Introducing Aspida LVT Restorative Floor Coating

Introducing Aspida LVT Restorative Floor Coating

Often when considering flooring, facility managers choose LVT because it is low maintenance and comes with a protective coating. However, over time that coating can fade with wear. To reduce the impact of everyday foot traffic, prevent scuffs, and give your floors an added shine, you need a protective coating that won’t damage your flooring.

Buckeye is rethinking specialty floor maintenance with Aspida™ . Aspida is a floor coating formulated to extend the life of LVT and other specialty flooring. Because floor strippers can damage LVT flooring, Aspida is strip-free. It protects the floor, creating a soft, more natural look.

Developing Aspida

Buckeye is unique in that we manufacture our own polymers to create our floor finishes and coatings. These are called Renaissance Performance Polymers. Because we create the polymers that are used in our floor finishes and coatings, we control the attributes of each product. 

In creating Aspida, Buckeye developed Polymatrix Technology, a proprietary polymer blend. Through careful manipulation of particle size and distribution, Buckeye has designed polymers and a resin system that eliminates floor stripping, prevents heavy build up, and makes floors easier to clean.

Antimicrobial Product Protection

Aspida also utilizes Microban® antimicrobial technology to provide an added level of proactive product protection against product damaging microbes* - keeping the floor coating cleaner, longer.

All Microban antimicrobial technologies are approved by the US EPA for their specific use in the product in which they are used.

*Microban technology does not protect users against disease-causing microorganisms. Microban Products Company makes neither direct nor implied public health claims. Normal cleaning practices should be maintained.

Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program 

Daily, interim, and restorative maintenance are all important pieces of floor care, no matter your flooring type. The Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program prioritizes labor reduction with quality products and expert training. This complete program has all of the tools and resources you need to keep your floors looking like new.

For more information about Aspida and the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program, contact your local Buckeye representative.

What is Microban Technology?

What is Microban Technology?

Microban antimicrobial technology is a built-in ingredient that helps products resist the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, and other microbes. It is not a substitute for regular cleaning practices, but does continuously fight the growth of microbes and can keep products you purchase cleaner, longer.

What is Microban Used For?

Many companies infuse products with Microban to keep their products cleaner over time. Buckeye uses Microban in Clarion® 25 Floor Finish and Arena® 300 Water-Based Wood Floor Coating. Because they utilize Microban technology, Clarion 25 and Arena 300 have lifetime antimicrobial product protection and live-on floor protection for the products’ usable life.

How Does Microban Antimicrobial Technology Work? 

Microban Antimicrobial Technology is built into Clarion 25 and Arena 300 during the manufacturing process. Once the floor finish or wood floor coating is applied to floors, the built-in Microban technology prevents microbes from growing and reproducing. When bacteria, mold, and mildew come in contact with floors, Microban will penetrate the cell wall of the microbe, disrupting the cell and preventing its ability to make food, grow, and reproduce.*

How is Microban Tested? 

Clarion 25 with Microban technology has been tested using the JIS Z 2801 standard laboratory method and test protocol for antimicrobial activity. the JIS Z 2801 method tests the ability of hard surfaces to inhibit the growth of microorganisms over a 24-hour period of contact.

Why Microban Matters

Floors and soles of shoes are major sources of contamination in healthcare, retail, and educational facilities. In schools, students play on gym floors quickly transferring microbes between their hands and the floor. According to the American Journal of Infection Control, contact with objects on floors frequently results in the transfer of pathogens to hands.

Microban technology in Clarion 25 and Arena 300 can proactively fight microbes 24 hours a day at no additional cost. Find out more when you contact your Buckeye representative.

*Microban technology does not protect users against disease-causing microorganisms. Microban Products Company makes neither direct nor implied public health claims. Normal cleaning practices should be maintained.

What’s Growing on Your Floors?

What’s Growing on Your Floors?

