I recently stumbled across some shocking activity inside the soon-to-open Resnick Pavilion. Andrew Martinez, assistant site manager for building cleaning, was pouring pomegranate juice, red wine, olive oil, and coffee on the gallery floor. Further investigation revealed the not-so-shocking truth: Andrew was testing the mock-up for the new floor with food—food known to stain.
“The new flooring surface in the Resnick Pavilion is a raw gray concrete,” explained Andrew. “The challenge for our building cleaning crew will be to maintain the beautiful, natural finish of the material, so we’re testing various sealants with the goal of finding one that won’t alter the appearance of the floor but will provide an effective barrier to the spills that will undoubtedly occur.”
Andrew showed us how the sealant works, noting that once they identify the right product and apply it, the liquids will remain on top of the floor and not soak into what is naturally a very porous material. He likened it to a newly waxed car: the water should bead on the surface.
The type of sealant chosen invisibly saturates the porous concrete surface, restricting the ability of liquids to penetrate the floor, protecting it against staining.
Andrew conceded that it was fun making a mess for once instead of cleaning one up.
Randy Murphy, Director of Operations