Pro Line Products

What Is Floor Finish?

Solids; more is better, or is it? This often discussed subject remains confusing and sometimes misunderstood. There are some who believe that the higher the solids, the better the performance of the floor finish.

Basically, the only difference between high solids finishes and medium to low solids finishes is that fewer coats of high solids finish are necessary to achieve a high gloss. However the drawbacks of high solids far outweigh the benefits.

High solids finishes tend to be brittle causing scratching and they also tend to discolor. When too many coats of high solids finish are applied too quickly, water and some of the fugitive plasticizers can be trapped between coats and actually cause excessive scuffing, blackmarking, dirt impregnation and premature wear. Given the high humidity common in the Northwest, this is especially true.

To obtain the most user friendly results, we recommend 18 to 20 percent non-volatile solids floor finishes. If your concern is immediate gloss, a high solids finish is not necessary, simply apply an additional thin coat or two of finish. Floor finish polymers differ greatly and have strengths and weaknesses in differing areas (the ability to be buffed daily, non-buff gloss, exceptional wearability, etc.). Therefore it is important to use the correct finish for the situation, not increasing the solids content of the finish. Consult the Pro Line Floor Finish Comparison Chart which compares ProLine floor finishes and their applications.

Perhaps you have heard a lot of technical jargon about “actives” and “solids”. Following are the explanations of what these terms mean.

Actives: All the active ingredients that make up the floor finish. This would include the polymer, resin, wax, coalescing solvents, and plasticizers; basically all the ingredients excluding water.

Solids or Non-Volatile Material: All material in a floor finish that does not evaporate at 220 degrees Fahrenheit. This will always include the polymers, resin and wax and may include the plasticizer and coalescing solvents depending on if they evaporate at 220 degrees.

The percent of solids in a finish is determined by placing one gram of the finish into a weighed dish and placing it into a 220 degree oven for two hours. The percentage of solids are then calculated by using this formula: Weight of finish after being in oven divided by the weight of finish before being in oven, multiplied by 100% equals percentage of solids.

Chances are you will never be called on by one of your customers to use the above equation. But it does prove the point that the floor care industry is a technical and precise field, one that calls for knowledge and precision from the time the chemicals are manufactured to the time they are skillfully applied to the floor in an educated, conscientious manner.

We at Tower Industries firmly believe the end user and manufacturer gain the best possible results by working hand in hand. You benefit by our experience and we benefit by your feedback. By our combined efforts, you can have the shiniest floors and the happiest customers, and so can we

Today's finishes are based on acrylic polymers, alkali soluble leveling resins, polyethylene emulsions and many additives, including high boiling water soluble solvents. If the formulation has excessive amounts of high boiling coalescent solvents added, to obtain a high solids content, the drying time can reduce the gloss as it gradually evaporates. The type of ingredients and how they are chemically combined are the important factors in determining performance. We also need to take into consideration the fact that individual polymers, resins, waxes and other materials vary among manufacturers. The result can be that a finish with 18 percent solids may vary greatly from other finishes with the same solid percentage.