Why Wonderful Wood
Floors
Have Made A Comeback
By Lloyd M. Gordon, President
GEC Consultants, Inc.
Skokie, IL 60076
In designing restaurants , I often wished that I could lay in
a beautiful natural hardwood floor for its beauty and comfortable feel underfoot.
I was usually over-ruled by the operators who believed that such
a floor would be expensive to purchase and difficult to clean and maintain.
Today, modern hardwood floors are not only beautiful but also very
functional and relatively inexpensive.
Standards for Specifying
The Architectural Woodwork Institute sets standards for appearance,
engineering, fabrication, finishing and installation. Material costs
run from $1,90 to $3.50 per square foot.
Finishing Hardwoods
You finish flooring to enhance the natural beauty and to protect the
wood from damage. A quality finish must offer acceptable performance
and also meet the project's aesthetic requirements.
Colorants
After the wood has been well-prepared, it is ready for the even absorption
into or onto the wood's surface - of stains, dyes or toners.
Produced from a variety of synthetic and organic mineral sources,
stains are dispersions of particles of pigment within an oil or solvent
base. Stains may be sprayed, brushed or wiped onto the surface. The
depth and final color also are determined by the length of time the
stain is allowed to remain on the surface, and how hard the stain is
wiped off.
Dyes are a solution of colorants in mineral spirits, oil, alcohol
or water. Dyes change the hue of the wood without hiding its figure.
In addition, dyes penetrate both the soft and hard grain, and often
enhance or "bring out the grain."
All finishes require a sealer. In many cases, a vinyl sealer is used
to lock in the color and protect the grain. The sealer locks in the
colorants, seals the grain, starts the filling process, and provides
a sandable coating.
Glazes are transparent or semi-transparent stains which are applied
after the sealer coat. It is only after the sealer has been applied
and sanded that the true color of the wood can be seen. .
Toners are tinted applications of sealer or top coat which are used
to build up a color. Toners tend to cover the grain because they are
essentially pigments suspended in the finish.
Maintenance
Regular daily maintenance on a properly sealed hardwood floor is relatively
simple. You mop the surface with a mild detergent, rinse and then allow
it to dry. It is ready to walk on in 20 to 30 minutes.
You may decide to refinish small areas showing wear or damage on your
own. Begin by sweeping and then vacuuming. Next, use a buffer with
an abrasive pad and/or fine-grit sand paper until the finish feels
smooth. Remove dust by sweeping, vacuuming and wiping the floor with
a lint-free dampened towel When dry apply a single coat of polyurethane
finish.
When to use the "New" Atomic
Dust Containment System?
For a completely fast professional refinishing of worn, cracked or
swollen hardwood flooring you should consider the newest and most effect
refinishing system available. The separate dust collector is powered
by a remote engine. A hose connects the sander, edger and buffer to
the vacuum system located in the truck or trailer.
This innovative concept is used by Veny's Flooring, founded and operated
by Veny Baban (Phone 847-759-9000), He places the engine outside your
restaurant after you close. The result is a dramatically more powerful
system, providing complete evacuation of the dust that is generated
from the total sanding process prior to refinishing..
For you, this eliminates the nightmare of dust throughout the facility.
This has four benefits: it eliminates airborne dust settling back on
the finish; it speeds up the efficiency of the work permitting a sooner
reopening time; it provides a heathier environment the next day for
the restaurant's staff as well as customers; and it permits a quicker
application time for finishing the wood, thus guaranteed reopening
the next day, right on schedule!
Veny Baban agrees that beautiful hardwood floors are now easier to
specify and to maintain.
They are truly wonderful to behold!
Mr. Lloyd M. Gordon, President of GEC Consultants, Inc. has an MBA
from the University of Chicago. He has concepted more than 390 restaurants
and has been consulting for 44 years. He helps people enter the restaurant
industry, points the way to profitability, and helps keep them successful.
To discuss "hardwood floors " he can be reached at 847-674-6310.
To Top |
