Glossary of Floor Care Terminology

Glossary of Floor Care Terminology

This comprehensive glossary serves as a valuable resource for understanding essential floor care terminology, compiled by Scrub n Shine, LLC. The glossary covers a wide range of terms related to hard floor care and sports floor care. It is the exclusive property of Scrub n Shine, LLC, and Scrub-n-Shine.com, and any unauthorized use or copying of this list is strictly prohibited.

Abrasion Resistance

The ability of a floor finish to withstand scratching and scuffing.

Acrylic

A type of polymer used in floor sealers, finishes, and restorers.

Adhesion

The process of bonding together. Poor adhesion can lead to issues like peeling, flaking, and powdering of a floor finish.

Alkali

Corrosive substances on the pH spectrum, often found in degreasers and floor finish strippers. Examples include sodium and potassium hydroxides.

Anti-foam Agents

Additives necessary in floor coatings to reduce bubbles and foam during application, preventing issues like pinholes and craters.

Anti-slip

An important characteristic of floor finishes, often measured by a static coefficient of friction rating of 0.5 or above.

Asphalt Tile

Floor tile made with a mixture of fillers, coloring, and synthetic fibers, bound together using asphalt. Care must be taken when using wax strippers on asphalt tile.

Auto Scrubber

A motorized floor machine that dispenses cleaning solution, scrubs the floor, and vacuums it up in one pass. Ideal for thorough cleaning and time efficiency.

Bleach

An oxidizer that can severely deteriorate floor finishes and damage various materials it comes in contact with.

Bleeding

The removal of color from a floor tile during the wax stripping process.

Black (Heel) Marks

Marks left on a floor finish from rubber heels, grocery carts, or other sources.

Bloom or Blush

A condition where moisture condenses upon and becomes trapped by the floor finish film, creating a haze over the surface.

Buffable Floor Finish

A floor finish that responds well to being buffed with mechanical action, enhancing its appearance.

Buffer

A slang term for a rotary floor machine, also known as a “swing machine” or “side-to-side” buffer.

Buffing

A polishing or smoothing process achieved by using a rotary floor machine equipped with a buffing pad, brush, or special screens.

Build-up

A heavy deposit of floor finish, wax, dirt, and grime caused by adding multiple layers of finish without proper deep scrubbing.

Burnish

A process similar to buffing but performed at very high speeds, enhancing the gloss and polish of the floor finish.

Burnisher

A high-speed rotary machine used to polish existing floor finish, operating at speeds typically above 1000 rpm.

Carnauba Wax

A natural wax obtained from the carnauba palm, historically used in floor maintenance products.

Ceramic Tile

Clay tile with a hard glazed surface, commonly used on floors and walls. Grout used in installation can trap dirt and soil.

Cleanser

A powdered or liquid cleaning product containing abrasives, surfactants, and sometimes bleach. Not suitable for use on floor finishes.

Chalking or Powdering

The presence of loose, powdery substance on the floor finish film after buffing or burnishing.

Clarity

The state or quality of appearing clear or transparent to the eye.

Cleaning

The process of removing marks, dust, contaminants, and other materials from the floor surface.

Coalesce

The process of blending or fusing together, critical for the formation of a continuous film in floor coatings.

Coalescing Agents

Ingredients added to floor coatings to assist in film formation, allowing latex particles to fuse together during the drying process.

Color Stability

The ability of an applied floor finish to resist fading or discoloration from exposure to oxygen, sunlight, and water.

Concrete

A mixture of sand, gravel, Portland cement, and water that forms a very hard surface when dry, common in building floors.

Conductive Floors

Floors containing metal or other conductive materials to prevent static electricity build-ups or discharges.

Continuous Film Formation

A film formed on the floor that is continuous, preventing cracks or openings that can allow penetration of water or detergent.

Copolymer

A chemical molecule made from two or more types of monomers, preferred for toughness and chemical resistance in floor finishes.

Cork Floors

Flooring made from ground cork mixed with resin, sensitive to various chemicals.

Coverage

The amount of square footage that a gallon of floor finish, sealer, or restorer will cover when applied according to label directions.

Crazing

Small irregular cracking or breaking in a floor finish film after drying, allowing dirt and soil to penetrate.

Creaming

Separation of a layer of dispersed phase of an emulsion polish to the surface of the liquid continuous phase.

Curing

The aging process that allows a floor sealer or finish to fully bond and harden.

Damp Mopping

Mopping a floor using a mop dipped in a mild cleaning solution, suitable for daily maintenance of floors covered with finishes.

Detergent Resistance

The degree to which a floor finish film exhibits no apparent deterioration when cleaned with a non-abrasive, non-ammoniated detergent.

Dirt Embedment

Soil that has been ground into and trapped in a floor finish, often caused by improper cleaning, burnishing, or using the wrong cleaning agents.

