Coor & Kleever Crystallization System
Frequent Asked Questions
What is the crystallization system?
In the floor maintenance industry, when we talk about crystallization, we mean the incorporation of a tough all over layer of micro-crystals. We do that by means of chemical reaction, and for this purpose we use specially built machinery, togheter with chemical liquids and steel wool pads.
The final result is a thin, continuous and very hard layer of microcristals that coat the floor. It’s a process that doesn’t use wax, that’s why the final result is not slippery, non marking and with a perfect gloss.
The crystallization manages to increase the durability of the flooring material by 2 or 3 degrees on the Mohs scale. This makes the surface more resistant to abrasion and gives it a clear and transparent shine, giving it the appearance of crystal.
Can you crystallize all types of floors?
No. The crystallization, like any other chemical process, needs certain components. This means that the crystallization works in all carbonated calcium floors, such as concrete, terrazzo, marble and limestone. Floors with different composition, like granite, can be crystallized but only after being carefully grind with diamond until the finer grades and using the special granite powder in combination with K2.
Do you need to strip off the crystallization, like the wax?
No. The crystallization doesn't leaves traces like wax, so you don't need to strip them off.
Could the crystallization damage the floor?
The answer to that question is a categorical no. Althought there are going around people in the internet forums, specially, that claim that crystallization can damage the floor, we, with our experience can say definitely: NO, never, in any way. We didn't see in more than 40 years a floor damaged by the crystallization. You can misuse crystallization, like any other thing, but if you do crystallization right, then the result have to be right. People that claim against Coor Kleever crystallization is people that try to sell their own system of floor maintenance.
Could you do very worn marbles?
Yes, you can do them, but crystallization by utself is not going to bring the look of marble like new. Only transforms an old, matt marble in an old, shiny marble. It depends very much on how much the marble is worn. If the material is very damaged by the foot traffic, then it will be convenient to grind it with diamond prior to crystallize: then the result will be OK, and the marble will look like new.
Could you do it by hand?
No. You need the weight and power of the machine to do the crystallization properly and with good results.
Could you crystallize a wall?
No. The small hand machine that normally do a wall have not the weight and the speed required.
What quantity of product do you need for 1 square meter?
It depends very much in the type of floor, but our tryouts say that in average, you can do a square meter with 12 to 16 mililitres in a normal marble, concrete and terrazzo. This means that with our bottle of 5 liters you can do 300 to 350 m2.
Does the floor need to be entirely dry before starting the process? It's better if the concrete is dry before crystallization. That doesn’t mean that has necessarily to be dry. You can crystallize with a wet or partially wet floor, but you'll get better results with the floor dry.
What would the maintenance procedure be for the client once we hand over the floor? Depends on how much foot traffic has the area which is been crystallized. The majority of the places have only one small area worn by foot traffic, then you have to re-crystallize it, say, twice a year or so, but some places (like big hospital halls here in Barcelona) do that every month, or even, if there is a really heavy foot traffic (like thousands of people walking every day) then they do it weekly. But the thing is that in the corners, where people doesn't walk, they shine like new for so many years.
How does the end product go as far as slip resistance? The final result of the crystallization is far less slippery as the marble polished at the quarry. Also if the marble is wet, then is less slippery than dry.
Does the products get old or damaged in some way by the time?
No. You can have them storaged for decades and after all this time, the product will work Ok, as new.
What's the difference between Coor brand and Kleever brand?
None. They're exactly the same, Coor brand is always labelled in spanish and Kleever brand is always labelled in english. In the mid seventies, we did the Kleever brand for the english and american markets.
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Finally, we would like to reproduce entirely here the words of Mr. Paul Lundberg, Director of Sales and Operation for VMC Technical Assistance Corp. in Dallas, Texas. He has more than 15 years of experience in the field of the floor maintenance industry and has worked with all the systems available to treat, maintain and process floor surfaces.
Question:
What is the best way to maintain polished marble and terrazzo floors?
Answer:
There are many opinions when it comes to the best way to maintain polished marble and terrazzo floors. With regards to what is best, no one should claim – or can claim – such. One of the most popular methods is crystallization. Before we delve into this topic, let us first review some points:
• The first crystallization product for maintaining polished marble and terrazzo was developed in the 1960s by Jorge Riera Moré, who owns a company in Barcelona, Spain, named Coor & Kleever.
