Archive for 2012
Outdoor Patio Flooring for Exterior Curb Appeal
Outdoor Patio Flooring: A Lasting Impression
An outdoor flooring is so very inviting especially during the summer when the sun is warm and also appealing, so that you will want to not only cook on your bar-b-cue but also eat out there too, communing with nature and breathing the warm fresh air. A beautiful patio is a place where you can entertain too with your best friends because a patio actually invites conversation all in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Many patios are surrounded by beautiful gardens, which might even make your patio smell heavenly. But then along comes the question of what the outdoor patio flooring should be?
Perhaps someone will mention that they visited a house lately and the owner had utilized resilient rubber floor covering on the patio. But, then when you investigated it, you found out that the rubber floor needs to be taken up, cleaned up and put back. Unfortunately bugs live under it, as well as various amounts of slime, bacterial colonies, and all manner of black fungal deposits grow under it too. That ended that idea which means that the idea of rubber paver tiles was out as well.
Granite tiles appealed eventually but were nixed because of the problems of having to regrout occasionally and the fact that they break easily, meaning inevitable tile replacement. Friends also told us that they were incredibly slippery, and we certainly did not wish to endanger our children nor their friends. Someone else suggested the snap in place patio pavers that only need to be placed on a hard surface. That meant that we’d have to pour concrete anyway, then cover up the concrete. That seemed ludicrous for outdoor patio flooring and thus we nixed that too.
Finally someone brought up Silikal’s natural pebble stone river rock flooring with a poured river rock look. That sounded incredibly natural, and it came in different colors so that we could match the furniture we had in mind for our patio. For instance, it came in Black Pearl, Razorback Red, Cantina Pink, or a lovely natural tan.
Now we were talking. Not only was it a cinch to keep clean since it was a totally seamless installation, but aesthetically we knew that it would lend such a posh elegance to our patio! The colors were all soothing, and we wanted them all, but finally settled on that lovely Cantina Pink color since pink is so outdoorsy, so that we could have a lot of pink in our furniture to tie it all in.
When the Silikal estimator came to look at our property to talk to us about using the Silikal poured river rock flooring for our new outdoor patio flooring, he actually drew up plans for us to look at. He was quite artistic and he definitely did not make a drawing of a plain looking square or oblong patio; no way. This man presented us with a huge patio that could wind it’s way around my wife’s prize winning begonias, and she was so excited by the thought that she was clapping her hands together much as our little girl does. His design would make us a patio with a truly different appearance. Then he went on to describe how long a Silikal patio would last, and seeing our four year old little girl, he said we ought to plan to have her outdoor wedding on that patio since that outdoor patio flooring would look as good then as it will look the moment it’s finished. Our choice was made knowing our investment was just that, a true investment that would last longer than we even imagined without seasonal repair and yearly maintenance.
No V.O.C. Floor Finish & What It Means For Your Business
No VOC Floor Finish: A Continuance of Better Flooring Practices
Many have heard of the term VOCs or ‘no VOC flooring‘ but have no idea what it really means. VOCs stand for Volatile Organic Compounds which are emitted from some liquids or solids. Some of them have short as well as long–term adversarial health effects. Of the many examples are such things as varnishes, paints, stains, wood preservatives, solvents, glues and adhesives, all of which may be utilized on your floors in one concentration or another and at any time. The problem with VOCs is that they actually linger in the air you breathe, even long after you cease to notice them, or even when the particular activity that caused them is totally concluded.
VOCs can cause some tremendous problems in humans, the worst of which is that some actually cause cancer in humans. However, commonly found are also damage to the central nervous system, kidneys, and livers. VOCs also cause nausea, loss of coordination, headaches, as well as irritability of eyes, nose and irritation of the throat. Allergic skin reactions are also very common, as well as dizziness, fatigue, epistaxis (nose bleeds), emesis (vomiting) and dyspenea (breathlessness).
As you can plainly see, any product with VOCs is rather dangerous to utilize. Thus, because certain VOCs are also found in many of our cleaning as well as disinfecting chemicals, removing any VOCs from humans has become exceedingly important. You now see the importance of a no VOC floor finish.
You can probably also understand why certain companies play down their VOCs. They use words in their advertising such as “low VOCs,” and “may be slightly irritating!” This, is not truly creative advertising, but instead seems to be deceptive advertising. Thus rather than end up with a no VOC floor finish, you end up with one that has “low VOCs.” You should also pass up floor finishes that proclaim that all the VOCs are gone when the product is totally dry and emits no more odor. Chances are that these kinds of products will have small print suggesting that they not be used around the elderly, those who are immune deficient, nor around any pets or animals, or especially small children.
Should you be seeking a no VOC floor finish, you will find none better than Silikal. It absolutely, categorically has no VOCs. Silikal will always meet any current Federal and local regulations when it comes to VOCs. Who better to accredit our flooring as voc free than the United States Green Building Council? Yes, even the ever watchful eye of government has inspected our floors deeming them LEED certified, meaning our floors meet or exceed the very stringent requirements set forth in the standards of the USGBC. We are who we say we are, and our no VOC floor finish gives proof to our good word.
Low Maintenance Flooring Options: A Helpful Hand
Low Maintenance Flooring Options & The Long Term Savings They Bring
No matter what business you are in having to pay for floor maintenance is something most businessmen wish they did not have to do. Yet, all floors require some maintenance, and some more than others. For example if you own an auto shop, maintenance is going to have to go further than if you own a flower shop. However, if you own a walk in clinic for example, than you are in exceptional need of low maintenance flooring options to maintain your floors in the epitome of cleanliness as well as being extremely hygienic.
