Solving Slipping Problems With The Faber Safe Marble

Slip and fall accidents are common causes of workplace injuries. Even at home, the risks are prevalent, especially for the polished natural stone floors. Different factors cause slipping accidents. First, there is the type of floor. This looks at attributes such as the micro-roughness of the surface, all through to its level of wear, plus the condition in which the surface has been maintained. Next is the footwear. Here, the material of the shoes’ soles, its hardness, plus the tread come into play. It extends to human factors, ranging from the walking speed and behaviour, weight of the individual plus issues like age- where the toddlers and the elderly at a high risk of slip and fall accidents. The slip resistance is dependent on the friction between the floor and the shoe or sole of the barefoot as the person is walking. When there are liquids on the surface- such as after mopping when the floor is wet, or in kitchens with the frequent spills, and in bathrooms where wetness is a guarantee, the grip reduces, which increases the risk of slipping. Shiny floors are particularly noted for the reduced slip resistance, which brings forward the need for retrospective corrective measures which can increase grip. This includes chemical treatment using non-slip formulations. However, you don’t want to impair the visual appeal of the floor in the process. Products specialised for the task are required, which is where the Faber Safe Marble comes in.

This is a unit from the world-renowned Faber, that provides surface care and maintenance products for different processes, from situations where you want polishes to spruce up the appearance of the surface, finishes that add to the beauty of the installation, mastics and epoxy systems that come in handy when repairs need to be made, cleaners for the everyday dirt and grime, to the stain removers for tackling those stubborn spots- Faber has them all. It has been in the industry from 1986, and as such you can be sure you’re getting a quality product when you turn to the Faber Safe Marble.

Non-slip treatment for your lime-based surfaces

These materials are usually difficult to treat. However, the Faber Safe Marble has been specially formulated for the task, enabling you to make the floors safer to walk on. It will directly act on the surface, with the chemical reactions that occur resulting the formation of micro-erosions that are too small to be seen, but highly effective in boosting water run-off and increasing the grip of the surface. This reduces cases of slipping even with the wet conditions, for both cases where people have footwear and those where they are barefoot. It doesn’t stop there. The Faber Safe Marble adds to the water-repellent attributes of the floor, making routine maintenance easier. Speaking of which, the routine cleaning of the surfaces treated with this product can be carried out with formulations like Faber Neugel. AlgaFloor or Faber 30 can also be employed based on the particular situation. You can also proceed to stain-proof the floor, using the PROTW LUX LO.

Treating Your Floors With The Faber Safe Marble

The application can be broken down into 3 stages:

Preparing the surface

For starters, the surface should be clean. Dirt particles would simply ruin the quality of the results. Give the floor a thorough wash, and allow it to dry since the Faber Safe Marble is not to be applied onto wet surfaces. For those cases where the floors have been recently installed or grouted, allow the adhesive or grout that had been used to first completely cure. In addition, since the effectiveness of the Faber Safe Marble is dependent on it coming into direct contact with the actual floor structure, the pre-existing treatments that had been applied, such as wax coats and resin formulations, should first be removed.

Testing for optimal contact time

The Faber Safe Marble is suitable for a wide range of surfaces, and each comes with its different attributes, from the composition to the surface hardness. As such, the exact non-slip quality that will be obtained after treating the floor with the product will vary. The contact time that will be allowed will have a huge impact on this, hence needs to be determined for your particular flooring. This is achieved by carrying out a test on a concealed area of the floor. A general guide for the various surfaces is a 10-20-minute contact time for floors such as limestone, the soft lime-based surfaces, and soft marble. On the other hand, for the hard and compact lime-based floors, a 15 to 30-minute contact time is advised. However, these are not set in stone. It’s a guideline that can be used as a reference when carrying out the test. For situations where you don’t obtain the desired results after 30 minutes of contact time, it can be extended in 10-minute intervals. For the test itself, these are the issues to factor in:

– The surface needs to be thoroughly rinsed with water.

– Assess the non-slip grip when the floor is wet, then compare it to the untreated surface.

The assessment can be simply carried out by hand, pressing down on the surface with the fingertips and simulating the weight that bears down on the surface as a person walks on it.

The treatment process

The Faber Safe Marble can be applied using various equipment. These include a brush, lambswool applicator, or roller. It depends on the size of the surface that you’re working on, and the tool that you find to be more convenient for you. Spread the product evenly over the area, applying it abundantly. Give it the contact time that was set during the previous stage, then use a wet vacuum to extract the excess product from the surface. After rinsing the floor and allowing it to dry, it will be ready to use. Dividing up the area into smaller sections will enable you to get the task done more effectively, especially when it comes to ensuring that there is uniformity with the application and the contact times to be observed on the different sections.

Solving Slipping Problems With The Faber Safe Marble