• The Coor & Kleever crystallizer contains no wax, and has been used for decades to maintain polished stone surfaces in many of the finest casinos, resorts, homes and public buildings around the world.
• The process is designed as a safe maintenance procedure to remove the light wear patterns, created by foot traffic, in the polished surface.
• This is achieved by chemically transforming microns of the surface from calcium carbonate to calcium fluorosilicate.
• Laboratory tests have proved that this chemical transformation creates a more-durable finish, thus enabling the polish on marble to last longer under foot traffic.
A large part of the success that crystallization has seen over the decades is due to its ease of use and production as compared to alternative methods of maintaining stone surfaces. However, just because something is easy, does not provide enough merit for use. With that being said, I’ll attempt to provide you with the benefits and drawbacks of this widely accepted process.
When and where to use crystallization
To begin with, there is no one product or process that is the be-all and end-all to maintaining polished marble & terrazzo. Crystallization is simply one method of many that may or may not be the application of choice depending on the floor.
Obviously, you would not want to use crystallization on a honed, non-reflective surface. This process is meant only for polished surfaces. If you are confronted with maintaining a large polished marble or terrazzo floor with high foot traffic, an excellent way for maintaining this polish, more times than not, will be crystallization.
Keep in mind that, today, some crystallizers contain wax. This can create a build-up on the stone surface over time. When this happens, you will need to use an alkaline detergent, recommended by a professional in the industry, to remove this build-up. If the alkaline detergent does not remove the build up, then you will need to use diamond abrasives to remove the build-up before continuing the maintenance program.
There are proven crystallization products in the market place that contain zero wax. To find one of these no-wax crystallizers you can simply research the marketplace, find a company who claims their crystallizer contains no wax and have it analyzed. Then, you can be confident you’re on the right track to using the correct product.
Crystallization product with no wax will take much longer to create a build-up. If a build-up does eventually occur it will be from the chemical reaction, which we discussed earlier.
A proper maintenance program should not allow the crystallization to build up on the stone surface. If you begin to see a build-up when using a no-wax crystallization product, you’re attempting to use the product in a way that it was not intended to be used.
This is a maintenance process, not a restoration process. By overusing a no-wax crystallizer and allowing it to build up on the surface, you’re pushing the product to remove deeper scratches in the surface that it cannot remove. This type of damage should be removed by restoring the floor with diamond abrasives.
Another popular method of maintaining polished marble is the use of powder/paste compounds, which contain oxalic acid or potassium oxalate, among other ingredients. Here, you’re attempting to recreate what happens in the stone processing factories around the world.
The factories polish most marble in a polishing line, running the material through a series of abrasive stones. The final polish is achieved by using oxalic acid or potassium oxalate.
The factory polish is created by chemically transforming the marble surface with the acidic slurry from the brick. This transformation changes microns of the surface from calcium carbonate to calcium oxalate.
Maintaining polished stone surfaces with oxalic acid compounds usually provides great results and is a widely accepted method. However, these types of products may have adverse effects on green and maroon stones. These compounds will also begin to build up on the surface if overused.
In many cases, the build up occurs quicker than crystallization. Also, when compared to crystallization, the process can be slow and messy.
Fullfilling the need of the customer
We all know that it’s impossible for the factory polish on marble to last forever under foot traffic. Therefore, these methods were created to fill a need for those who wanted a solution to their problem.
Both crystallization and oxalic acid compounds achieve very similar results. Both create a chemical transformation, and both achieve a high degree of reflectivity on the stone surface. Depending on the situation, one may be better suited than the other.
But no one process is best for everything. These two methods are only portions of a maintenance program for polished stone surfaces. In the end, when looking for a complete maintenance program for natural stone, I would suggest that you ask for name brands proven to be successful with decades of documented historical evidence, and backed by trained, qualified people or firms familiar with stone and the stone industry.
Paul Lundberg, Director of Sales and Operation for VMC Technical Assistance Corp. in Dallas, Texas.
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Internet forum about crystallization.english (PDF)
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