the future of floor covering

[Giorgio]

i'm seeing more and more of this no-wax flooring all over town.

I was in a new 5 story building the other day and not one single carpeted area either. Top to bottom rubber flooring. Doubt if there was a single burnisher or carpet machine in the entire building.

Extremely low maintanance stuff no doubt.

It's not VCT.

What do you think? Can a service provider make money off this stuff?

 

[XTREME1]

what are you doing hanging around elementary schools? Meeting Dave?

 

[RickL]

While I've never cleaned a super dirty one I would say yes. Typically the Floor Manf has a website with detailed cleaning instructions, including chems to use, usually it's an alkaline cleaner, scrub with rotary
with pad and suck up with either shop vac or tm. For a large job an auto scrubber. As the auto scrubber scrubs with with pads in front and sucks up solution in the back eliminating the rotary step.
Having said that someone (certainly MMC's) will probably come along and claim to clean them for next to nothing with a bucket of water and brush.

 

[floorguy]

it will end up scuffing and getting dirty....

the trick will be, the one who figures out how and best way to clean it

 

[Magic One]

I've been noticing more and more residential homes replaceing their carpet with wood floors. Most new construction homes have wood floors and steps. What cc cleaning mamufactures are closing??

 

[juniorc82]

I think these types of rubber flooring are a fad. I would bet that in a school or heavy traffic situation that stuff will not be as durable as vct. I bet in theory low maintenance flooring sounds great but it doesnt last. Had a helper that was a floor tech at a hospital and he told me that rubber flooring in the hospital was rapidly degrading after as little as a year

 

[Jamesh921]

usually it's an alkaline cleaner, scrub with rotary
with pad and suck up with either shop vac or tm.

This is exactly how I cleaned a rubber floor awhile back and it came out great. Used Cobb's Powermax and a green pad under a 175, then rinsed with the TM.

Rubber floors are actually quite durable and last a loooooonnng time.

But, they definately need professionally cleaned a couple times a year to keep them looking like new.

 

[Larry Cobb]

This is exactly how I cleaned a rubber floor awhile back and it came out great. Used Cobb's Powermax and a green pad under a 175, then rinsed with the TM.

Rubber floors are actually quite durable and last a loooooonnng time.

But, they definitely need professionally cleaned a couple times a year to keep them looking like new.

James;

We are getting a few of them here also.

The PowerMax should help with stains & grease on the lighter colors.

I'm glad it worked well on the hard surface for you.

Some rubber mfg's spec a neutral pH for everyday cleaning.

Floor cleaning, as well as carpet cleaning.

Larry

 

[chrisbaily]

While I've never cleaned a super dirty one I would say yes. Typically the Floor Manf has a website with detailed cleaning instructions, including chems to use, usually it's an alkaline cleaner, scrub with rotary
with pad and suck up with either shop vac or tm. For a large job an auto scrubber. As the auto scrubber scrubs with with pads in front and sucks up solution in the back eliminating the rotary step.
Having said that someone (certainly MMC's) will probably come along and claim to clean them for next to nothing with a bucket of water and brush.

Thanks alot buddy...really needed this one..Keep up the good work

 

[Goldenboy]

Jimmy you are trippin. New homes have lots of carpet. The transition areas might not be carpet. But around here great rooms, bedrooms,computer rooms and as always the basement has carpet too. Plenty of shit to clean. Its all good bro.

Golden Boy

 

[billyeadon]

Jimmy you are trippin. New homes have lots of carpet. The transition areas might not be carpet. But around here great rooms, bedrooms,computer rooms and as always the basement has carpet too. Plenty of shit to clean. Its all good bro.

Golden Boy

Here are the figures according to Floor Focus magazine:
1975 64.5% carpet
2005 51% carpet
2010 46.3% carpet
2015 projected 42.4% carpet

The commercial side is the only section of the industry with slight growth and that is all in carpet tile.

Shaw, Mohawk and Beaulieu are all closing plants and this month Ble ridge Carpet mills closed after 43 years.

Also December 2011 dollar consumption figures showed
Carpet & rug up 1.7% (something has to cover up those hard surfaces)
Hardwood up 1.2%
Ceramic up 5%
Resilent up 2%
laminate down 11.8%

All this means is that you need to remember that you are service providers not carpet cleaning. Don't be the Kodaks of the world and ignore all the signs of change.

 

[Goldenboy]

Perfect. Ive noticed people in homes that have to0 much carpet dont think they can afford to have it all cleaned. When they have less carpet they think they have the cash and get it cleaned. So if you have a 3000 square ft house 1260 of it is carpet according to bIllies numbers at 30 a square its a 378 dollar job. Time to get a Benzo. Word.


Golden Boy

 

[Chris A]

Average home size in 1975 in the midwest was1460 sq ft. in 2010, 2001 sq ft. So still a decline of about 100the square feet, but who wants to clean all those nasty carpeted kitchens and bathrooms anyway...

 

[caleb211]

lol