Bacteria, mold, mildew, and microorganisms are everywhere, even airborne, covering surfaces you come into contact with every day. Studies have shown that floors and soles of shoes are sources of contamination.

A study done by the University of Arizona found that soles of shoes average 421,000 units of bacteria and that pathogens can transfer from the floor to shoes and back to floors.

An American Journal of Infection Control study concluded that contact with objects on floors in hospitals frequently results in the transfer of pathogens to hands. They found there is a need to reduce the bacterial burden on floors. 

Whether you work in a hospital, school, or retail facility, finding ways to fight bacteria growth can improve the patient, student, and guest experience in any facility. Clarion® 25 Microban® Antimicrobial Floor Finish offers 24/7 product protection to proactively and continuously fight microbes at no additional cost, with no additional labor or procedures.

Microban International was founded in 1984 and is the global leader in surface modification technology which allows an EPA registered antimicrobial to be embedded in a surface. Microban technology is built-in to over 1,000 products in 30 countries on four continents.

How Does Microban Antimicrobial Product Protection Work?

More Than a Product

As part of the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program, Clarion 25 with Microban technology can provide clarity, durability, and repairability to your floors. The Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program offers products and procedures that reduce labor and product costs while keeping your floors in top condition. 

From routine floor care to annual maintenance, Buckeye products include cleaners, floor finishes, and floor strippers that reduce labor costs and give years of beauty to your floors.

Are You Disinfecting Your Floors?

Buckeye Eco Neutral Disinfectant E23 is a multi-purpose disinfectant that can kill a variety of pathogens without attacking floor finish. It has also been approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2 with a one-minute contact time. 

See the results for yourself! Contact a Buckeye representative today to schedule a floor demonstration at your facility.

*Microban technology does not protect users against disease-causing microorganisms. Microban Products Company makes neither direct nor implied public health claims. Normal cleaning practices should be maintained.

Renaissance Performance Polymers

Renaissance Performance Polymers

Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program is built on innovation, resulting in the highest quality products that are proven to increase efficiency, produce excellent results, and save money. Renaissance® Performance Polymers serves as the foundation for the Hard Floor Care Program, creating polymers specifically for Buckeye floor finishes.

Renaissance is Buckeye’s exclusive line of floor finish polymers. Other floor finish manufacturers buy polymers from companies who do not specialize in making floor finishes. Some of these competitive floor finishes lose clarity or become less durable over time. Because Buckeye is committed to providing the highest quality products, it’s important for Buckeye floor finishes to achieve maximum durability and water clear clarity. With Renaissance, Buckeye is able to replicate exact specifications of a polymer for floor finishes giving Buckeye complete control over the characteristics of each floor finish.

Buckeye’s polymer research has resulted in longer-lasting floor finishes that can reduce your facility’s strip out cycle. Renaissance Performance Polymers provides value by eliminating the cost of third-party polymers and creating top-of-the-line polymers that reduce labor costs for the end user.

With state-of-the-art equipment, research, and the highest quality standards, Renaissance helps Buckeye construct floor finishes that consistently provide an enhanced appearance for floors with the least amount of labor. Renaissance Performance Polymers are manufactured in a state-of-the-art polymer production facility. This facility was designed with employee and environmental safety measures in place. Governmental agencies have rated our VOC emissions as “de minimis” (too small or insignificant to be considered).

Beyond Renaissance, Buckeye continues to innovate with its patented Liquescent® technology, designed to eliminate hazardous ingredients like butyl, solvents, and alcohol bases. Even more recently, Buckeye has incorporated Microban® technology into its Clarion® 25 floor finish to inhibit the growth of bacteria on floors. As new technologies emerge, Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program will continue to evolve to bring the best value to customers.

For more information on Renaissance Performance Polymers and Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Prepare for Reopening During COVID-19

Prepare for Reopening During COVID-19

Restaurants, retail stores, and schools are preparing to reopen during COVID-19 and the CDC urges these facilities to develop and implement a plan to reduce the risk of exposure.

