Green Aspects – Why SaniGLAZE Means
Eco-Friendly Tile Flooring

In an effort to reduce energy consumption and ease environmental concerns, more and more building owners, engineers and architects are embracing the concept of environmentally friendly or “sustainable” development – the ability to build the facilities and structures we need today without depleting resources for the future. Building in harmony with the environment seeks to balance the economic, social and environmental impacts, recognizing that population growth will continue, as will the need for more commercial structures.

Product manufacturers in every segment of the construction industry are jockeying to position their products as being sustainable. For many, it’s a stretch.

But the SaniGLAZE process doesn’t need to be “reinvented” as a sustainable tile flooring solution or environmentally beneficial product, because it’s always been that way. The process was developed more than 10 years ago, before “green” became the fashionable color. Our eco-friendly tile flooring process made just as much sense then as it does now.

In general, non-technical terms, sustainability is defined as the ability to support or to keep a process or system functional for a significant yet undefined period of time. In the construction industry, the concept takes on tighter parameters. Sustainability in this context has come to be synonymous with environmentally friendly and green. Engineers and architects define sustainability to mean having no net negative impact on the environment while providing a long life cycle of performance. It also embraces qualities such as mold and mildew resistance, material reuse and improved interior air quality.

It doesn’t matter if a building owner is seeking LEED certification or just wants to do a small part to help the environment or improve tenant safety and comfort. The SaniGLAZE program effectively embraces all of these concepts to promote a sustainable tile flooring solution.

An independent research study compared samples of conventional tile and ordinary cementitious grout along with similar samples that had been treated with the SaniGLAZE restorative bonding technology. Mold was cultured on both surfaces and scrubbed off with a neutral cleaning compound. Both samples were then coated with a 2 percent glucose solution. Mold quickly re-grew on the un-bonded surface, but not on the bonded side. It is generally accepted that while microorganisms may exist on the surface, they cannot penetrate the tough barrier created by the SaniGLAZE procedure.

Sustainability initiatives such as LEED, Green Globes and most others place a high premium on mold and mildew control. LEED for Schools awards a credit point specifically for mold and mildew control procedures. But even if the building owner is not seeking any formal certification, there is a general peace of mind in knowing that surfaces protected by SaniGLAZE’s restorative bonding do not support the growth and development of mold and mildew.

This is a fundamental concept of any sustainability initiative. It simply makes good environmental and business sense to rehabilitate an existing component as opposed to ripping it out and replacing it. Unlike carpeting and even hardwood, ceramic tile doesn’t wear out. It’s the porous grout that needs refurbishment, causing the possible need for complete tile and grout replacement.

The SaniGLAZE system can make any ceramic tile surface look just as good as the day it was installed and keep it that way. There is no need to spend time and money on the dusty job of complete tile and grout replacement when a simple SaniGLAZE procedure can achieve the same results at a fraction of the cost with substantially less impact on the environment.

One of the many positive benefits that have resulted from the move to sustainable construction is the renewed concern for interior air quality. Gone are the days when the first arrivals to the office were greeted by the smell of stale cigarette smoke or the solvent smells of last night’s maintenance work.

The sustainable office is maintained with products that contain low or no VOCs, and the SaniGLAZE maintenance program — featuring EverGLAZE ceramic tile cleaner — is part of this new and healthier environment. Even the public restrooms take on a clean, odorless appearance when properly maintained with a SaniGLAZE restoration and an EverGLAZE Maintenance Program.