Protective coatings for inorganic substrates and coated inorganic substrates

1. A floor, comprising:

an inorganic substrate defining a floor surface; and

a composition including a silicate, a siliconate, acrylic latex, a silane coupling agent, and a solvent on the floor surface, at least one of which may have reacted with another of which or with the inorganic substrate at the floor surface, the silane coupling agent coupling at least one of the silconate and the acrylic latex to at least one of the silicate and the inorganic substrate.

2. The floor of claim 1 , wherein the composition consists essentially of the silicate, the siliconate, the acrylic latex, the silane coupling agent, and the solvent.

3. The floor of claim 2 , wherein the composition non-essentially includes a surfactant or a leveling agent.

4. The floor of claim 1 , wherein the inorganic substrate comprises ceramic, concrete, or terrazzo.

5. The floor of claim 4 , wherein the composition imparts the floor surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.

6. The floor of claim 1 , wherein the silicate comprises lithium polysilicate.

7. The floor of claim 1 , wherein the silicate comprises a colloidal silica.

8. A floor, comprising:

an inorganic substrate defining a floor surface; and

a composition including a colloidal silica and a siliconate on the floor surface, at least one of which may have reacted with the inorganic substrate at the floor surface.

9. The floor of claim 8 , wherein the colloidal silica and the siliconate comprise forms of a collidal silica and a siliconate that have reacted with a silane coupling agent.

10. The floor of claim 8 , wherein the inorganic substrate comprises ceramic, concrete, or terrazzo.

11. The floor of claim 8 , wherein the composition further includes lithium polysilicate.

12. The floor of claim 8 , wherein the composition imparts the floor surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.

13. A floor, comprising:

an inorganic substrate defining a floor surface; and

a composition adhered to the floor surface, the composition including reacted forms of a silicate, a siliconate and a silane coupling agent, with a reacted form of the silicate and a reacted form of the siliconate having been bound by a reacted form of the silane coupling agent.

14. The floor of claim 13 , wherein the reacted form of the silane coupling agent comprises a form of a silane coupling agent that has reacted with the inorganic substrate at the floor surface.

15. The floor of claim 13 , wherein the inorganic substrate comprises ceramic, concrete, or terrazzo.

16. The floor of claim 13 , wherein the reacted form of the silicate is a reacted form of lithium polysilicate.

17. The floor of claim 13 , wherein the reacted form of the silicate is a reacted form of colloidal silica.

18. The floor of claim 13 , wherein the composition imparts the floor surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.

19. A floor, comprising:

an inorganic substrate defining a floor surface; and

a composition including a colloidal silica on the floor surface, which may have reacted with the inorganic substrate at the floor surface, the composition imparting the floor surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.

20. The floor of claim 19 , wherein the composition includes forms of the colloidal silica and a siliconate that have reacted with a silane coupling agent.

21. The floor of claim 19 , wherein the composition further includes a lithium polysilicate.

22. The floor of claim 19 , wherein the inorganic substrate comprises ceramic, concrete, or terrazzo.

23. A floor, comprising:

an inorganic substrate defining a floor surface; and

a composition adhered to the floor surface, the composition including a reacted form of a colloidal silica, the composition imparting the floor surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.

24. The floor of claim 23 , wherein the composition further includes a siliconate or a reacted form of a siliconate.

25. The floor of claim 24 , wherein the composition further includes a silane coupling agent or a reacted form of a silane coupling agent.

26. The floor of claim 25 , wherein the silane coupling agent or the reacted form of the silane coupling agent couples the siliconate to at least one of the colloidal silica and the inorganic substrate.

27. An inorganic structure, comprising:

an inorganic substrate having a surface; and

a composition on the surface, the composition consisting essentially of a silicate, a siliconate, acrylic latex, a silane coupling agent, and a solvent, at least one of which may have reacted with another of which or with the inorganic substrate at the surface.

28. The inorganic structure of claim 27 , wherein the composition non-essentially includes a surfactant or a leveling agent.

29. The inorganic structure of claim 27 , wherein the silicate comprises at least one of a lithium polysilicate and a colloidal silica.

30. The inorganic structure of claim 27 , wherein the composition imparts the surface with a glossiness that, when light is directed toward the composition at an angle of 60° to a surface of the substrate, about 80% or more of the light is reflected.