Our Dallas Carpet Cleaning History and Expansion Into Natural Stone Restoration

July 19, 2011 By

IMS co-owner Jason Johonnesson talks about IMS Inc.’s lengthy history and reputation as being on the cutting-edge of carpet cleaning and how their technical expertise expanded into other areas, including natural stone floor restoration, concrete polishing and flood water damage restoration.

IMS Inc. is a Dallas-based company excelling in natural stone floor restoration, commercial and residential carpet cleaning, concrete floor polishing and flood damage restoration. Their services are available in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and throughout Texas. Call (214) 351-9390.
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Maintaining Natural Stone Floors in Three Steps

July 19, 2011 By

In this “IMS Corner” video series, Jason Johonnesson, co-owner of IMS Inc., offers three vital tips for every office building manager on how to keep their natural stone floors looking their best. This is a three-part video series focusing first on prevention, then the role of the janitorial company, and finally the IMS specialty of a full natural stone floor restoration.

IMS Inc. is a Dallas-based company excelling in natural stone floor restoration, commercial and residential carpet cleaning, concrete floor polishing and flood damage restoration. Their services are available in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and throughout Texas. Call (214) 351-9390.
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Granite Restoration and Marble Polishing and Restoration

July 19, 2011 By

Jason Johonnesson, co-owner of Interior Maintenance Specialists of Texas, talks about the history of their company, and how their natural stone restoration and maintenance division took off after successfully restoring a black granite floor and being one of the first in the nation to do so.

IMS Inc. is Interior Maintenance Specialists handling natural stone restoration and maintenance, carpet cleaning, concrete polishing and maintenance and flood and water damage.

Call (214) 351-9390.

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Travertine and Limestone Floors

July 11, 2011 By

In this video interview, Jason Johonnesson, co-owner of IMS Inc. in Dallas, provides in-depth information on travertine and limestone, including: it’s characteristics, their pros and cons, porous properties, maintenance and cleaning, as well as its use as a natural stone floor for commercial and residential settings. There are tips on where these natural stones are best used, and why.

For more information on how IMS Inc. can clean, polish and/or hone your travertine and limestone floor, call (214) 351-9390.

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On Family, Corporate Values and the (Very Serious) Business of Fishing

July 5, 2011 By

If you spend any time at all with IMS CEO Larry Johonnesson, you’ll find that he’s a whole different kettle of fish. Literally. In addition to being the owner of one the most respected carpet cleaning, natural stone restoration, concrete polishing and water damage firms in Dallas, he’s a lifelong sports fisherman who’s competed in numerous fishing tournaments, such as the Annual McDonald’s Big Bass Splash in Jasper, Texas.

To call him an avid angler would be putting it mildly. When he’s not doing company business, he’s at his residence in Lake Fork—or better, on Lake Fork—where, rain or shine, he’s chasing down his next 10-pound bass. And if he isn’t there, he’s bound to be wherever the fish are biting. That could be his half-acre backyard holding pond, the Gulf, Canada or South America.

The IMS CEO developed his affinity for the sport early on. And like IMS, which has been owned and operated by the Johonnesson family since its inception in 1993, angling has always been a family affair.

“I grew up fishing with my father,” recalls Johonnesson. “It was a passion my father had, the one thing he and I could do together and that [we all] enjoyed as a family.”

His master-fisherman father is, in fact, the very person he credits with instilling the values on which he founded his company.

“He had certain rules for living back then. And [one of the most important] was that your handshake was always important. And that’s the core he passed on [to me] and how we run the business.”

Jason Johonnesson Fishing IMS Texas

Fishing, like their successful business, is a family affair for IMS Texas and Jason Johonnesson, here with his daughter and a big catch

Fishing was a way for Johonnesson’s family to bond and come into a fuller appreciation of each other. And that notion of valuing individuals carries over into IMS itself, where employees form part of an extended family. To work towards this end, Johonnesson makes sure each IMS technician—whether in the area of carpet cleaning, stone work, concrete polishing or flood and fire restoration—are fully certified and participate in yearly training programs to update their skills.

“We pay a lot more for our guys, but that’s OK—they’re worth it,” he says. “Clients want [a technician who] is certified and keeps their warranties in place [because] they’re trying to protect their assets.”

When he’s not on the water with his wife, his fishing partner for the last 20 years, he’s out with his grandchildren—all of whom he’s proud to say are very proficient anglers—or his son Jason, head of the IMS Natural Stone Division.

