What are the criteria of selecting a floor finishing machine? Why just running a scrubber drier is not enough?
The question to be addressed is on pre and post scrubber drier treatment to floors. Ideally every floor needs to be swept or vacuumed before using a scrubber drier (SD). This is primarily to avoid any dust particles or foreign articles lying on the floor.
The need
In a hotel / corporate office scenario, the flooring is usually very expensive. It could be marble or any other natural stone. In such a case, hardness of surface related to dust particles is 10 to 1000 times more. With this, there is a possibility of scrubbing brush having dust particles on it and still scrubbing at about 200 rpm. This would cause serious abrasions on floor. These abrasions, if on minor scale, would have long term effects. This is why, pre-treatment of floor before use of SD is critical. As for the post SD treatment, there are various options available. These, mostly, depend on the type of surface. For example, on marble, we can apply polish, we could do a sealing to protect the porosity. On a crystallised marble surface, we could do a high speed burnishing. This is usually done on marble that has been treated with the process of crystallisation.
Choosing a finishing machine
The high speed machine, as against the SD rotating at 200rpm, has a speed of more than 1500rpm. The chemical used is acidic. This is why; this job is meant to be handled by trained personnel. The nature of chemical as well as the speed could harm the marble if not used correctly. Another common process used after the use of SD is buffing operation. This could be done with a single disc machine – either single speed or dual speed. This enhances the shine of the surface. After any type of treatment, the damp or dry mopping need to be done to avoid stains, footmarks and dust.
Vinay Deshmukh, CEO, Forbes Facility Services
I just wanted to add to the above. You can also do quick restoration with the help of Super Shine and Sponge Lux Pads from Klindex. These are Diamond studded pads available in 4, 6, 8, 13, 16,17 and 20 inches (suitable for a scrubber drier) of Grit 400, 800 and 1500. The last pad is a Polish Cake. By running all pads one by one with plain water will result in a polished floor. There is no need for any other polish.
The pads are extremely useful in large areas with heavy traffic. It takes care of fine scratches and restores shine in a quick way.
Deepak Baluja, Director,Final Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
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