'TJGHITIGAL INFORI^TIOir ON BUILDING IvIkT3?JALS

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FOB U3F IN THZ D3SIGN OP LOV/-GOST HOUSING

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TK3 NATIONAL BUHSAU OF STAIJDARDS

UiaTND STATES DEPAHl^lENT OF GOIvIVERGE' WASHINGTON, D. C.

OotoLer b',

' 1937

HNSISTANGE OF FLOOR GO^rEHING IlITERIALS TO STAINING AND GHSMIGALS

Investigations of varions types of floor covering materials as to

tneir resistance to stains and chemicals showed that, with the exception

of porous liraostone and sandstone floorings, all stone types of floor

coverings were more resiscant to stains and therefore easier and less ex- pensive to clean than fihrous materials.

The results Didicated that ruhoer tile should not he specified for

use where grease, oils, gasoline, or turpentine are liable to he spilled.

Gleaning compounds containing these solvents should he avoided.

The Continued use of strong soap solo.tions containing excess allcali

will darken oak floors and cause linoleum to dry out, harden, and crack.

Excessive scruhhing with soap solutions caused color to "run" in some of

the samples of ruhher tile.

Alcohol, gasoline, turpentine, oil, and grease have a solvent acvion

upon asphalt, causing the surface to become softened and more easily indented.

Acids exart a solvent action upon mj-rhle, limestone, terrazao, and

concrete.

There are many difforcnv types of flooring materials of diffirent

com.positions ranging from stone to fihrous. Each typo is roprosenteu by

a variety of gr_>.des depending upon the source of raw material and method

of manufact'urc . 'There arc also different siirfaco treatments such as polishing, painting, wc.xing;, varnishing, and lacquering. The materials

used for those treatments and the methods of n,pplication also vary. The

problem is f'urther complic''.tod in that there is an unlimited number of

stains v/nich cause discoloration of flooring surfaces.

In those tests use was made of t'./o types of stains and ten different

chemicals for removing stains.

1
Rosistanco to Staining

Rolioving tliat soino flooring sorfacGs might have a groator rosistancc to staining than others, efforts vioro directed toward a study of

the rolativo ease of removing stains, 'i'he principles of stain removing

are covered in Farmers’ Bulletin No, 1474 "Stain Removal from Fabrics

Home Methods".^ In addition, methods for the removal of a variety of

stains from interior marbles are described in Bui'eau of Standards Technologic Paper T350, "A Study of Problems Relating to the IvIaintenancG of

Interior Marble", by I>. V»‘. Kessler Rather than follow the routine of

removing loiown stains by ioiown methods, a special procedure V;?as adopted

to differentiate betivo-en the behavior of various samples towe.rd staining.

Procedure t Two stains, tincture of iodine and a water suspension of

h^'drated ferric oxide, were selected to measure the resistance of the

flooring surfaces to sta-ining. Approximately one milliliter of each

stain was applied to three separate portions of each sa.mple. Efforts to remove the stains 'wore made at intervals of five minutes, twenty-four

hours, and thirty days. If the stain could bo removed by means of a dry cloth, wet cloth, or soap solution, the surfacd v/as classified as "easy to clean". If the stain resisted all of these methods, the surface was classified as "difficult to clean", and treatments provided in

the roforoncos cited wore applied to dotarmine whether the stain could

bo removed. The demarcation between "easy to clean" and "difficult to

clean" was based upon the assumption that cloths, v/ater, and soap v;ould

be obtainable in the average household, whoreas a supply of chemical

reagents might not bo avo,ilablo.

1 , May bo obtained from Superintendent of Bocuvients, Washington, B. G,

Price 5 cents.

n Out of print but may bo consulted in Go vorruaont Depository libraries.

2
Conclusions: 'Two flooring samples, qimrr^ tile and slate, were classified as "8c.3y to clean" with, respect to ootli iodine and iron stains for all

of the tine periods. The saiaple of sandstone flooring proved "difficult to

clean" under all conditions of tests.

Iodine volatilises, which accounts for the fact that iodine stain liad

ccapletoly disappeared fron some surfaces. This vj&s generally true in the case of stone saraplcs having dense or polished surfaces.

Iron stain v/as easy to remove fron sample of waxed linolouxa, hut difficult to remove fron unwaxed surface.

Lacquered cork sample showed a greater rosista.nco to iron staining

than untreated sample.

hone of the v.'axoi surfaces shov'od greater resistance to iodine staining

than untreated surfaces.

Lacquer wa,s ineffective in protecting cork S'urfacc frora iodine stain.

Iron stain v/as difficult to remove from untreo.tod surfaces of linoleum

and cork at five-niinuto and twenty-foun*-hour periods. Yet it was fo'und

easy to remove from hoth surfaces at thirty-day period. The intensity of

stains had hecn reduced considerably on each of these surfaces at thirtyday period, prohahly due to absorption. In addition, the mottled brown

backgrouad of each of these surfaces v/as sufficient to conceal traces of

staii'j. which might have remained after soap trea^tment.

Unv/axed surfaces of rubber tile, asphalt tile, and Pei-mex tile v.'ere as resistant to stains as waxed surfaces.

Gleaning un./axed rubber tile surface with soap caused color to run. waxing prevented this action.

Alcohol caused color to r-un from rubber, asphalt, a:id Pormex tiles,

waxing those surfaces did not prove^it this condition.

Hesistance to Chemicals

The flooring surfaces were exposed to the action of chemicals which

are liable to be spilled upo-i floors, those used as ingredients in com- pounds for general cleaning, or those used as special solvents for re- moval of sta.ins. The tests wore conducted to determine the surface action

of the chemicals upon the samples.

^j3C_odune; In preliminary exporimonts , the chemicals wore applied in the

form of talc poultices. They voero revaov ^d after 50 days, and the resistance to abrasion and indentation meas’.u-ed. The results were fall.vcious,

since they did not check with vinmal observations.
Aorasioii and indantation tests, as a means for measuring the surface

action of chemicals upon samples of flooring, were discontinued, as more

reliable information could ho obtained by inspection. The proced’ire

adopted was as follows 5 Approximately one milliliter of chemiceA v;as applied to surface of sample and allowed to remain for five minutes. It was then ’.viped vigorously with, a cloth, and the latter examined as to whether discolored or clean. hhen_sim’facG had dried, spotting, if any, was noted.

If cloth remained clean, surface was characterised as "fast” with respect

to the chomical. If clotli 'was discolored the \/ord "rims" vvas used to signify

that fact. If discoloration of s’orface was observed after the chemical

had dried, a notation of "spots” was used. In an individual test it was possible to have a combination of "fast” and "spots", or "runs” and "spots",

but never of "fast” and ”r'ans". A notation of ”f ist” and "spots" indicates

that the color of the sample did not rub off upon the cloth, but that a spot was left upon the surface of ohe so;mple after drying.

Conolus ions ; Under the conditions of the tests the stone group of flooring materials proved to be more resistant to the action of chemicals than

the samples typical of the fibrous group. Acid was the only chemical

vi/hich sliowed .. deleterious effect upon the surfaces of any of the stone

floorings tested, dhe acid had a solvent action upon the siirfaces of

the marble, limestpne, and terrazzo samples, hone of the fibrous samples

’.vas resistant to, all of the chemicals.

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