Discoloration

Darkening or color change visible to the naked eye, caused by factors like oxidation, embedded dirt, and poor maintenance.

Drag or Mop Drag

Physical resistance between the mop and a floor finish during application, often caused by insufficient finish in the mop or applying finish before the prior coat is dry.

Dry Bright Finish

A floor finish that dries to a gloss without buffing, sometimes referred to as “dry bright finish.”

Dry Buffing

A floor polishing technique using an appropriate floor machine and pad, not recommended for floors containing asbestos.

Dry Stripping

A method of removing a floor finish using an appropriate floor machine, pad, and spray stripping solution, not recommended for asbestos-containing floors.

Dry Time

The length of time required for a floor finish to dry, indicating when another coat can be applied without adverse effects.

Durability

How well a floor finish resists overall wear.

Dust Mopping

Removing dust and loose soils from the floor surface with a dry or treated dust mop.

Ease of Application

The amount of mop drag encountered when applying the floor finish.

Efflorescence

A white powdery substance on the surface of concrete or brick.

Emulsions

Compounds of liquids that do not mix (insoluble) with each other, commonly used in waterborne coatings.

Factory Finish

A temporary finish applied by the manufacturer to a floor covering for protection during manufacturing, shipping, and installation.

Fish Eyes

Small circles that appear in a floor finish after drying, caused by applying too heavy coats or excessive agitation during application.

Flexibility

The ability of a floor finish to bend and flex without powdering, cracking, or peeling.

Floor Finish

A product about the thickness of waxed paper that covers a floor for protection and appearance.

Floor Machine

A machine used to scrub or polish a floor, also known as a rotary machine, “swing machine,” or “side-to-side” machine.

Free Rinsing

The ability of a product to be rinsed from a surface without leaving a residue.

Freeze-Thaw Stability

The ability of floor finishes to survive freeze-thaw cycles and remain effective, influenced by antifreeze agents, pH adjustments, and surfactants.

Gloss

The shiny appearance exhibited by a hard surface floor coated with finish, varying with surface porosity, color, and viewing angle.

Gloss and Solids

The amount of solids in a floor finish affecting gloss, with higher solids not necessarily indicating higher gloss.

Gloss Retention

The ability of applied floor finish to retain its gloss under normal wear conditions, excluding exposure to water.

Grout

The filler or matrix used between ceramic tiles on walls and floors, requiring sealing before use.

Haze

A floor finish film that reflects unclear or foggy images, caused by rushing the recoat, applying finish too thick, or using improper floor cleaners.

Healing

The ability of a floor finish to be repaired after scratching, scuffing, or marking.

Heeling

A technique of applying pressure to the edge of a floor machine and pad to remove stubborn marks and scuffs, performed with low-speed rotary machines.

High Solids Finish

A floor finish with 20% or more non-volatile solids, leaving more material on the floor after drying.

High Speed Floor Finish

A floor finish specifically designed for use with a high-speed floor machine, often labeled as UHS (ultra high speed).

High Speed Floor Machine

A floor machine (burnisher) operating at 1000 rpm or above.

Hiding

The ability of an applied finish to cover scratches and imperfections.

Impact Resistance

The ability of a finish to resist damage from sharp blows.

Islanding

When applied finish is poorly anchored, resulting in migration of film-forming materials to small pools scattered over the surface.

James Machine

A laboratory device used to determine slip resistance on a hard floor surface by measuring the static coefficient of friction.

Leveling

The property of a freshly applied finish to spread and dry to a uniform and streak-free appearance, influencing gloss, streaking, and cratering.

Leveling Agents

Substances added to floor finishes to form smooth surfaces, free of mop, brush, or applicator marks.

Linoleum

A generic term for flooring material installed in sheets, commonly sheet vinyl rather than traditional linoleum.

Mar

Mutilation of a floor finish film that is only repairable by recoating.

Metal Interlock

A floor finish that provides improved detergent resistance and film removal, containing added metal salts for special binding and interlocking.

Minimum Film Forming Temperature

The minimum temperature at which a floor finish will form a continuous film on a floor surface, varying with finish ingredients.

Mop Contamination

When finish or wet mops are not properly cared for after each use, becoming unsanitary and causing problems during finish application.

Mottling

The physical migration of a floor finish film from a smooth, even distribution to small discrete pools, resulting in a blotchy or spotty appearance.

Neutralizer

A chemical used after stripping a floor with a high-alkali stripper to neutralize alkali residues.

Neutral Cleaner

A cleaner with a pH generally between 7-9, suitable for floor finishes, as extremes can attack and deteriorate the finish.

Non-Buffable Finish

A very hard floor finish not repairable by buffing.

Non-Volatile Solids

The amount of floor finish that stays on the floor after everything has evaporated and cured, expressed as a percentage.