Following CDC protocols, Buckeye programs can help keep these facilities on the right track. With cleaning products, disinfectants, hand sanitizers and more, Buckeye programs have the necessary tools for visitor well-being.

Complete Hand Hygiene Program 

The Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program offers a complete line of hand hygiene products. Symmetry’s high quality, low cost products are less likely to contribute to dry hands and leave no sticky residue behind.

In addition to high quality products and reliable dispensing systems, Symmetry offers education and awareness materials, and behavior modification tools. Education and awareness materials include wall charts, posters, product literature, and handwashing videos that focus on the “HOW” and “WHY” or proper hand hygiene. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System uses customizable placards, visual lighting cues, and more to capture attention in the moment and inspire an immediate hand hygiene event.

Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfecting Program

 

Frequently clean and disinfect high touch objects, surfaces and areas using our EPA recognized emerging pathogen disinfectants approved for use during COVID-19. Our Eco Proportioning Program is fully integrated with effective, hermetically sealed products, including EPA emerging pathogen disinfectants, for any application.

The complete Eco® Proportioning Program allows you to consider space availability, how many products you will dilute, cost, and whether or not your products need additional security. Eco products are diluted automatically through Eco proportioning systems, ensuring their effectiveness and preventing product waste.

Microban® Antimicrobial Product Floor Protection 

 

A recent study conducted in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and a COVID-19 General Ward (GW) at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, China confirmed that the virus was widely distributed on floors, computer mice, trash cans, and sickbed handrails. Another study found that bacteria and fungi can live on soles of shoes for up to five days.

Clarion® 25 Microban Antimicrobial Floor Finish and Arena® 300 Microban Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating can provide an added level of 24/7 proactive protection against damaging microbes. Though Microban is not a substitute for normal cleaning practices, Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, and makes floors easier to clean - keeping floors cleaner, longer at no additional cost to you.

Training Programs 

 

Buckeye’s training programs provide step-by-step manuals and customized wall charts to accompany in-depth, in-person training. Provide your staff with the proper products and procedures to meet the needs of your facility.

Social Distancing Decals

 

In order to reopen, facilities need to maintain safe daily habits in order to reduce the risk of exposure. This includes reminding patrons to wear face coverings, practice social distancing, and avoid public places when sick. Buckeye can help bring awareness to the people in your facility with social distancing signage at entrances, on floors, on walls, on carts, and at registers.

For more information about how Buckeye can assist your facility in reopening, contact your local Buckeye representative

Buckeye and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Buckeye and the COVID-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to evolve, it’s important to take steps to protect yourself and those around you. Buckeye takes COVID-19 seriously and continues to take a proactive approach in our effort to prevent the spread of germs. Buckeye programs strive to educate the public on the importance of best cleaning, disinfecting, and hand hygiene practices.

CDC Recommendations

Because there is no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, the CDC has presented several guidelines to help slow the spread. The CDC recommends:

Cleaning Your Hands OftenAvoid Close ContactCovering Your Mouth and Nose with a Cloth in PublicCovering Coughs and SneezesCleaning and Disinfecting

Cleaning and Disinfecting

According to the CDC, everyone should clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. As always, if surfaces are dirty, clean them. Then disinfect with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectant.

Several Buckeye products have been pre-approved by the EPA for use against emerging enveloped viral pathogens and can be used during the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. This list includes:

Buckeye Sanicare Mint Quat®  Buckeye Eco Neutral Disinfectant E23  Buckeye Eco One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22  Buckeye Sanicare Lemon Quat®  Buckeye Sanicare Pine Quat®  Buckeye Sanicare Quat 128®  Buckeye Sanicare Quat 256®  Buckeye Sani-Q2™  Buckeye Terminator®    

24/7 Antimicrobial Product Protection 

A recent study confirmed that bacteria and fungi can live on soles of shoes for up to five days, making it important to remember to disinfect floors and shoes. In Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and a COVID-19 General Ward (GW) at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan China, another study showed SARS-CoV-2 positive tests for surfaces samples of floors, shoe soles of medical staff, computer mice, trash cans, sickbed handrails, and doorknobs.

