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Abrasion
The action of wearing away floor finish film by
friction. Usually caused by particulate soil such as sand, silt, clay,
ice melter and dust.
Abrasion
Resistance
The ability of a floor coating to resist
being worn away by rubbing or friction. Abrasion resistance is not necessarily
related to the hardness of a coating but is more correctly correlated
to toughness.
Acrylic
The most common polymer component of all floor
finishes. Acrylics offer good detergent resistance and produce colorless
films. They are a family of thermoplastic resins of acrylic esters [CH2CHCOOR]
or methacrylic esters [CH2C(CH3)COOR].
Adhesion
The attraction of a coating to a substrate
(floor). Also referred to as the "outward force" of a coating.
Alkaline
Any substance that has pH greater than 9.
Alkaline
Cleaner
A cleaner
that has a pH higher than 9. This would include all purpose cleaners,
degreasers and strippers.
Alligatoring
Wood floor finish that takes on the appearance
of an alligator hide during application. Caused by application of very
heavy coats or recoating too quickly.
All
Purpose Cleaner
Mildly alkaline
cleaners that can be used on almost any hard surface and usually will
not harm the surface or finish.
Ambering
Oil-modified urethanes (OMU)
have a tendency to darken or "amber" over time. This phenomenon
usually occurs within the first six to twelve months after the finish
is applied.
Anti-Slip
The property of a floor finish that makes
a floor non-slip.
Applicator
Drag
Resistance felt when pulling an applicator across
a wood floor. Drag felt when recoating a finish is a sign of applying
the finish too early or not keeping a "wet edge".
Auto-Scrubber
A machine that has two compartments, one for
a cleaning solution and the other for recovering soiled solution. As
the cleaning solution is applied to the floor, rotating brushes or pads
scrub the surface and the soiled solution is picked up at the back of
the machine with the use of a self-contained vacuum system.
Blushing
The formation of a white or grayish cast in
a finish during drying. Most often caused by one or more of the following:
excessive humidity, improper dry time, overly heavy coats or more coats
than recommended on the label.
Buildup
Refers to areas of a floor (edges if
isle ways or rooms) where the finish does not wear down, but successive
coats are applied. Often times these areas take on a darker appearance.
Burnishing
Similar to buffing except the machines used
have speeds in excess of 2000 RPM and can be either electric or propane
powered.
Catalyst
Found in many water-based wood finishes. A catalyst
is added to some finishes to bind individual polymer chains to one another,
thereby imparting a tougher film without the catalyst.
Caustic
(n)
Any strong alkaline material which has a corrosive
effect on living tissue and soft metals.
Chatter
Marks
Patterned repeated divots in a wood floor caused
by the use of a drum-sanding machine. They are caused by part of the
drum that holds the sandpaper in place and therefore does not sand the
floor. Most noticeable on tight-grained woods with a high gloss.
Chemical
Resistance
The property of a floor finish that allows
it to be unaffected by chemicals that are spilled onto it.
Clarity
The clearness of a liquid product or film.
Coalescing
Agent
Solvents (usually glycol ethers) that help
in the film formation of finish. These solvents evaporate during the
drying process.
Cohesion
The attraction of a coating to itself. Also
referred to as the "inward force" of a coating.
Compatible
Capable of being used together in a product
and having no undesirable effects.
Copolymer
A polymer made from two or more monomers.
Coverage
Measured in square feet per gallon (or square
meters per liter), it is a measurement of how much area a gallon of
product will cover.
Craters
Often mistaken for bubbles. Craters are caused
by bubbles that pop but don't level. Silicone contamination from mop
treatments also causes craters.
Crazing
The appearance of very fine cracks on the
surface of a dried finish film.
Crowning
Caused by excessive moisture in wood floors. Crowning
results in the center of the floor boards being higher than the edges.
Cupping
The opposite of crowning. Also caused by excessive
moisture in the wood. Cupping results in the center of the wood being
lower than the edges.
Curing
A term generally applied to the time a floor
coating takes to completely dry and reach full hardness. All coatings
have varying cure rates.
Detergent
Cleaning solutions that consist of
water and one or more of the following ingredients: Surfactants, builders,
solvents, chelating agents and soap.
Dirt
Retention
A finish has high dirt retention when soil
from foot traffic becomes embedded into the finish easily and quickly.
Dry Time
The length of time it takes a finish
to become tack free, thereby allowing another coat of finish to be applied.
