Determination of cleanability and wearing of plastic flooring surfaces in field and laboratory conditions

Plastic surfaces are used widely as flooring materials in public and residential buildings. When new floor coverings are developed, both field and laboratory tests are needed. In this study the tendency to soiling and wearing and the cleanability of six commercial plastic flooring surfaces were examined in both field and laboratory conditions. The plastic flooring surfaces were studied using colorimetry and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In the field experiments, outdoor conditions greatly affected soiling of the floorings, whereas the number of persons walking over the flooring did not correlate with the soiling values in the two buildings examined. Laboratory tests provided results rapidly and the plastic materials were ranked in a similar order of superiority both in the field and laboratory experiments. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the cleanability of the surfaces in the field and laboratory experiments (r = 0.94). The laboratory methods can therefore be used for obtaining indicative information for selecting materials for practical use and for comparing the cleanability properties of the materials.