Is Polished Concrete a good floor option for basements?

I was asked this question when I was attending an online chat at Business & Learning room (www.businessandlearning.com) last Wednesday, April 3rd. I had the opportunity to talk about our company and I had asked the ladies in the room if they had any questions.  One lady asked me about what I thought about having polished concrete floors vs. wood floors for her basement. My initial reply was another question to her. I asked her if the basement was also being used as a laundry room. Her reply was yes. This allowed me to give her a more complete answer based on her needs for her home.  If the basement was going to be used also as a laundry room, it would be more beneficial to her to have the concrete polished rather than installing wood floors. This is due to the possibility of having plumbing issues  and the moisture generated by washing machines and dyers. The moisture would most likely have an affect on the wood floors over time and the concrete wouldn’t be affected. Also, she could have the concrete be dyed (colored) to look like wood, if that is something she chose.  The maintenance on a polished concrete floor is much less than a wood floor, especially when having to deal with a high moisture level area such as what she was talking about for her home. buy cialisbuy cialisbuy levitrabuy levitrabuy propeciabuy propeciabuy somabuy somabuy levitrabuy cialisbuy propeciabuy levitrabuy somabuy cialisbuy propeciabuy levitrabuy somabuy cialisbuy levitrabuy propeciabuy soma

Question for Ask Eddie-Floor Cleaning & Restoration Expert

Q: I am thinking of taking up my carpet and wondered if you had any suggestions on preparing the floor afterwards for parquet flooring, and any hints on laying and caring for it.

 A:  Well, talking about a loaded question but a good one.  Here are my suggestions:

• When removing carpet, be sure to remove the tac strip and nails as well before laying the new floor.
• Have the subfloor resurfaced properly to give you a smooth surface to lay the parquet flooring onto. If there are spots on the subfloor that need resurface, it is best to call a professional to complete this job.
• It is best to hire a licensed professional wood floor installer.

Caring & daily maintenance for a wood floor

• Sweeping and mopping is best.
• Remember, water is a wood floor’s worst enemy.
• Use a nonabrasive cleaner with a clean cloth remembering to keep the moisture on the floor to a minimum. 
• If you have scratches on the floor, try a wood “marker” or “pen” found at your local hardware store to “color” in the scratch because most of these have wood stain as an ingredient.

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Floor Cleaning Business Questions that need to be answered

There are a few critical floor cleaning business questions that one should be sure to get answered BEFORE the 1st job is even scheduled. To help with answering these questions correctly, you should call for our business consulting “Ask Eddie” at Morr Services, Inc.

1) Do I need a box truck or a van for my business?

2) What kind of supplies should I have in my vehicle at all times?

3) What kind of supplies should I have on hand to have access to in my storage?

4) How should I advertise my business to get the best results?

5) Should I try to hire someone right away or should I wait?

6) Do I plan on expanding my floor cleaning business in the next 3-5 years?

These are just a few important business questions that should be answered thoroughly BEFORE you even accept your 1st job.

Ask Eddie Floor Cleaning Consulting Services - New Question

Dear ”Ask Eddie”: 

What is the best product to clean  those real Travertine floors ??   We just moved into a new house, with beautiful floors….

Good presentation, nice website!!

Arty Coppes, MA, CEC, ACC
www.aeoluscoaching.com
Tel: 703-589-3608

Answer:  In order to clean the real travertine floors, you need to use a akaline cleaner or a good degreaser. DO NOT use an acidic cleaner on the floor. 

I would recommend you try the following on a sample piece of the floor to see what works better to clean it.

1) You take 1 cup and fill 1/4 cup with the cleaner and 3/4cup with water.

2) Take a scrub brush and see if that does the trick.

If that doesn’t clean it properly, change the ratio to 50/50 ratio of cleaner/water.

** One of the most important things, is to be sure to THOROUGHLY rinse the area.

“Ask Eddie” - Concrete Acid Stains vs. Dyed Concrete

Q: Can you tell me the difference between acid stain concrete and dyeing concrete?
A: Acid Stains – When applied, acid stains react to the amount of lime in the concrete. This means that whatever color you want, it may give you variations of that color instead of one solid color.
Dyes- When applied, dyes give you one solid color but may vary with hues of that color in different spots.
With both acid stains and dyes the color is transparent, which means you can still see the concrete through the color and the cracks if there are any visible. With both applications, it is highly recommended to seal the concrete.
Maintenance of the concrete – While it varies a bit depending on the sealer and the amount of traffic on the surface, the maintenance is a lot less than any other floor with high traffic.
This month’s question was asked by Denise Trifiletti, Founder of Women’s Community (www.womenscommunity.com) where the focus is helping women grow expontienally through Power Partnerships.TM Thanks!

Another Floor Cleaning Question - Carpet Stains

Q: My friend had some punch spilled on her carpet this weekend. What do you recommend to remove stains that contain some red dye?

A: Let me say that red dye is one of the hardest stains to get rid of however, it is not impossible. However to clean it is to mix it 50% hydrogen peroxide and 50% white ammonia (you can start with 1/4 cup of each). Put the mixture on the spot by using a clean cloth. Be sure that the stain is wet but not sopping wet. Then place a piece of plastic wrap over the stain and place a book on top of the plastic. This keeps the carpet moist. You will need to keep the plastic on the carpet until the stain disappears. You may need to repeat this process a couple times to get rid of the stain. The best thing to do is to try to clean the spill as soon as possible. To do this, place the dampened cloth with hydrogen peroxide on the spill and blot the stain and the red dye should come out of the carpet.

Q: What do you recommend to deal with the carpet staining that just comes from traffic pattern? Is there a way to minimize this other than the obvious suggestion of changing your furniture around?

A: The answer to this depends on how much the carpet fibers have deteriorated over time. You can try and have your carpet technician place a bit of color into the cleaning solution and this should lessen the appearance of this pattern. However, if the fibers are too deteriorated (this happens over time), there isn’t much that can be done except to replace that piece of carpet. Thanks!
Our questions this month were asked by:
Leah Jackman-Wheitner, Ph.D.
Business and Career Consultant
Author, Unlocking the Confidence Code:
5 Steps to Complete Core Confidence
www.confidencebook.com

Floor Cleaning Mops- To buy or Not to buy?

Q: Do you recommend those commercial floor cleaning mops?

A: I would recommend the ones that do not contain the cleaners with them. The mops/brooms that have the microfiber attachments are good because the microfiber makes cleaning easier and if it is on the end of a handle then it is all for the better. The reason why I recommend the ones that don’t have the cleaners to them because some of them come with cleaners that contain bleach and if used incorrectly, bleach can cause more issues than it can solve. There are other items such as hydrogren peroxide or baking soda that you can use that will clean many things in your house and/or business and you will not have to spend so much money. Also, anymore, the microfibers cloths are readily available on the market pretty inexpensively by themselves. That is also an option instead of buying the “name brand” mops/brooms.

Q: How can I remove scuff marks from dress shoes?

 A: Use a small dab of toothpaste with a clean toothbrush to remove these marks. Lighly aggitate the surface with the brush and you should see the marks disappear. Take a damp clean cloth to wipe the area clean.