Buckeye’s Clarion® 25 Antimicrobial Floor Finish can proactively and continuously fight microbes on floors. With 24/7 protection, Microban® technology disrupts the cells microorganisms making them unable to grow and reproduce. While not a substitute for normal cleaning practices, Microban protection continuously fights the growth of microbes, and makes floors easier to clean - keeping them cleaner, longer.

Hand HygieneCleaning your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is essential to slowing the spread of COVID-19. The CDC suggests using hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap is not readily available. The Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program offers hand soaps and hand sanitizers that will help keep your hands clean after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

To find the most up-to-date information about CVOID-19 and how you can help slow the spread, visit the CDC and WHO websites.

Buckeye's Complete Floor Care Program

Buckeye's Complete Floor Care Program

Did you know that 90% of a floor maintenance budget is spent on labor?

Reducing the amount of labor it takes to strip and refinish floors provides the biggest opportunity for total program cost savings. Buckeye has developed its Hard Floor Care Program with superior products and training in proper techniques to maximize labor savings. With Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program, facilities can save 20-40% of their floor maintenance budget.

Superior Products

Buckeye products are developed with patented Liquescent® technology. This water-based technology strengthens the cleaning power of Buckeye products and replaces hazardous chemical ingredients including butyl, ammonia, solvents, and alcohol bases. Products like Buckeye’s RipSaw® Floor Stripper use this technology to remove floor finish in one application.

Buckeye’s floor finishes use Renaissance® Performance Polymers, specifically designed for Buckeye. Competitors buy polymers from companies who do not specialize in making floor finishes. Renaissance replicates exact polymer specifications for Buckeye floor finishes, which guarantees consistent results for customers. Because of this, Renaissance helps Buckeye floor finishes achieve maximum durability and water-clear clarity.

Clarion 25® Microban Antimicrobial Floor Finish 

In addition to providing clarity and durability, Clarion 25 with Microban Technology provides 24/7 antimicrobial product protection. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban technology penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce.

Customized Training

Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program is tailored to your facility. Buckeye representatives provide in-person training to ensure staff members have a solid understanding of proper procedures. One Jacksonville, FL school’s head custodian notes Buckeye’s attention to training, saying, “The reps stand out, always coming by to check on me, offer help, or provide training.”

For schools and universities, Buckeye also provides the Honors® Custodial Training Program. Available 24/7, this online program is complete with videos and tests to improve staff knowledge. Supervisors can view reports on test scores and conduct facility surveys to see how maintenance has improved over time.

To see how Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program can be customized to fit your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Antimicrobial Product Protection in Clarion® 25

Antimicrobial Product Protection in Clarion® 25

Founded in 1984, Microban® International is a global leader in surface modification technology. Microban antimicrobial product protection provides added protection that inhibits the growth and reproduction of harmful bacteria, mold, and mildew. Microban’s goal is to provide live-on protection for products that prevents problems before they begin. Their goal is to give consumers peace of mind with their antimicrobial technologies.

Buckeye’s Clarion 25 floor finish is the first floor finish with built-in Microban technology. Clarion 25 uses Microban antimicrobial product protection to protect finished floors from the reproduction of microorganisms. Once Microban is infused into a product, it begins working as soon as a microorganism comes into contact with the product. It continuously works to prevent bacteria growth for the useful lifetime of the product.

Floors and the soles of shoes are sources of contamination in any facility. Whether you work in a healthcare facility, school, or retail space, the spread of germs can impact the health of visitors. Microban technology in Clarion 25 provides 24/7 antimicrobial product protection. This means your floors stay cleaner, longer because Microban prevents bacteria from multiplying between cleanings. Built-in protection can give you peace of mind while visitors walk the halls of your facility.