The younger Johonnesson’s penchant for using high tech methods over the traditional ones favored by his father make him the most “scientific” fisherman the IMS CEO has ever known. It’s also been the thing that has allowed him to develop stone restoration methods that have made IMS an industry leader and Jason a sought-after consultant both nationally and internationally.

Fishing isn’t just about the “the thrill of the catch” or relaxing with those nearest and dearest to Johonnesson. It’s also the way the IMS CEO can spend getting to know those lucky enough to share his boat. As he sees it, openness—which Johonnesson has in abundance—and rock-solid relationships are crucial to both a successful family life and a successful business.

“There’s no better way to get to know your clients than having some common denominators like sports fishing,” he says. “And I want clients to know that they’ve hired a quality group that they can totally trust—our word is our bond.”

Trust IMS for your next carpet cleaning, stone floor restoration, concrete polishing or flood damage restoration job. Call IMS Texas at (214) 351-9390.

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A Look at Travertine and Limestone for Commercial Real Estate

June 28, 2011 By

The below is an excerpt from an interview with Jason Johonnesson, co-owner of IMS Texas:

Travertine tile IMS Texas

Travertine tile is an excellent choice for bathrooms, near fountains or anywhere near a water source.

Two commonly used natural stones for commercial real estate are travertine and limestone. The main difference between travertine and limestone is that although they’re made up of the exact same stuff they’re formed differently. Limestone is made up obviously of lime, that’s why it’s called limestone.

Travertine is also made up of that, but it’s formed by the precipitation of water, therefore limestone you might often find to be very porous, very absorbent material, requiring some pretty frequent maintenance. A lot of times you see water rings in it because a flood has occurred or a fountain has leaked and the limestone has turned a dark brown with water rings around it and such. It is a very absorbent material. Travertine on the other hand, I hear people call it porous quite often. I have not met porous travertine yet. After two decades of doing stone restoration, I still have not found any porous travertine. This stuff is formed by water. It is extremely dense and resistant to water. That is where it has spent its entire life. I have yet to find a piece of travertine that has been stained. I have seen etched travertine, that’s different, but actually stained, I have not found it. Because of that, because of its resistance to moisture it’s a great stone to use in applications where there’s going to be a lot of moisture, whether it’s a sauna, maybe a swimming pool, a hot tub, a bathroom.

Travertine is a great material to use as opposed to limestone, with a very similar look to limestone. Typically I tell people it has quite a few patches in it. They are surprised to hear it and I say, “no, really.” There might be a hundred patches on that single tile and they think I’m absolutely crazy. If I could ever just flip over the tile and show them then they would see that I am actually telling them the truth. And you could see what it looks like naturally that it actually needs to be patched and filled in order to get a smooth surface. It’s not at all absorbent. It’s a very dense form of limestone. That would be the best way to think about it.

And then the pros and cons to this. The pro is that it is a very easy stone to maintain. Both limestone and travertine, as far as scratch and finish maintenance goes, it’s very soft, it’s not as expensive as marble, definitely not as expensive as granite. It’s a very common material so there are a lot of products on the market to target the maintenance of this type of stone. Matte finish limestone is a great selection when you want that soft matte look in a building, that warm look in a building as opposed to the colder, glossier look that a marble might give you. And then the travertine is great for virtually the same thing and in addition to, around areas where there’s fountains, or any type of moisture being used. Travertine itself does not typically accept a seal, so you don’t ever really need to seal the travertine for the sake of the travertine, but it’s good to go through the motions and seal it so that the filler is sealed and so that the grout is sealed. So if you’ve ever hired anyone to seal your travertine it was a good way to seal the grout.

If you have a travertine, limestone or other natural stone floor and need it polished, finished, maintained or restored, call IMS Texas at (214) 351-9390.

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IMS TX and Our Bid to Clean, Restore and Maintain Your Natural Stone Floor

June 22, 2011 By

IMS co-owner Jason Johonnesson speaks about IMS philosophy of providing exactly what the client needs and wants:

Jason Johonnesson, co-owner, IMS Inc.

Jason Johonnesson, co-owner, IMS Inc, often spends hours studying a client's situation, even before being hired by that client

Whenever we are asked for a bid, someone asks us or submits an RFP, a request for proposal, we put a lot of time and effort into that. In man hours, the average bid involves about eight man hours of my time. I have to make an observation of the floor, get to the bottom of what a customer or potential customer really wants because often times they don’t quite know how to describe what it is they want. It’s not clean; they want it to look cleaner. That doesn’t always mean it needs to be cleaned. It could be perfectly clean, but it’s a matte finish and a lot of people associate a matte finish with a floor that’s not clean. They associate matte as dirty and polished as clean. So you have to get through what they really mean, find out actually what’s wanted and needed, and then take the measurements, do the observations.

