In order to ensure that the proper products, equipment and procedures are utilized, it is important to become familiar with the many types of hard floor surface types.  The following is a basic introduction to some of the more widely used surfaces.

•  Resilient Hard Floor - Resilient floors are made up primarily of resins and polymers which are thermoplastic and softer than concrete or wood.  Resilient tile includes such flooring as asphalt tile, vinyl tile, vinyl asbestos tile, rubber tile, and linoleum.  Resilient floors also contain fillers, which may be classified as fibrous, particle, decorative, or color fillers. Fibrous Fillers create a greater flexibility in the floor, depending on the ratio of filler to matrix binder.  The matrix binder is composed of asphalt, cement, natural resins, natural rubber or vinyl resins. This binder is important in that it determines, to a great extent, the degree of reflection, changes in rigidity or elasticity due to temperature fluctuations, resistance to abrasion, chemicals, aging, color, and clarity of floor appearance.  Particle Fillers have as their main purpose weight support. In some cases, fillers may actually help to reinforce the building when floors are part of the building structure.  Decorative and color fillers may be composed of plastic, minerals, metallics, or glass. Depending on the ratio of contents, these fillers may increase the floor's resistance to chemicals and traffic wear. They also have an effect on the floor's degree of porosity and permeability. Color can have a significant effect on the floor's appearance after much use. Yellowing or fading can be minimized by the color fillers present in a resilient floor.

•  Asphalt Tile - Asphalt tile is a composition of asbestos fibers, lime rock, inert fillers, and colored pigments.  It is typically bonded directly to the floor with mastic or bonded over a layer of felt.  Asphalt tile was one of the first resilient floorings made in volume.  It was first produced just after the turn of the century.  There are three basic types of asphalt tile:

Standard - Composed of asbestos fibers and other fillers in an asphalt or resin binder.  It is porous and brittle, easily subject to indentation.

Asphalt Plant - Composed of asphalt, mineral fillers, asbestos or organic fibers.  It is very porous and easily damaged by too much water.

Bituminous Mastic - Composed of asphalt, cement, and many coarse mineral or rock fillers.  It is applied much like highway asphalt.

Advantages:  Low cost. Durable. Good resistance to mildew and moisture.

Disadvantages:  Becomes porous and brittle over time.  Poor choice of flooring in areas subject to extreme temperatures.  Brightness of floor decreases over time.  Cannot withstand solvents, greases or oils since they will soften and may eventually dissolve the tile.

•  Cork - Composed of compressed cork particles bound by natural and man-made resins.

Newly installed cork floor should be sealed and finished to provide necessary surface

protection.  The cork floor will deteriorate quickly without this seal and finish.

Advantages:  Cushiony floor and good sound absorption.

Disadvantages:  Low resistance to moisture (exception would be “resin reinforced wax cork tile" which may be damp mopped occasionally and "vinyl cork tile" which has a top surface vinyl coating and may be maintained and refinished as a vinyl flooring).  Damaged by alkaline cleaners, oil, grease and sunlight exposure.  A solvent paste wax is the best cleaner and very time consuming to apply.

•  Linoleum - A variety of fillers plus linseed oil are blended together, heat cured, and bonded to a backing material. It has limited use today.

Advantages:   Sound deadening.  Cushiony.  Good resistance to water.  Twice the resilience of asphalt and vinyl asbestos tile.  Load limit of 75 lbs per sq. in.

Disadvantages:  Strong alkalies can yellow or damage (causing brittleness).  Excessive moisture can buckle seams.  May be stained by grease and oil

•  Rubber Tile - Natural or reclaimed rubber may contain mineral pigments and possibly asbestos fibers.

Advantages:  Resists abrasion, stains, acids, and mild alkali.  Cushiony.  Durable

Disadvantages:  Adversely affected by oil, solvents, and strong alkali.  Sunlight will fade and deteriorate tile.  Cleaners in excess of 11.2 pH should not be used

•  Vinyl and Vinyl Asbestos - Vinyl asbestos tile has been one of the most popular of all resilient floors.  It is composed of vinyl resins, plasticizers, pigments, fillers, and asbestos fibers.  It looks somewhat like asphalt tile yet it is more expensive than asphalt tile. There are four commonly classified types of vinyl tile:

Vinyl Asbestos (semi-rigid, semi-flexible)

Homogeneous (vinyl plastic) Homogeneous (vinyl plastic) is considered the best of all resilient floors and is the most expensive.  It resembles rubber tile and is flexible, colorful, and glossy.  It is much quieter and more comfortable to walk or work on than other resilient tiles.  Vinyl plastic tile has a load limit of 200 pounds per square inch, which makes it eight times more resistant to indentations than asphalt or vinyl asbestos.

Calendared Vinyl Mix (backed vinyl) Calendared vinyl mix is a vinyl tile which has a wearing layer of vinyl resins, plasticizers, pigments, and fillers which are placed upon a backing of regular alkali resistant materials.

Rotogravure Printed (vinyl coated) Rotogravure Printed are used in many homes today. They can be found in sheet stock or pre-cut stock of various sizes.

Advantages:  Extremely durable to acids, alkali, solvents, oils, and greases. Basically mildew proof.  Easier to maintain than asphalt.  High indentation resistant (about 25 lbs per square inch).

Disadvantages:  More expensive than most other resilient tile.  Has a tendency to hold dirt when first installed.  Asbestos fibers are a severe health threat when airborne.  Concerns for safe floor maintenance have become an issue.  EPA (Environment Protection Agency) procedural guidelines should be followed whenever performing hard floor care on vinyl asbestos tile. They are:

•  Custodial or maintenance staff performing hard floor care on vinyl asbestos tile should be trained in the prescribed work practices.

•  The vinyl asbestos floor should be adequately wet during the stripping or scrubbing operation.

•  The floor machine should be run at low power/slow speed.  Proper stripping pads should be used.

•  Do not strip unfinished floors.

As long as adequate base coats of sealer and/or floor finish exist on the floor, spray buffing, burnishing or use of restorer with high-speed equipment has not been found to elevate airborne asbestos fiber levels of vinyl asbestos tile.