Durability
The ability of a floor finish to withstand
wear.
Emulsion
A mixture of liquids that are incompatible,
such as water and oil. One of the components will form small droplets
in the other with the help of detergents. These systems are usually
cloudy or opaque in appearance.
Expansion
Spacing
Often called "washer rows". Since wood
expands and contracts depending on moisture content and humidity, these
spaces provide an area for the wood to "move" within. Generally,
a washer row is placed every two to three feet per face-width of board
across the floor.
Expansion
Voids
Expansion voids are areas in a maple sports flooring
system where no flooring or sub-flooring components are installed, specifically
to provide space for system movement.
Film
A thin covering or coating.
Finish
A coating that protects a floor from wear
and enhances its appearance.
Fish
Eyes
Caused by surface contamination (usually dust)
or by improper agitation of finish prior to application.
Flaking
Finish that pulls away from floor in small pieces,
usually aided by mechanical action of shoe-twisting on finish. Caused
by wax contamination or poor cleaning prior to recoating.
Flexibility
The ability of a floor finish to be pliable
and resilient.
Gloss
A term use to describe how shiny a surface or
film is. In general, the flatter the surface, the greater the ability
for light to be reflected off, the higher the gloss.
Gloss
(Depth)
An optical phenomenon of relative gloss
perceived when viewing reflective surfaces. This is a qualitative evaluation.
Gloss
Meter
A device used to quantify how much gloss a
surface has at various angles. Inside the device, a light is emitted
onto a surface that measures how much light is reflected back. The higher
the number, the better the gloss.
Hard
Water
Water, which contains the ions of magnesium and
calcium. When hard water is used in a cleaning system, insoluble materials
may form. This is called a precipitate. Hard water is usually expressed
in parts per million or grains. 1 grain hard water = 18 PPM hard water.
Hardwood
Floor
A floor made of any number of species
of wood including maple, oak and beech.
Heeling
The practice of tilting a floor machine to
exert increased pressure on a specific area of a floor.
Humidity
The measure of moisture in the air.
James
Machine
A machine
that measures the static coefficient of friction of a floor finish.
This is the measure of how slip resistant a finish is. Also known as
ASTM test method D2047. The sufficient James Machine reading to indicate
slip resistance is 0.5 or greater.
Leveling
The ability of a floor finish to be completely
flat when dry. If mop marks are evident in a dry finish, it is a sign
of poor leveling.
Lignin
The main noncarbohydrate constituent of wood.
Lignin is a "polymer" that functions as a natural binder and
support for the cellulose fibers of wood.
Metal-Interlock
The process of bonding two polymer particles
together using a metal ion such as zinc. This is also known as cross-linking.
MFMA
Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association. To view
the MFMA web site, click
here.
Monomer
A simple compound (i.e. methyl methylacrylate)
that can react and form a polymer. Monomers can react with themselves
to make a homopolymer (i.e. polyethylene) or react with different monomers
to form something more complex called a copolymer.
M.
S. D. S.
Material Safety Data Sheet. Required for all
products. It lists hazardous ingredients for particular compound and
also details safety precautions and first aid information.
Neutral
Neither acid nor alkaline. Neutral generally
means pH in the 5.0 to 9.0 range, but true neutral is pH 7.0.
Neutral
Cleaner
A cleaning product that has a pH near 7.0.
They are recommended for daily use on finished floors or alkaline sensitive
floors like marble because of their non-harmful effects on the finish
or flooring.
Neutralize
To change the pH of a substance to 7. Either
raising the pH of an acid or lowering that of a base.
NOFMA
National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association.
To view the NOFMA web site, click
here.
Non-Volatile
Solids
Measured in percentage, they are the materials
that are left when all water and other solvents are driven off a coating
during drying. In a floor finish, the solids are what forms the film
on the floor.
NWFA
National Wood Flooring Association. To view the
NWFA web site,
click here.
OMU
Stands for oil-modified urethane. A popular type
of wood floor finish. Contains aromatic urethane in a solvent (oil)
base. The solvent is usually mineral spirits or a similar petroleum
distillate.
Panelization
In a gym floor, the action of the boards to separate
in groups. Often occurs at the subfloor joints. Also known as sidebonding.
