In recent years, aftermarket floor equipment companies have introduced some revolutionary attachments that can be easily installed on most flooring machines, which can help you earn extra money and expand into other areas beyond regular cleaning services. A floor machine can not only clean and scrub, but can also create a new look for any floor and even create a piece of art.
The most frequent thing I have noticed is that people are still using old cleaning techniques and traditional cleaning methods and spending more money than necessary on both labor and equipment. If you’re cleaning a floor with a floor pad, think again. The floor machine brush market has come a long way in the last 10 years and is now surpassing the floor pad industry. If you’re still using floor pads, you might as well be throwing money out the window. An average box of floor pads can cost anywhere from twenty to forty dollars and must be thrown away after use, making this a non-green solution for cleaning floors. New rotary machine brushes for floors last on average up to two years, and in turn will do a much better job of cleaning a floor for a minimal cost of around $100-$200. There are many types of rotary brushes, all made specifically for certain floor cleaning tasks. Floor machine brush companies have modeled their brushes after floor pads to clean more effectively, efficiently, and in the end, save the average cleaning company a great deal of money. Common types of floor machine brushes include polypropylene brushes, nylon brushes, sand impregnated brushes, all of which are used for general cleaning of many types of floors. It has become common practice for these companies to color coordinate the brush with the older style floor pads for easy selection when cleaning a floor and an easy transition to using these new floor brushes. So if you’re cleaning floors, think again and take a look at what’s out there, because using a rotating brush system will save you time and money.
The most unique example of what you can do with a floor machine is to grind regular concrete to look like marble. This technique can be easily applied to residential areas, foundations, garages, and even commercial applications such as commercial buildings or storage facilities. This is accomplished by using a diamond fleck flooring pad or carbide surface preparation tool that will easily attach to many different brands of flooring machines. The process begins by grinding the concrete so that it has a smooth texture that is almost shiny to the eye. After this is accomplished, a stain can be applied to the floor to give it color. It has become common practice to tape the floor to create shapes and patterns and then apply a mixture of acetone and stain to give the concrete a unique look. After the color is applied to the concrete, a layer of urethane is sprayed on to protect the floor and give it a marbled look. This is the newest trend in the cleaning industry and, based on cost, is much less expensive than installing marble or terrazzo tile. Even the average homeowner can easily afford to do this, making this a very new and open market.
Another great way to make money with your floor machine is caulk removal. Putty is basically a glue used to adhere carpet to any substrate. Removing caulk can be a tedious job that no one likes to do, but with the right equipment and chemicals, this can be easily accomplished. Floor brush companies have come up with some nifty add-ons, like caulk remover tools with diamond-coated blades, which remove this glue far too quickly and easily. When used in conjunction with chemicals like orange-based descaling products, which is a chemical made from orange peels, it quickly melts the glue and makes the stripping process even easier.
Not many people realize that a floor machine is a great tool for cleaning carpets. Using a rotating brush or bonnet system, you can agitate the carpet fibers to get them to penetrate deep and remove dirt and debris that a regular carpet extractor couldn’t achieve on its own. By using this method in conjunction with a carpet extractor, even the toughest stains can be removed from carpets and returned to their original condition. These add-ons are inexpensive and a must have for any carpet cleaner competing in today’s tough market.
When people think of floor machines, they rarely think of hardwood floors. These units can easily be converted to a floor sander to turn an old oak floor that has been hidden under the rug for 20 years into a pure masterpiece. Sanding boosters can be used in conjunction with circular sanding discs or grit screens. Another method of preparing a hardwood floor that has glue or debris on it is to use a hardwood prep tool that is similar to a concrete prep tool, except not as evasive. After sanding and smoothing the floor, you can topcoat and use water or oil based urethane to protect the floor and give it a gym finish and appearance.
All of the above procedures are great ways to earn extra money with your flooring machine without having to buy new flooring equipment, making for a great return on your investment. These creative add-on tools can be customized for most machines and are easy to install and remove depending on the job at hand. So don’t think of that floor machine as just another floor cleaning tool, if you get creative, there’s plenty of money to be made and works of art to be created!