Orange Peel

Pitting of a floor finish or surface that makes it look like the skin of an orange.

Particle Size

In an emulsion, the actual size of the suspended droplets, with smaller particle sizes leading to clearer emulsions.

Peeling

When a floor finish pulls away from the floor surface in large flakes or strips due to poor adhesion.

pH

Measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, with neutral pH typically in the 7-9 range.

Pitting

Small holes that form in a floor finish or hard surface, often caused by spiked heel shoes.

Plasticizer

An ingredient of a floor finish that makes it more flexible and less brittle, achieved with additives reducing intermolecular forces.

Plasticizer Migration

When a plasticizer in a floor mat or material transfers into the floor finish, responsible for discoloration around or under floor mats.

Pop

A slang term describing the change in the appearance of a floor finish from a dull, hazy look to a bright, brilliant shine, often produced by high-speed burnishers.

Porous

A surface with many tiny openings that readily absorb moisture, requiring more finish or sealer.

Powdering

Partial or total disintegration of the floor finish film, resulting in fine, light-colored dust, often caused by abrasion during burnishing or heavy traffic.

Preservatives

Small amounts of antimicrobial agents in finishes to prevent bacterial contamination, protecting the unused container but not the finish after use.

Presoak

Soaking mops in water before use to open up fibers for even absorption of floor finish or cleaning chemicals and to wash away loose fibers or residues.

Recoating

Applying successive coats of floor finish after preparing the floor with deep scrubbing or stripping, ensuring proper bonding and allowing sufficient drying time between coats.

Re-emulsification

When a new coat of floor finish attacks and softens a partially dried coat, causing streaks and dulling, emphasizing the need for ample drying time.

Resilient Tile Floors

Flooring that gives under impact and returns to its original form without damage, with vinyl composition tile (VCT) as an example.

Resoiling

When a floor surface begins to soil after cleaning.

Restorer

A product used to restore a floor finish without recoating, applicable through spraying and buffing, mopping and buffing, or inclusion in daily scrubbing solutions.

Scratch

Damage caused by the movement of a hard-pointed object. Deep scratches may necessitate recoating or refinishing for effective repair.

Scrub and Recoat

A process used to restore floors with embedded soil, scuffs, scratches, and marks. This involves a free-rinsing, deep scrub chemical and a low-speed application with a blue or green pad. Sealer is unnecessary, and less floor finish is required compared to a full strip and finish job.

Scuff

Disfigurement of floor finish resulting from abrading or scraping action. Generally repairable without recoating.

Self-Polishing Finish

A finish that dries to a gloss without buffing, also known as a “dry bright finish.”

Slip Resistance

The resistance a floor finish provides when walked on. Measured as a slip coefficient by the James Machine, with a rating of 0.5 considered the minimum safe coefficient.

Soil Release

The ability of a floor finish to release attached soil. Varies among finishes.

Solids, Non-Volatile

The percentage weight of material left after volatile components evaporate. Represents the true solids forming the film on the floor surface, typically between 15% and 25% in floor finishes.

Solids, Total

The combination of volatile and nonvolatile solids in the finish, minus diluent content, expressed as a percentage of all ingredients.

Spray Buffing

Application of a spray buff chemical followed by buffing with a floor machine and appropriate spray buff pad.

Spreading

The action of flowing out over a surface during application.

Stain

Blemish or deposit on a floor surface resistant to conventional cleaning methods and potentially permanent.

Streaking

Non-uniform, visibly dull areas on a floor surface. Common causes include dirty mops and applying finish in excessively thin coats.

Stripper

A product used to remove floor finish without damaging the surface.

Stripping

The process of removing old finish from the floor surface and surrounding baseboards.

Tackiness

Sticky, gummy character of a floor finish attracting and holding dirt, dust, and soils.

Tack Rags

Special cloth wrapped around a broom or dust mop, used to clean up fine particles, such as dust.

Thermoplastic

A polymer that can return to its original shape after being softened or heated. While floor finish polymers are not technically thermoplastics, the term is sometimes used informally to denote finishes that can be restored to their original condition with high-speed burnishing.

Traffic Wear

Marring or deterioration of a floor finish due to foot and mechanical traffic.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

Organic compounds evaporating into the air. Regulatory restrictions aim to control VOCs across industries, influencing reformulation of solvent-based gym floor sealers and finishes.

Walk-Off Mats

Entrance matting used to reduce and eliminate soil entering a building, prolonging the life of the floor finish.

Wet Look

High-shine floor appearance achieved with a floor machine and special finish or restorer. The floor reflects as if it is still wet even after drying.

Wet Mops

Mops used with cleaners for cleaning, stripping, and picking up spills from floors.

Zinc or Metal Crosslinking

Small amounts of Zinc or other metal compounds used to provide increased hardness and improved removability to floor finishes.