Library Flooring

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Shhh, this is a library, thus you need to be quiet. How often did we hear that admonition as kids? There was not even talking in whispers allowed in our school library, the librarian who never looked like the popular “Marian, the Librarian” of film lore, always shushed us whenever we made the least amount of noise. And library flooring was usually also cold and impersonal at times showing the marks of quickly pushed chairs on it, and even though the custodian did his level best to shine it at night, the floor had all manner of marks left by hurried students who sometimes had to “make the bell” to their classes and thus were quite rough on the library flooring.

Yes, library flooring is renowned to go through some very punishing times, from dragged chairs, to dirty feet bringing in all manner of highly abrasive substances, to the spills from well hidden drinks, as well as the water that somehow finds its way from the bathrooms and onto the general library flooring. The most dirt was always found surrounding the reference help desk, or in front of the library card index. Kids today look up such information on computers usually scattered throughout a library, and so today library flooring takes most of its punishment around the computer areas. Times have changed.

It is interesting to note that times have changed in regard to library flooring too. Whereas much emphasis was often put toward having library flooring that was made of marble and other expensive flooring, today the emphasis is more on having beautiful floors that will last and last. Instead of having to maintain unsealed marble floors as they did in the past, they may very well opt for completely and well-sealed marble, or even have concrete that looks like marble but is instead the product of fine engineering.

For instance, fine engineering is what has brought Silikal floor sealants to even library flooring. Silikal having been in the flooring business for over 55 years has created some of the most beautiful flooring available for any library, but in addition that flooring will last at least a lifetime. Silikal uses a very special floor covering made of enhanced MMA. MMA is of course methyl methacrylate, a type of self-leveling resurfacing system, but note the word “enhanced” in its description.

Silikal has found a way of enhancing its product so that it is no longer just regular MMA that all of the competition uses. Regular MMA will dry or cure in just less than one hour, and so will Silikal, thus be ready for service very quickly. Regular MMA will leave a gorgeous finish to the library flooring, and so will Silikal. Should any of the library users sneak in liquids to drink and spill it, MMA will enable library custodians to quickly and easily clean up the spill, just as Silikal’s product will, but there is a vast difference between regular MMA and the enhanced MMA that Silikal utilizes, and that is because Silikal library flooring will last a lifetime, and regular MMA simply won’t.