Know Your Surface

I have worked very hard and did my homework so I am able to offer services to a wide variety of both residential and commercial customers and the many different types of hard surface floors these customers have. Before you can clean or maintain a floor, you need to know what type of surface it is. Here are a few that I have experience with and a little information about those surfaces.

Ceramic tile is a mixture of clays having been shaped and fired at high temperatures resulting in a hard body. This body may then be left untreated or it may receive a glazed wear layer.

Grout, this is the part of the floor that usually gets very very dirty and grimy and triggers my customers and potential customers to call me. Grout can be sanded or non sanded. Both varieties are absorbent and acid sensitive. I strongly recommend that grout be sealed after deep cleaning. Whether the customer does it or they hire me to do it, the decision is the customer’s.

Epoxy grout is impervious to liquids and does not need sealing. It will not allow bacteria to grow and it minimizes cracking. Epoxy grout is generally found with ceramic, quarry or porcelain tile.

Porcelain tile is a ceramic mosaic or paver tile. A composition made by the dust pressed method which produces a dense impervious, fine -grained tile with a smooth face. Usually found on bathroom walls in a commercial setting.

Marble is a crystalline rock composed predominately of one or more of the following materials: calcite, dolomite, or serpentine, and capable of taking a polish. Be careful when cleaning that you don’t take the shine off.

Slate (pictured) slate is a fine grained metamorphic rock derived from clay and shale, which possesses a cleavage that permits it to be cut or milled readily into thin smooth sheets. Slate is one of my favorites with an Enhancing Sealer applied.

Terrazzo is a type of concrete in which chips or pieces of stone, usually marble, are mixed with cement and are ground to a flat surface, exposing the chips which take a high polish. Looks wet when waxed and polished….one of my favorites to work on!

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcite or dolomite. The varieties of Limestone used as dimensional stone are usually well consolidated and exhibit a minimum of graining or bedding direction. Often contains remains of fossil sea creatures.

Granite is a crystalline, igneous rock that is very hard. Contains granular, flecks or minerals spread consistently throughout the stone to form a visibly crystalline structure.

There are a few more Green Bay Floor Restore has experience cleaning, sealing and polishing. The whole point is, making sure the floor care provider you hire knows the difference. It could be a costly mistake!

Jamie Strohmeyer / Green Bay Floor Restore IICRC Certified / Clean Trust Certified.

 

pH In Your Health and Green Bay pHloor Restore

 It is very difficult to give an exact definition of pH. A couple of simple descriptions offered are, “power of Hydrogen” and ‘potential Hydrogen” ion concentration. Neither are perfect descriptions. Both present a way of remembering the significance of “p” and “H”. Simply stated, pH tells us whether a solution is acid, alkaline or neutral. pH is a critical measurement. Life depends on it. For instance human blood is basic with a pH between 7.3 and 7.5. If the pH of blood drops below 7.3 acidosis occurs. If the blood pH rises above 7.5, alkalosis occurs. Death will occur if blood pH goes below 7.0 of above 7.8. Our human existence depends upon a balanced and buffered blood pH. The entire Tile and Grout Grand Staymetabolic process of your body depends on balanced pH. As more acid wastes back up, and the body slowly stews in its poisonous wastes, a chronically over acidic body pH corrodes body tissue slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of our veins and arteries like acid eating into marble or any other porous material. If you have ever wondered why you can’t lose weight even after countless efforts of eating right and committing to a weight loss plan and whatever else you did, it’s is most likely because your pH levels inside your body are acidic. How about that afternoon wall you may hit, even though you eat smart, take vitamins and supplements you still feel “groggy”…..yep you guessed it…..probably acidic pH levels in your body. Your are most likely taking the wrong vitamins or supplements. If you have questions about your bodies Ph levels you need to call an expert. I would suggest speaking with Maggie Schuld Naturopath doctor and owner of the Spa Loft http://thespaloftdepere.com/. If you want to know about pH levels in floor cleaning, look no further. I have the answers and the products to assure great results and no damage to the floor. It is important that your floor care professional understands pH levels in cleaning products for the type of floors that are to be cleaned. In the cleaning products world neutral pH is 7.0. Each number going up with 14.0 being the cap is 10 xs stronger than the lower number. A floor care professional knows the importance of pH. For example, you use neutral pH (7) floor cleaners for daily maintenance and alkaline pH (12-13) for finish removal. In carpet cleaning pH levels between 7 and 10 are used to avoid potential damage to carpet.  Some carpet manufacturers will null and void carpet fiber warranties if a pH level of greater than 10 is used. Have you ever heard someone who has had their carpet cleaned and they complained how the carpet felt “crunchy” or it looked dull? How about the complaint that the carpet seemed to get dirty quicker after being cleaned?  These complaints are most likely due to the carpet cleaning technician using a very high alkaline cleaning product.  You need alkaline to suspend soil so it can be extracted in carpet but in some cases you will need to neutralize that alkaline with what we call “tannin” product or acidic on the pH scale. Green Bay Floor Restore neutralizes all carpets to assure 100% customer satisfaction. It is very important for every cleaning professional to have a basic understanding of pH.  Ignoring pH of a solution or not knowing exactly what type of floor you’re cleaning (ceramic or stone) can be an expensive mistake. Floor coverings and surfaces can be damaged by an inappropriate pH value. Be careful. Make sure you hire a professional!  Jamie Strohmeyer / Owner Operator Green Bay Floor Restore IICRC Certified Carpet Technician / Certified Clean Trust Firm

 

Welcome – My Company, My Name, My Word

You may or may not have heard the old saying that, when you’re passionate about something and that passion becomes a means to earn an income, the tasks of the job no longer seem like a job. The tasks become fun and for that it makes for a very happy person.
I am very happy to be the owner operator of Green Bay Floor Restore. My passion lies in the details of how the customer is treated from beginning to end. I like to say that the 100_2356model is based on how I expect to be treated when I am the customer and what I expect when someone enters my home and treats my possessions when services that I pay for are rendered. Each and every customer has a specific expectation and a need for one or more of the many services I offer. I meet with each customer personally and listen to exactly what their needs are. When it comes time for the work to be done, I am there to fulfill those needs and meet or exceed that expectation. There are no middle persons to deal with….my company, my name, my word.
I want to thank my existing customer’s who have been with me for the last 2 years. It has been a pleasure servicing you. I look forward to servicing you again. For those of you who are just getting to know me and Green Bay Floor Restore, my customers will always come first and they will tell you that there are NEVER ANY HIDDEN CHARGES in any service Green Bay Floor Restore offers.
In closing, I invite you to look around my new web site. There are a few minor details to be worked out at the time of this blog, but overall it is complete. Be sure to check out the videos by simply clicking on the You Tube logo. You can also check out some Before & After photos in the Gallery.
Thanks for taking the time to learn about Green Bay Floor Restore. I look forward to being your residential and commercial floor care provider.
Jamie Strohmeyer / Owner Operator – Green Bay Floor Restore
IICRC Certified Carpet Cleaning Technician / Clean Trust Certified Firm