For more information on Clarion 25 with Microban technology, contact your local Buckeye representative

Floor Care in Healthcare Facilities

Floor Care in Healthcare Facilities

According to a study done by Infection Control Today, floors and soles of shoes are real sources of pathogen contamination and transmission. The American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) states that hospital rooms are frequently contaminated with pathogens, and high-touch objects are frequently in contact with the floor. Contact with objects on floors frequently results in transfer of pathogens to hands.

The cleanliness of hospital floors can make a huge impact on the spread of HAIs (Healthcare-Associated Infections) in healthcare facilities. Disinfecting floors is vital to the health of patients, staff members, and visitors, but there’s more you can do for your floors between cleanings. To counteract bacteria growth on floors, Buckeye has developed Clarion® 25 floor finish with Microban® technology.

Microban technology is built-in antimicrobial product protection that gives products an added level of protection against damaging microbes such as bacteria, mold, and, mildew. In Clarion 25, Microban helps prevent bacteria from multiplying on your floor, keeping floors cleaner, longer.

Clarion 25 is one of several Buckeye floor finishes formulated with Renaissance® Performance Polymers. Renaissance makes polymers specifically for Buckeye floor finishes, guaranteeing consistent durability and clarity. The shine of Buckeye floor finishes can help create a welcoming environment for hospital visitors and guests.

Built on standardized cleaning procedures, the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program has all of the tools you need to keep visitors comfortable. The floor care procedures make floor maintenance a quick and easy task for staff members. Buckeye’s top scrub and recoat program helps reduce the amount of labor that goes into floor care by extending strip outs. This means you can devote more time to other hospital maintenance needs.

For healthcare facilities, reducing HAIs and providing a comfortable environment for patients and visitors are top priorities. Keeping facilities welcoming starts with cleaner, clearer floors. To find out more about how the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program can impact your facility floors, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Cleaner School Floors with Buckeye

Cleaner School Floors with Buckeye

Maintaining a clean school is about more than appearance. Studies have shown that student achievement can be negatively or positively impacted by the surrounding school environment. Creating a positive environment that promotes the health and safety of students, staff, and visitors is a key component of the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program.

Cleaner schools begin from the floor up. The newest addition to Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program, Clarion® 25 with Microban® technology, is one of the easiest ways to improve school floor cleanliness. Clarion 25 is the first floor finish to utilize Microban surface modification technology. Microban embeds an EPA registered antimicrobial into the floor finish, preventing bacteria from colonizing and multiplying and adding an extra layer of protection on top of standard cleaning and disinfecting. Using Clarion 25 with Microban, you can have peace of mind while students study in a cleaner environment.

Like all of Buckeye’s floor finishes, Clarion 25 is formulated with Renaissance® Performance Polymers. The research, design, and development done by Renaissance at the molecular level gives Buckeye International the upper hand. With Renaissance, Buckeye can control the characteristics of their floor finishes, making them more durable, clear, and repairable. With floor finishes that do not powder or yellow, Buckeye’s Hard Floor Care Program can help your school create a welcoming environment for all.

Additionally, because of the quality of their floor finishes, Buckeye is the only company in the industry that can provide the customer with a true top scrub and recoat program that reduces product and labor costs. Buckeye’s products require less labor so school staff members can spend time on other important maintenance projects.

The Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program comes with training materials including in-person training and online training for schools and universities. The Buckeye Honors® Program allows staff members to access training materials 24/7 so you can get the most out of the Hard Floor Care Program. With Honors, staff members can watch videos and test themselves to see how much knowledge they gained. Supervisors can assign videos and view test results of each staff member. For more information on how the Buckeye Hard Floor Care Program and the Honors Program can help keep your school cleaner, contact your local Buckeye representative.