Peeling
The pulling away of a coating from its substrate
caused by a lack of adhesion.
pH
The measure of hydroxyl (OH-) or hydrogen
(H+) ions in a solution. Acids contain varying levels of hydrogen ions,
bases contain hydroxyl ions. A pH of 7 is neutral, but for cleaning
purposes, a pH of 5-9 is considered to be in the “neutral”
range. Below 5 is acidic and greater than 9 is alkaline.
Pinholes
Small pock marks, usually spread evenly across
a floor. Dust specs are a major cause, along with improper dry time
between coats.
Plasticizer
Special solvents that help in the good film
formation of a floor finish. These solvents stay in the film when the
finish is completely dried which allows the film and remain flexible.
Polymer
A very large molecule that is made of smaller
units called monomers. In acrylic floor finishes, it is an acrylic or
acrylic/styrene polymer that eventually forms the film.
Polyurethane
A large family of polymers often used
in floor coatings because urethane films can provide greater hardness
without brittleness than is possible with most other polymers. They
also have good chemical resistance combined with good adhesion. Aliphatic
urethanes (water-based) are made by reacting organic isocyanate with
compounds containing a hydroxyl (OH) group.
Pot
Life
When a catalyst is added to a water-based wood
finish, there is a span of time when the product can be safely used.
This time span is known as pot life. Although it will vary from product
to product, it is usually from two to four hours.
Powdering
The disintegration of a finish that results
in a fine powdery substance. Poor bonding (adhesion) of the finish to
the substrate (floor) is a major cause. It can also occur during burnishing
when a finish is not fully cured or when an improper or poorly maintained
polishing pad is used.
Recoat
The process of applying multiple coats of
floor finishes over one another to increase the appearance and protection
of the flooring.
Sand
Screening
The use of a buffer or swing machine with a sanding
screen to sand a bare wood floor as a final step before sealing. It
is also used to deep clean and roughen a floor when recoating with certain
finishes. Sand screens range from very coarse (40 grit) to very fine
(240 grit).
Scuff
Marks
Occur when a person walks without lifting
their feet. A finish that is hard to scuff is said to have good scuff
resistance.
Sealers
Coatings that are designed to fill in pores
of a substrate quickly and more efficiently than a finish would.
Shelf Life
The length of time an unopened product will
remain unchanged in its container after packaging.
Sidebonding
See Panelization.
Slip
Resistance
The frictional force opposing movement of
an object across a surface. In the floor finish industry, this usually
refers to how easily the heel or sole of a shoe slides across a finish.
A value of 0.5 or greater using the ASTM D2047 method is considered
safe for walking on.
Solution
A single, homogenous liquid that is a mixture
in which the components are uniformly distributed throughout.
Solvent
Rain-Back
Phenomenon that can occur 6 - 24 hours after finish
application when humidity is high and air flow is low. The volatile
components within a finish (solvents) can redeposit on the floor, leaving
an oily (slippery), dull look.
Streaking
A dull, hazy appearance caused by finish applied
too thinly or insufficient dry time between coats.
Styrene
A low-cost polymer that is dispersed with
acrylics and is used in many coatings. Styrene offers good detergent
resistance, low soil pick-up and low water absorption.
Surfactant
Surface active agent (surfactant) that
contains a water hating (hydrophobic) portion and a water loving (hydrophilic)
portion. Surfactants emulsify and suspend oils and dirt in solution
to keep them from re-depositing on the surface being cleaned.
Synergistic
When in
a solution, the effects of the combined individual ingredients are greater
than if they were by themselves.
Tack
Rag
A cloth moistened with a liquid or water used
to remove dust from a floor before coating.
Tackiness
Another term for describing a coating that's
sticky. Before a coating is completely dry it will go through a tacky
stage.
Tannin
The chemical in wood that gives it its color.
Different species have different levels of tannin.
Thermoplastic
A type of polymer that can be reshaped when
heated and dissolves in suitable solvent. Acrylic is an example of a
thermoplastic polymer.
Thermoset
A type of polymer that is elaborately cross-linked
and three-dimensional. It decomposes upon heating and is insoluble.
Epoxy is an example of a thermoset polymer.
UL
(Underwriters Laboratories)
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent,
not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization.
They test Essential floor care products as to their slip resistance.
Total
Solids
All materials in a cleaner or finish that
remain after all water and solvents have been removed.
Urethane
See Polyurethane.
V.O.C.
Volatile Organic Compounds. This is a measure
of the non-water solvents that are in a particular product.
Viscosity
Refers to how thick or thin a product is.
Different scales are used to measure this property.
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