However, no matter how dire your needs are, the very best low maintenance flooring options all point to using Silikal. You see, innovative technological advances enable Silikal to propose the low maintenance flooring that any savvy businesses are seeking, but we know for sure that Silikal concrete floor coatings have the lowest maintenance of them all.
The reasons why Silikal concrete floor coatings are the best in low maintenance flooring options are many. For instance, unlike so many other flooring suppliers we do a tremendous amount of preparatory work on your existing floors, prior to installing Silikal. This means that the tiniest cracks, and the smallest concrete bumps will be fixed for you, in order to have our product be applied as smoothly as conceivable.
Once this work has been accomplished on your existing flooring that is when the highly trained installer will be able to perform what we call an adherence test. During this test, the installer will verify that there is nothing that will prevent the Silikal product from completely bonding to your substrate.
The actual application is usually pretty short termed. Once applied, you may notice that should you have selected a single mono color, there are absolutely no variations in the coloring of your floor. This is very unlike our competitors, where you will see a plethora of color variations. Should you have chosen one of Silikal’s many different finishes you will be absolutely amazed at the appearance of your flooring. No matter what effect you were seeking, such as naturals, transparencies, quartz blends, flake blends, or solid flakes, your floor will be tremendously pleasing.
What’s also interesting about a Silikal floor is that the singularly beautiful as well as decorative look that your floor will have will be totally seamless, hygienic, multi-functional and most of all amazingly tough. As you may have heard, Silikal floors frequently last beyond the life of the building they were installed in, giving continued benefits in low maintenance flooring for many decades to come.
Epoxy Concrete Repair: When A Professional Is Needed
Epoxy Concrete Repair & The Difference One Product Can Have
If you are searching for epoxy concrete repair now, then it is very evident that you did not utilize Silikal to begin with. But on the other hand it’s never too late to use Silikal in making your epoxy concrete repair now, but at least it will be the last time you ever need to make such repairs.
Silikal can be had in a plethora of different styles, colors and for different conditions, unlike the “one size fits all” of other concrete floorings. Silikal can be utilized as either a solid or even as a single color concrete sealer coating system.
Your installer will undoubtedly begin by using Silikal’s Patch Repair with R17. This is a mortar best described as being totally solvent free and it is made up of a 2-component methylmethacrylate resin which has been especially formulated for its high compressive strength, as well as what is known as tensile strength, which means that it can bend to some extent as needed. The fact that this Silikal product will have very low linear shrinkage means that it will not split or fall apart the way that other resins have been known to.
Once your epoxy concrete repair is completed, you will then wish for Silikal to install its final product on your concrete so that you no longer need to be bothered by such repairs again. Its top coat has tremendously low viscosity which then serves to enhance its penetrative capacity along with the sand-sprinkled surface. It has an incredible high hardness guarantee that not only will offer you exceptional resistance to chemicals, can be made antistatic, antibacterial, resist slip and falls as well as being solvent resistant if you so desire, and in addition, it can be urine resistant and UV resistant as well.
Truly amazing and very startling is the fact that once your new Silikal epoxy concrete repair and new Silikal floor is laid, you will be able to use it in any manner you wish in one short hour. Yes, that’s how long a Silikal floor must dry or cure prior to any use. That means you could drive cars on it even if its tires are blazing hot, or you can use flooring’s greatest enemy, the forklift on it right after that short term cure, and thereafter without having to worry about ever harming that now truly tough floor.
So, why stick to dull dusty gray when you can have beautiful inviting fully enhanced colored flooring? Silikal is so special it can even put your logo embedded into your floor if you so desire!
Flooring for Office Conference Room: Lets Impress
A Flooring for Office Conference Room Prestine
Those who are seeking flooring for office conference room utilization usually want something that speaks of the seriousness of the consultation. This would relate to such a conference room in an attorney’s office, or perhaps a loan committee, or even a real estate closing being held at a title company. Either way the flooring for office conference room use must be extremely professional. The office itself may be a high-end traffic area but it may simply flow into the flooring for office conference room, thus sometimes all the same flooring is utilized.
Basically everyone agrees though that a conference room ought to be elegant, highly sophisticated and finally it must be durable. Thus the choice must not only be hard working but very stylish as well.
Consider well what Silikal has to offer for conference room use, after all their products are incredibly beautiful as well as durable. Their different flooring categories will bring you flooring that not only can meet your performance demands, such as possibly heavy foot traffic, yet it will still bring you the aesthetic flooring you desire.
Add to all of that the fact that Silikal has about the easiest maintenance demands of any flooring, and you will agree that Silikal is the best choice for your office flooring. As if that were not enough, Silikal also brings you flooring for office conference room use that can be personalized by reproducing your logo directly into the floor, which many title companies have done.
Note that for over 50 years Silikal has provided their clients, who themselves are often professionals, the most professional levels of service and brought them timely and clear information about their innovative quality of superb flooring selections. Silikal has continually been committed to provide flooring for office conference room utilization with the knowledge that they offer you the optimal solution for your needs.
Silikal fully understands that it is imperative that they install a floor for you that will set the right mood for your particular setting, after all your flooring for office conference room will be utilized for the business you specialize in. They wholly realize that you wish to fashion an appropriate ambiance. Silikal knows that whichever type of flooring you select, you will need to ascertain that it’s robust enough so that it can absorb the traffic that will go to your office, thus you will want it to be installed swiftly and logically you will desire for it to be easy to maintain. When you look at what Silikal has to offer you, you too will know that Silikal is the flooring you are seeking for your conference room.