Re: GBlist: Hardwood floor matrials and finishes

["Sarah Kopp" <kopp@kinneret.co.il>]

-->  The contradictions are pretty basic. You take a surface such as
>stone as a counter material.  It is in not in the nature of stone to be
>'impervious' though it is resistant and durable. So as a material it can
>become stained and in use become 'used' looking.
>
>This type of 'used' appearance is foreign to our grammar so we apply a
>veneer or finish to seal the surface to protect it from use and to give it
a
>lustre. What is it that we are relying on this veneer to do? Its job is to
>protect us from the material underneath so in essence we are not using a
>stone counter we are using a veneer on a substrate.

I just want to note that in my experience, granite and marble countertops
are polished, not veneered or varnished with any other material.  I have
lived in Israel 7 years and have seen only 3 countertops that were not some
type of stone.  They can get messed up because a lot of people here cut
right on the countertop rather than using a cutting board, but there is so
much natural varigation in the color and texture of the stone it is pretty
hard to make them obviously damaged.  They function well anyway.

That said, I don't much like them and am planning to use plywood in my
kitchen until I can afford to glue on ceramic tiles, which are easier to
repair than a solid homogenous surface like stone, Corian or formica.  I
checked into buying used restaurant equipment - all that stainless steel!
It is more expensive (here) 2nd hand than a new wooden kitchen!

>Its a complicated relationship - made even more complex as we begin to use
>cleaning and scouring products on that veneer and wear it down requiring
its
>renewal.  We are certainly more compromised by the products we use to
finish
>and maintain things than we are by the materials themselves.

As for floors, stone, ceramic tile, terrazzo and concrete all offer choices
that can be "finish free."  Mechanical polishing shines stone nicely - no
residual finish material is needed even to make it look shiny through years
of traffic and washing.  (I wash my floors with a kettle of boiling water
and a squeegee - even soap leaves a dull film but boiling water seems to
lift the dirt away and if an area gets too dull a little bleach usually
perks it up.) If you don't have health issues with dust and mites you can
throw down rugs in the winter, or if you are getting enough solar gain on
the floor and use dark colors it shouldn't be an issue.

I grew up on wooden floors and they are nice and not so cold as
stone/ceramic solutions, but there is always a trade-off, right?
Old-fashioned wood polishes are combinations of beeswax and carnuba wax,
usually with thinners to keep them pasty but you could heat the waxes up a
bit and use them with a weighted buffing machine.  In Kenya I saw servants
do the dusting with sheepskin pads on their feet.  They would shmeer some
floor wax paste on the pads and shuffle around the house, simultaneously
dusting and polishing the floor.  Maybe a floor waxing party could work with
the right music...

 As for "new-ness" being a desirable permanent look, blame mass media for
showing us all those sparkling commercials and ideal households.  I don't
think "clean"  and  "new" were always synonamous, that is, you can have
clean and believe it is clean even if it doesn't look new.  Get rid of your
television and live like you want to!

Sarah
Tsfat, Israel - still quiet up here.


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