Grade Schools, High Schools, Universities along with Public and Private Colleges are all making the CHANGE to Wax-Free Polished Terrazzo.
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Thinking of going Wax-Free?...Click on the link to the left for supporting research articles
Thinking of going Wax-Free?...Click on the link to the left for supporting research articles
Advantages of making the transition to wax-free, no-finish terrazzo floor care...
Health & Indoor Environmental Benefits:
Our process leaves behind a beautiful polished terrazzo or natural stone floor and nothing else. Natural stone and terrazzo is comprised of zero Volatile Organic Compound materials. Eliminating the use of waxes and finish that emit VOC's can improve indoor air quality and may even help to improve some health related problems such as asthma. The cleanable polished finished we leave behind also allows the stone to breath which helps to prevent mold growth.
Excerpts from the 2009 draft guidelines for green cleaning from the NYS Office of General Services:Floor care constitutes the single largest area of cleaning in a school.
Floors that require frequent burnishing, and/or powder easily, and/or need to be stripped frequently, can contribute to indoor air pollution from airborne germ-laden particulates. It can also cause environmental pollution by unnecessary floor finish polymers and “wax” stripping sludge effluence “going down the drain” and into sewer treatment systems and/or waterways. Therefore, it is essential from a human health and environmental standpoint that floors are protected by a quality finish that is both easy to clean and can stand the rigors of day to day traffic. Quality floor finishes that are properly applied and maintained help lower children’s exposure to indoor air pollution and reduce water pollution.
Reduced floor care maintenance requirements:
Common floor care requirements to apply finish or wax, Sealing,burnishing and stripping are eliminated when you transition to a naturally polished terrazzo floor. The reduction in floor care requirements will allow your maintenance staff to concentrate on other duties throughout the school.
Lower Long Term Floor Care Maintenance Costs
The reduced floor care maintenance requirements results in reduced labor and man-hour costs. In addition, you can eliminate the annual expense for floor finish and stripping chemicals you normally purchase. Naturally polished terrazzo has one of the lowest long term maintenance costs of virtually any other floor. Independent lifetime cost analysis reports performed by an independent firm have indicated annual savings of up to $1.85/sqft. If your school has 20,000sqft of terrazzo, you could save $37,000 per year by making the transition.