Stripping and Waxing Terrazzo Floors vs. Stripping and Polishing Terrazzo Floors

Stripping and Waxing a large Terrazzo floor area in a commercial setting can sometimes get to be an expensive endeavor. When someone considers the cost of waxing a terrazzo floor area two to four times per year with materials and manpower included, the cost comparison to be made in comparing this process versus stripping and polishing a terrazzo floor can often reap a company noticeable benefits. Although stripping and polishing a floor one time is more costly than stripping and waxing a floor twice per year, the overall costs, wear and tear, and appearance unequivocally states that polishing can be a better solution in most situations. The average commercial terrazzo floor area requires stripping and waxing applications at least four times per year, dependent primarily upon its overall use. An average polished commercial terrazzo floor area requires one extraneous polishing effort with annual "touch up" polishing efforts once annually.

In so far as stripping the finish off the terrazzo floor area is concerned, the process remains the same. The floor finish is stripped off with a stripping compound. The floor is chemically neutralized, rinsed twice, and left to dry. After the area is dried thoroughly, new wax coats are applied layer upon layer, as each previous layer dries, a new layer is applied until a satisfactory finish is attained.

On the polishing end, the terrazzo floor area is stripped in the same manner the floor was done, when it was waxed. However, once the neutralization and rinsing process has been completed grinding stones are used with a Roto or diamond-laced floor pads are used with an auto scrubber so as to hone "grind" the floor surface to a rough texture. Generally by wearing the surface down approximately one eighth of an inch, the original texture of the sealed terrazzo flooring shows a rough porous texture. Then, a polishing stone or auto scrubber polishing floor pad is used to restore or buff the shine back to the floor surface. By using various types of sealing products over the worn polished stone surface, the porous nature of the terrazzo can be protected. From an appearance state, the buffed and restored surface resulting from the polishing effort actually presents itself in a much better state than a waxed terrazzo floor, very reflective and elegant in its natural state.

The pros resulting from polishing are that a company can reduce its overall floor care costs and minimize the floor "down time", because the area needs to only be refinished one time per year instead of two to four times per year. From a cost stand point, you remove the cost of all the wax and stripper chemicals in exchange for the expensive grinding stones or polishing floor pads, which is essentially the same in overall cost. However, in so far as manpower is concerned, your custodial/maintenance staff can concern itself less with floor care projects and more with other cleaning projects. For the environmentalist in us, the use of less chemicals in the cleaning process is a sell to everyone, because less chemicals are used in restoring our floor areas to life.

The cons to the terrazzo floor care polishing alternative is that grinding or polishing does have one drawback, which is the actual grinding process. Over a great length of time, grinding a terrazzo floor one eighth of an inch annually will eventually wear down a 6 inch thick terrazzo slab of floor. The plus to the negative aspect is that it would take us nearly forty years to notice the difference forty years of floor polishing would have as an effect on our flooring. All would have to admit that forty years use of any flooring product has to be considered a plus in the commercial setting. The cost of floor grinding equipment stones or floor polishing floor pads could cause an eventual stir in the marketplace in so far as grinding and polishing is currently being done, depending upon the cost of diamond-laced floor pads in the future, because prices for this new process are still being determined by the overall market for this practice. Having the service performed by outside cleaning companies could also prove to be costly, because expertise in this area is rare and therefore likely not very cost effective unless done "in house".

From the overall cleaning perspective, the look is sheen, classy, and elegant. The price is affordable (currently) and it offers a good alternative to the use of nauseating cleaning chemical compounds in the workplace. Natural stone or terrazzo regains its appeal as a natural composite material, which is why it is often selected in the commercial setting, for its intrinsic feature value. The floor will actually regain its shine and appeal and gain the "eye" of a company's patrons, because most people notice floors first when entering a building. The reason they notice your floors first is simple, most people walk forward facing downward; therefore, most people notice your clean/dirty floors first when they enter your building.