Maintaining the aesthetic appeal of commercial concrete floors is an ongoing challenge that facility managers and contractors face. Defining the cleanest, most polished look often involves an ongoing discussion of what exactly constitutes “clean” or “polished,” beyond personal preference.
Finding the exact right metric of measurement only makes it harder for facility managers to determine whether existing concrete floors are truly customer-ready and track the right data long-term. Keeping a record of how clean the floors in a facility are is especially important for facilities with high-traffic areas, most notably in retail spaces where customers are constantly judging their experience.
To cut through the confusion, we at Brulin firmly believe facility managers and building service contractors should rely on the Distinctness Of Image measurement to determine if their floors are sufficiently clean.
Conventional methods used to measure concrete floor cleanliness have their own merits but often fall short of providing an accurate evaluation of concrete floor cleanliness and polish. Two surfaces might look different visually, even if they have identical gloss measurements.
These methods include:
Ideally, cleanliness should be determined by using Distinctness Of Image (DOI). DOI accurately measures how reflective a floor is and the clarity of the reflection to the human eye.
While a clean floor may register high GUs or a high RSpec, it doesn’t necessarily matter if the people walking over it see a hazy, unclear reflection that looks like a “dirty” concrete floor to them.
In our 88+ years of facility cleaning, floor care, and concrete maintenance experience, Distinctness Of Image stands as the gold standard in concrete cleanliness and polish evaluation.
Distinctness of Image is a measure that gauges the clarity and precision with which an image is reflected. It serves as the benchmark for evaluating the mirror-like attributes of a surface.
A DOI measurement tells us how much the light direction changes when it hits a surface and bounces off or goes through it. It measures how much the light scatters, or spreads out, instead of going in a straight line.
If you look at a highly polished concrete floor, for instance, you can see a reflection of the surroundings. If the reflection is clear and distinct, the floor has a high DOI. If the reflection is blurry or distorted, the DOI is low.
This assessment metric goes beyond traditional measures like Gloss Units, which quantify the amount of light a surface reflects, and Specular Reflectance, which only evaluates the angle of peak reflection. Instead, DOI empowers a more comprehensive approach.
By taking into account real-world scenarios and the true perception of the human eye, DOI offers a more accurate and practical way to evaluate a surface’s reflective quality. This is particularly valuable in areas where the reflection of light and images contributes to the overall aesthetics, safety, and functionality of the space, such as in commercial buildings, retail stores, industrial facilities and warehouses.
DOI paints a more complete picture of a floor’s reflective quality, enabling facility managers, building service contractors, and other professionals to make more informed decisions about their facility concrete maintenance and improvement strategies.
When we talk about Distinctness Of Image, we’re talking about a measure that defines how well a concrete floor reflects light. In turn, it measures the concrete surface’s level of polish and cleanliness.
A high DOI, also known as Image Clarity Value, signifies a meticulously maintained and polished concrete floor. It’s a floor that catches the light and throws it back, almost like a reflected image in a mirror, enhancing the aesthetic quality of any facility.
A high DOI floor doesn’t just look cleaner; it also brings a host of other benefits. It adds to the perceived spaciousness of a facility due to its high reflective quality. Visitors or customers stepping into a facility with such a floor are likely to experience a greater sense of openness, which can be quite appealing and inviting.
However, it’s important to recognize that a high DOI may not always be the most optimal choice in every situation. In some facilities, particularly where there are concerns about safety, a lower DOI might be a more suitable option.
A lower DOI could be more ideal in environments where distracting reflections could lead to accidents or hinder productivity. This is particularly relevant for industrial concrete floors and warehouse flooring. A floor that’s too shiny can sometimes create confusing visual effects that could become potential hazards in non-consumer spaces.
It’s generally found that customers appreciate floors with high DOI values. Such floors appear more polished and cleaner, contributing to a positive impression of the facility’s overall cleanliness and maintenance. A high DOI floor can boost customer satisfaction and influence their perception of the quality of services and the products available for purchase.
DOI measurement is straightforward and easy to adopt. For facility managers and contractors, tracking the DOI of concrete floors is a process that requires just a couple of portable tools like a DOI Gloss & Haze meter or a DOI Concrete Clarity meter.
These compact, easy-to-use devices offer the convenience of conducting on-the-spot, real-time assessments of the cleanliness and polish of concrete floors. They empower facility managers and contractors to keep a finger on the pulse of their facility’s appearance and condition at all times.
By offering a quantitative measure of the floor’s polish level, these meters provide valuable insights into the state of the floor’s maintenance and possible avenues for enhancement.
The adoption of DOI as a measure of concrete floor cleanliness signifies a positive shift in industry floor coating standards. It moves us all towards a more precise, all-encompassing, and practical method of assessment.
Unlike subjective visual evaluations, or even gut feelings and personal preferences, DOI provides a practical numerical value that leaves no room for doubt or ambiguity.
The beauty of this progressive approach enables us to strike a balance between the aesthetic appeal of a space and the functional concrete polishing requirements. By measuring DOI, we’re able to tailor concrete cleaning solutions and polish levels to suit facility preferences and safety considerations.
This way, we can create a visually pleasing space without compromising on practical considerations such as safety on high-traffic concrete.
Whether you’re looking to minimize glare in a brightly lit workspace or want to impress customer foot traffic with a sparkling, mirror-like floor in a showroom, understanding and tracking the DOI of your concrete floors can be an indispensable tool in your facility management toolkit. It empowers you to make informed decisions that best serve the appearance, safety, and functionality of your space.
If you don’t know how to measure DOI for your facility yet, our team of dedicated facility operations advisors can help. We’re more than happy to help bring your facility floors above and beyond industry standards.