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Post by ccs06 on Feb 1, 2008 0:22:07 GMT -5
I've been cleaning for a business that has a brick lobby. Shortly after I started they decided to seal the floor. It looked beautiful once sealed, but I have been unable to keep the appearance. I used a PH cleaner (suggested by the person who sealed it) for the ice melt, but it leaves a white dull maybe residue? I tried scrubbing it and it doesn't help. I've been told not to use the cleaner anymore because they think it takes off the finish and just to use water. I've been doing that but it does nothing for the salt (ice melt) that is tracked in from customers which itself leaves a residue. I don't know what else to do and the floor looks horrible! Any experience with brick?? Any ideas??
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Post by Grizzly on Feb 1, 2008 8:23:01 GMT -5
You have a tough situation. First, did they just use a sealer, or did they apply finish over the sealer coat? Second, when you say scrubbing, are you using a 175 rpm swing machine with a brush? 3rd. I take it , the pH cleaner was a neutral ph cleaner, this would not affect the finish. The sealer may not have been appropriate for the brick, not have bonded and be lifting off the brick. You would have to strip out everything, ( a hell of a job with brick) and reapply an appropriate finish . It could be that the residue from the ice melt is still there and you need to do a scrub and recoat. That would depend on questions above. Brick is even worse than quarry tile and that is difficult to work with.
Bill
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Post by ccs06 on Feb 1, 2008 21:12:35 GMT -5
I don't know who did the sealing so I don't know if they used a finish or not. When I came in after they did it the floor looked wet and when I mop it the floor looks good again until it dries. They recommended the, yes, PH neutralizer to the business. When I used the cleaner, to me, it seemed to leave a residue so I tried using rinse water which didn't help. I am not into floor maintenance, only general cleaning, so I've just tried scrubbing it basically on my hands and knees with a brush. It is getting worse and worse everyday with more salt being tracked in. Why am I having such a hard time? If it sealed shouldn't this make it easier to clean?
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Post by logan5127 on Feb 1, 2008 22:22:04 GMT -5
There are impregnating sealers which go into the pores of the bricks and seal and there are topical sealers which sounds like what you are dealing with. It is possible that the sealer??? did not bond in all areas. Moisture may be making it break loose even more. The salt may also be making it loose its bond. This sometimes causes a whiteness in the or below the finish. The only way I have found to get rid of that whiteness is to strip it off and try something else. I have seen this on ceramic tiles that have had topical coatings put on them. Scrubbing it by hand will probably not help at all. Neutral Cleaner , I don't think is the problem. I think just water alone probably would have had the same result. That is just my opinion. There are special sealers that are made to use on floors with larger pores . These type sealers though do not leave a shine. That is where the problems usually start since the owners of the floors usually want them shiny. You may have to research with suppliers and may have to try several types of finishes before you find one that will work on this floor. I would strongly suggest that you go to a brick yard. They can probably help you out or point you in the right direction to get the supplies or advice you need. the following may help a little. www.claypaver.com/cad/indoor_brick.htmthe following is a qoute from this site. "Solvent Base Sealers are extremely sensitive to moisture. Brick flooring units must be completely dry before applying sealers of this type and remain completely dry to avoid white, cloudy discoloration and/or peeling. Adequate ventilation is required when applying these flammable materials. Due to the concerns of ventilation and flammability, we do not recommend solvent based sealers."
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Post by ccs06 on Feb 12, 2008 16:02:01 GMT -5
Sorry it taken so long. I thank you for your advice. The only janitor store in town is the one who I think sealed the floors, so I'm thinking they wouldn't really be helpful. We are now thinking the finish is coming off. In parts it looks as if it's bare brick again. I talked to the manager and she thinks it didn't have enough time to dry. It's progressively getting worse, so I don't think that's the issue. She was thinking about having it sealed again in the summer and maybe it would seal better. I'm thinking they should just strip it and leave it bare brick. Do you think that's a good suggestion?
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Post by evetsclean on Feb 13, 2008 4:26:21 GMT -5
I've had the unfortunate experience of working with sealed brick floors in the past. Sealing a brick floor with a non-shiny, "impregnating" sealer as it was called in an earlier post, is the best way to protect the floor. As mentioned, they do not make the floor shiny. The problem is, brick floors are not meant to be shiny. I don't know the history of the building, but I would guess that it's probably at least 20 years old, and that when it was built, there was no intention of making this floor shiny. Making a brick floor shiny can be done, but it is very difficult to maintain. And when the finish starts to wear (and it will, eventually, no matter what finish/sealer is applied) it is very obvious. Traffic areas become extremely noticeable. And burnishing/buffing is not a good idea because it's extremely dusty. I personally would never apply a finish of any kind to brick with the intention of making it shiny. A non-visible protectant sealer should be fine. That's just my opinion.
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Post by ccs06 on Feb 13, 2008 23:49:11 GMT -5
Thanks so much for all your info . Yes it was built probably around that time and no finish has ever been on the brick until now. For brick how beneficial is a protective sealant? Sorry, I am new at this and know nothing of floor maintenance. I'm just thinking of all the brick outside that nothing special is done to, so why should it be done on the inside? Does this really need to be done? If the right sealer is used how long should it last in a lobby? I'm guessing 6 months or so. I know if they finish it again they are not going to want to have to be stripping and resealing that often.
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Post by evetsclean on Feb 22, 2008 15:59:33 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay in response. I really don't know if there's point to sealing it. It may be that the type and amount of traffic there would damage the brick. And again, I couldn't tell you how long a sealer might last, I don't know the circumstances. If there has never been anything on it, how does it look? Does it look damaged? If not, chances are there's no need to treat it.
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