There are so many complexities in today’s natural stone floors. A lot of incompatible surfaces are mixed together. It’s almost like you have a designer who takes a little bit of marble, a little bit of granite and a little bit of limestone, they pick the colors they want and they just throw them together on the floor and they have to all be treated differently. So if you have a combination flooring with two or three different types of stone there is a lot to consider when giving you that bid. I would be leery of someone who gives you a quick bid without much consideration because they’re probably taking a wild shot and maybe they are not considering all of the troubles that can occur. We disclaim whatever troubles we might encounter in our bid, before we get started we want you to have an accurate idea of what your expectations should be. We want to make it clear to you what you should expect, what is realistic and our goal is that you are always astonished that it is far better than what we actually explained.

We are brutally honest with what your expectations should be and I think that really sets us apart because we know that as a building manager, as a facility manager, you don’t want to look like a fool to the owner, you don’t want to look like you wasted the owner’s money. You want to look good to the owner and by being honest you’re able to evaluate how to best spend your money. Can I spend it on the stone or would that money be best spent somewhere else to look good to the owner. Which is going to make the owner more pleased? We like to really hone in and narrow down on the points that are going to help you and not hurt you.

If you are a building or facility manager in need of cleaned or restored natural stone floors, trust IMS Inc. to provide what you need. Call us at (214) 351-9390.

Filed Under: About IMS Texas Tagged With: ,

Diamond Grinding and Floor Lippage: Full Floor Restoration

June 17, 2011 By

IMS co-owner Jason Johonnesson discusses a full floor restoration:

What is diamond grinding?

Diamond grinding floor restoration IMS TX

The diamond honing tool, shown on the left, is used after the diamond grinding, if there is lippage on the floor

Diamond grinding serves a very specific purpose and it’s only done to a floor one time in its life and never again. The purpose of diamond honing is to remove what we call lippage. Whenever a stone floor is installed, whether it is a tile floor or a slab floor, it is not possible for even the best installer to lay it totally flat and there will be some lippage between some of the adjacent tiles. You don’t want to just begin restoring the floor with honing diamonds since they will shatter because they diamonds are moving very fast. At 175 rotations per minute, when the honing diamonds come in contact with one of these lips, the diamonds will shatter.

These lips have to be ground flat so that the diamonds can do their job. This entails a diamond grinding process where a more aggressive metal bond diamond is used. The diamonds used in this process are encased in a resin so they wear very slowly so the floor will achieve matte and polish finishes. Of course, this process is for grinding things flat, not achieving a nice finish. This is the heavy duty lifting part.

Cost of floor restoration?

Often, there is a great deal of confusion with facility managers and engineers when they have a new floor. If they have a limestone or very soft marble that wears very rapidly, they may need to have it restored after a year. So, let’s say a year has gone by and the floor looks pretty bad so they get a proposal which is much more than expected. Sometimes I’m asked, “It’s only a year old, why would it cost so much?” Well, the truth is the first restoration is always the most expensive because that’s the one that has the lippage. Once the lippage is removed, every subsequent restoration, or scratch and finish maintenance is much cheaper. Removing the lippage saves you cost down the road, so a full restoration would be the first step and includes diamond grinding, diamond honing, and diamond polishing then a final polish.

IMS TX, for nearly 30 years, has restored natural stone floors in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and throughout Texas. Call (214) 351-9390 today for a fast, free quote.

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IMS Texas’ History: Carpet Cleaning, Stone Restoration and Cutting Edge Technology

June 2, 2011 By

An interview with Larry Johonnesson, Founder of IMS, Inc.

WHY DID YOU START THE COMPANY?

IMS Texas - Larry Johonnesson

Larry Johonnesson, IMS Texas Founder, has been dedicated to cutting-edge carpet cleaning and stone restoration technology for nearly 20 years.

IMS didn’t really exist until 1993.

Early in my career I worked as an engineer working for a huge hotel chain at the first Galleria that existed. This hotel had very high-end everything such as wool carpets, white marble, and all sorts of beautiful things. Unfortunately, things tended to get messed up because technologies were so different. In carpet cleaning, you had shampoo and you had this new technology of extraction, the steam cleaning method.

Right off the bat, when the wool carpet, which is really hair off an animal, was cleaned the grays and blues turned to yellows and browns. As you can imagine, everyone freaked out! It was a pH imbalance on the same order as getting mustard algae in your swimming pool when you don’t have the alkaline and acids mixed correctly and the pH is off.
So, it was a matter of, “Oh, we can fix that!” I was pretty young at the time, but still had that old maintenance type engineering viewpoint so I looked at it said, “Oh, hydrogen peroxide will fix that for you. Let’s mix it 50/50 with water and it will neutralize the pH and should go back to the right color, and Zip! That’s what happened.”

