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When selecting a floor covering, it's important to take a long-term approach and factor in the costs of the flooring and its maintenance requirements. The Education Factor Flooring also can play a significant role in the performance of an educational facility. Maintenance in schools, given time and staff constraints, often is inadequate. As a result, rubber floor coverings that can be maintained without applying any waxes or finishes can be extremely attractive to schools looking to reduce labor time and costs. Classrooms are busy areas that endure frequent changeover. The presence of desks, chairs and other obstacles makes achieving a clean floor significantly challenging. Often, thorough cleaning must wait until semester breaks or summer vacation, because many floor coverings require time to be cleaned, stripped, buffed and waxed. Everything must be removed. That's why classrooms that install no-wax rubber flooring require far less time and commitment, allowing custodial staff to focus their efforts on other projects. Also, by not introducing waxes and finishes, the cleaning regimen for no-wax flooring ensures classrooms will experience improved IAQ, which contributes to a healthier learning atmosphere. Cafeterias and food service areas require a clean profile as well. Not only are these busy areas with frequent changeover, but they also are subject to food and drink spills, making the proper floor covering choice critical. What happens when food is dropped and someone accidentally steps on it? If durable rubber flooring with a dense surface is installed, the answer most likely is nothing. Food usually can be cleaned away with a mop and cleaning solution. With carpeting or more porous floor coverings, liquid can seep into the surface and become difficult to remove. And, if you don't use wax or finishes to protect the surface, permanent staining can result. But that same liquid or foreign substance cannot penetrate the surface of rubber flooring, making cleanup easy and residual staining almost non-existent. Rubber's dense surface also prevents bacteria from finding a safe haven within the flooring, helping custodial teams maintain a healthy atmosphere. CirCle No. 42 january : february 2013 — CommerCial ConstruCtion & renovation 87