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Hi, I'm James Pease and this is Take5, Building Operating Management's podcasts on topics of interest to building and facility executives.

Whenever a flooring material has to be chosen for a public space, end users have to balance investment, performance, maintenance and design in order to create a high-performance environment that delivers a measurable lifetime return.

Joining us today is Roberto Jacono, Product Manager with Johnsonite. Johnsonite is the leader in manufacturing and providing innovative specialty flooring solutions for the commercial segment including rubber, linoleum, homogeneous and heterogeneous vinyl, sports flooring, stairwell management, finishing borders (wall base) and transitions. Johnsonite is a Tarkett Company. Tarkett is the world’s largest resilient flooring manufacturer with more than 130 years of experience and a world-wide operating sales and distribution network.

Thanks so much for being here with us, Roberto.

[Pease] There are a lot of considerations from end users when selecting a floor for a commercial space. What impact do those considerations have on the final selection?

[Jacono] A floor is part of the interior design and therefore has to be aesthetically pleasing and should meet the needs of the environment for which it is intended to be used. The right choice in color and design makes people feel more comfortable. But also floor function needs to be adapted to human requirements: features like ease-of-maintenance, acoustic properties, hygiene or slip resistance enhance safety and comfort in a public space. However, aesthetics and function are often not realized due to initial cost considerations even though it is a well known fact that purchase price and installation only represent approximately 10% of the flooring’s life-cycle cost. That leaves a full 90 % for cleaning and maintenance.

[Pease] 90 % seems to be an extremely high number. What is it that makes flooring so expensive during its life?

[Jacono] It is unlikely to receive high value for a low price, whatever the product is. In the flooring segment this means that low priced materials will require extremely high care and maintenance in order to keep the initial appearance and to increase the lifetime of the floor. The maintenance procedure can be very complex on those types of floors: it includes continuous stripping and sealing of the floor by using the right equipment and lots of chemicals and cleaners. All this also affects the downtime of the maintained area which causes additional cost. Put simply, inexpensive flooring solutions for commercial environments fall under the adage, "you get what you pay for." The dollars you save on your initial material and installation costs will eventually cost you more in the maintenance and upkeep of the space.

Our long-term experience in the flooring industry and our excellent relationship with facility managers and end customers made us steadily improve the performance of our floorings with the defined goal to maximize the return on their investment.

[Pease] Does this mean that there ARE solutions that already offer these benefits?

[Jacono] We have developed a concept that offers you the best solution for performance, aesthetics and economy: the iQ-concept!
iQ-constructed homogeneous vinyl floors are the only resilient flooring solutions that eliminate the need for stripping and refinishing in the short and long term - in other words: for the life of the floor – without sacrificing the initial appearance or function. A simple dry buff procedure in the trafficked areas will restore the shine of the floor and make it look brand new without applying one drop of floor finish! After that, the floor can easily be cleaned just by damp mopping. The dry buffing method can be repeated as often as wished. It even helps to gradually increase the luster of the floor, if this is desired.
Because no stripping or finishing is needed

1. downtime is reduced,
2. overall maintenance costs are reduced
3. and environmental concerns relating to the use of strippers, high-water usage and air contamination caused by various chemicals are reduced.

All in all, a unique system that delivers sustainability and a measurable ROI for our customers!

[Pease] I often read similar statements like "no-wax-floor", "no-maintenance" or "maintenance-free". What makes iQ-constructed floors so unique in their function?

[Jacono] This is a very good point. Most of the time, the focus with other products is unfortunately put on the surface treatment only. But, a good quality floor is more than just a protection on top of a floor: while a good quality surface protection, normally a UV-cured polyurethane reinforced treatment, also known as PUR, definitely helps to protect the floor in its initial use, it is not an eternal solution.
The uniqueness of iQ is the capability of a surface restoration by simple dry buffing. A composition of a high-quality PUR-treatment, innovative ingredients combined with ingenious production techniques will deliver higher durability, greater density, a better flexibility and less residual indentation. These features lead to a smooth surface that actually has no need for any floor finish to maintain its function and initial beauty. Other products that claim to be “low maintenance” might, at a certain point in time and under heavy traffic conditions, show dull traffic lanes that can only be restored through traditional maintenance procedures which includes the application of a floor finish.

iQ floors truly deliver on their promise: no wax, no finish for the entire life of the floor!

[Pease] Then why is not everybody using iQ constructed floors in their facilities?

[Jacono] Well, the benefit of the iQ-concept is a long term experience. Every newly installed floor, if installed properly, looks great. The surprises normally show up later.
So far, more than 240 million square yards of iQ constructed floors have been installed world wide and our customers that have had the opportunity to use them once, never want to change. Together with these customers, we would be more than happy to share this positive experience with anybody who needs to choose the right floor for his space:

• We can provide case studies that show the successful implementation of iQ-constructed floors.
• Also, we can help to educate and train cleaning staff on what needs to be done, or, more importantly, does NOT need to be done in order to well maintain an iQ floor during its life by maximizing the ROI

[Pease] Are all Johnsonite flooring products made with iQ construction?

[Jacono] The iQ construction is only applicable to certain type of products. So far, a selection of our homogeneous vinyl solutions, namely Optima and Granit, features iQ and deliver all the previously mentioned benefits. These products ideally are installed in areas that need to have a solution for the long-term – at least 10 years. In general, iQ works in any type of interior commercial application but typically, hospitals and schools are preferred end users for iQ flooring solutions: excellent hygiene and maintenance properties, reduced emissions due to the lifetime no-wax properties and a wide selection of traditional and modern colors are the key arguments for the end user to go with iQ construction.

Our guest today has been Roberto Jacono, Product Manager with Johnsonite. For more information on Johnsonite and iQ concept flooring solutions, please click on the “More Info” button or the Johnsonite text link on this page. You can also send an e-mail to Roberto directly by clicking on this page.

I’m James Pease and this has been Take5.

Roberto Jacono, Product Manager with Johnsonite

"Take5," a podcast series from Building Operating Management magazine, interviews Roberto Jacono, Product Manager with Johnsonite, on choosing a floor for a public space.

To contact Roberto directly, email info@johnsonite.com.