge. This lady has more money than she knows what to do with.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

VCT floor "sealers" are just a marketing ploy to sell an additional product. Probably a result of a batch that the formulators discovered to have a crappy shine. "We can sell it anyway, let's relabel it!"....and "sealer" was born.

Makes no difference in the durability or appearance of the floors.

 

[floorguy]

VCT floor "sealers" are just a marketing ploy to sell an additional product. Probably a result of a batch that the formulators discovered to have a crappy shine. "We can sell it anyway, let's relabel it!"....and "sealer" was born.

Makes no difference in the durability or appearance of the floors.

with nowaday tech...true


back in the day, it had its purpose.....but the new stuff is formulated so well you dont need a sealer....you need people to take care of their floors better :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

 

[Dolly Llama]

Yes everyone knows VCT needs to be sealed with a product like Ironstone before applying the finish..

why??

..l.T.A.

 

[floorguy]

Yes everyone knows VCT needs to be sealed with a product like Ironstone before applying the finish..

why??

..l.T.A.

egggggzaticly why i brought up the $$$$$

imho, he has no biz charging what he is, or doing the work for that matter...ifn he doesnt know the basics

 

[alazo1]

Looking back at this thread, it seems like this is residential work.

Personally, I would have done the work regardless of coating or proper polish (money is money). But I would have tried to gear them to do it the proper way. Maintaining would probably be much easier. I've never tried it but a monkey pad with your cleaning solution followed by extraction would probably bring back the shine as well as cleaning. Of course if there are deeper scratches more restoration would be in order. I guess it would depend on the traffic and how often it gets maintained.

Eitherway, did you take any pics Daniel?.

Albert

 

[daniel@procarpet]

The job was not as large as I was told over the phone. I decided to price it at 1.50 per sq ft or 650 for a little over 400 sq ft. I was happy to get that.

Read this link. I made a dumbass mistake and got water in one of the sockets.

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