One of the many services we offer at Klein & Co. is training on how to use, install, and maintain our products! In our last blog, we talked about maintaining flooring in school systems, and a vital part of keeping your floors looking sparkly and new is making sure you have the knowledge to do so. By taking proper care of your floors and investing in the right training and products, you can save money and time in the long run. We’re dedicated to making sure you have the tools and skills you need to take care of your Klein & Co. terrazzo flooring!
A couple of years ago, our owner, Raymond, traveled to the Syracuse City School to train and demo the KCI Natural Finish System that we mentioned in our last blog. Their school maintenance workers were in attendance, along with Donald Sawyer, their custodial supervisor. The particular school that we did the demo at had a cementitious terrazzo floor that at the time was over 20 years old. The goal was to revive the floor to its former glory, as years of wear and tear and improper maintenance had dulled the natural finish on the stone.
We started by wetting down and cutting the floor with KCI Terrazzos 50 grit to remove the surface scratches and imperfections. We then went through 100 terrazzos, 200-1500 REDZ while using the KCI Pro Swing machine. These are machines with circular rotating scrubbing heads that can be used for stripping, scrubbing and refinishing terrazzo floors. They can be fitted with a KCI Diamond Disc Driver for attaching 3” velcro-backed resin/ diamond pads, like the KCI 100 Terrazzos or REDZ mentioned above. Weights are available for heavy duty resurfacing and a water tank is standard to accommodate our PH Neutral Cleaner and KCI Natural Finish Maintenance System. They are specifically designed for light grinding and polishing of terrazzo floors- perfect for this particular maintenance routine.
Next up, we used the KCI Diamond Impregnated pad on the Pro Swing machine while using the KCI PG2 at a rate of 8ozs., going over the floor east to west and north to south 3 passes each direction. After cleaning up the residue, we allowed the floor to dry for one hour before applying the first application of KCI impregnator. We waited another 45 minutes before damp mopping the floor and applying the 2nd application. After waiting for that round of impregnator to dry, we used the KCI natural hair pad to buff the floor with the 1500 rpm electric burnisher the school maintenance department had on hand.
With this particular system, the appearance of the floor has a mirror-like depth and reflectivity that shines beautifully when properly maintained. The final buffing really gave the floor a bold POP of reflectivity that the school custodial supervisor said he hadn’t seen in years! With the right care, which as you can see was done in a DAY, a terrazzo flooring system can sustain the same look from installation onward. This school was able to reduce their maintenance (which previously was sealing and stripping) drastically by implementing the KCI Natural Finish System. Syracuse City Schools have continued to purchase the KCI Natural Finish Products to this day and are pleased with how well their terrazzo flooring has maintained its shine!
If you’re interested in either coming to Klein & Co. for a demo or having our personnel come to you, we would be more than happy to help! For more information on our training program and the KCI Natural Finish products, reach out to us via our website contact form or give us a call at (833) 682-4649.