At that point, I started getting calls from all over with requests to “fix this,” “clean that,” “repair the air conditioning,” “repair coolers in restaurants.” All of these things started happening and to make a long story short, I ended up working with a carpet cleaning company that had pretty good technology at that time. It was during this time that I ran into my future partners who had cutting-edge technology in carpet cleaning.

David Stevens, my partner, had run into a chemist named Jack Barber, who was on the cutting edge of electrochemistry. This was the first electrostatic type carpet cleaning method. Fiber has a negative charge and everybody knows that, especially during winter time. You run around in your socked feet and you go to touch somebody and you zap them pretty good, so there’s electrostatic that can be created there.

Anyway, Jack had developed a chemical, and it was the safest thing that I had ever seen. You should have just seen the Material Safety Data Sheets on it, it was just incredible. But once you sprayed it down, if you had a stain that was on the fiber, it was incredible—the stain would try to walk away from the fiber. It would absorb the stain, but it put a negative charge in the stain, and since the fiber was negative it acted like magnets and simply repelled the stain. So the stains would move and then you would come along and just suck that right out of the carpet, it was just the most amazing thing.

HOW DID THIS AFFECT THE DIRECTION THE COMPANY TOOK?

That was our cutting edge technology, and at that particular point in time I decided that I wanted a company that was always on the cutting edge. So we started out as carpet cleaners. I wanted a cutting edge company based on constant education and development of new technologies with the rug and textile industries approval. I wanted to be in a leadership type of role because there were so many different types of companies out there.

This is our vision at IMS—by education and professionalism to be at the top of the game. We want to make sure that all of our employees are certified and known as being honest with a straightforward approach. No games. I know that’s an old service attitude that’s not very popular today but it was when I was young. This is what IMS is based on.

IMS Texas has been providing quality commercial carpet cleaning, stone restoration, repair and maintenance for nearly 20 years and is excited to now offer their cutting-edge technologies to residential customers in Dallas, Austin, Houston and other Texas cities. Call (214) 351-9390.

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Tips for Cleaning Marble Floors, Bathrooms, and Countertops

May 6, 2011 By

Some of the more common areas marble surfaces are installed are in the kitchen, floors and countertops, and also bathrooms, floors and countertops. Both of these areas due tend to see quite a bit of mess day to day.

Because marble can be so expensive to install, many people have the question of how to clean theses surfaces and maintain them, and this may prevent a person from wanting to purchase this natural looking stone.

To put everybody’s mind at ease, to clean these surfaces, typically you will need warm water, soft sponge, or cotton cloth, and there are numerous different stone cleaners available on the market.

When any type of spill may occur, you can simply wipe the surface down with warm water and a wet sponge. Do this soon after the spill occurs, as is could seep into the marble making cleaning more difficult. At this point you can use one of the many different stone cleaners on the market and wipe the surface down with your sponge or cloth.

marble floor restoration

If you need professional marble cleaning, IMS Texas can help, such as with this white marble floor restored to a high gloss and deep clarity

You can even take a dry cotton cloth when done to polish the marble surface to give it that shine back. Typically there are factory sealants on the marble that do prevent any long term damage to occur. To avoid breaking down these sealants you would want to stay away from using common kitchen or bathroom cleaners.

When it comes to marble floors, regular cleaning is the only way to prevent any long term damage. Marble can be very susceptible to stains and dirt particulates, because of its natural porous nature. To prevent dirt particulates, installing a floor mat will greatly help, and regular dusting and sweeping will of course keep the dirt away. If it happens that a spill occurs on your floor, you can again use warm water and a sponge to clean up the spill. At that point you can apply a marble stone cleaner and gently go over the area, and buff it after with a cotton cloth.

What if there is a possibility of a stain settling in? Clean the surface immediately after the spill, if a stain is still there, it may be oil based, and baking soda and dish detergent can help with this. If that does not work, you may have to restore the area back to its factory finish. This of course depends on the size of the spill. The above information can certainly help with everyday accidents on these floors.

Where professionnal marble restoration is indicated, IMS (Interior Maintenance Specialists, Inc.) is now offering their specialized technology and decades of experience, previously only available for commercial clients, to consumers in the Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth area.

IMS takes pride in their skills in restoring marble to its original immaculate condition – the way it was meant to be seen.

Call-us for quote at (214) 351-9390

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