About Commercial Floor Care - Floor buffing and Floor Buffers.

ABOUT COMMERCIAL FLOOR CARE

YOU SPENT A LOT OF MONEY GETTING YOUR FLOOR "WAXED" AND KNOW YOU NEED TO MAINTAIN IT OR IT WILL START LOOKING LIKE YOU NEVER DID ANYTHING TO IT. "WAXED" IS THE WRONG WORD SINCE VERY SELDOM DO WE USE WAX ON COMMERCIAL TILE FLOORS ANYMORE. WE USE A POLYMER COATING THAT WE CALL "FLOOR FINISH".

FLOOR FINISH CLEANING: ALWAYS SWEEP OR DUST MOP THE FLOOR BEFORE CLEANING. ALWAYS USE A NEUTRAL CLEANER TO CLEAN FLOOR FINISH. IF IT DOESN'T SAY NEUTRAL THAN IT ISN'T. DON'T USE MR CLEAN, SIMPLE GREEN, TOP JOB, SPIC AND SPAN AND OTHERS UNLESS THEY SAY NEUTRAL ON THE BOX. A NON-NEUTRAL CLEANER MAY DULL AND EVEN STRIP THE FLOOR FINISH FROM THE FLOOR. YOU NEED A MOP BUCKET WITH RINGER, A MOP HANDLE AND MOP HEAD. IF YOU HAPPEN TO USE THE MOP BUCKET FOR STRIPPING YOU MUST THOROUGHLY CLEAN THE BUCKET OF ALL STRIPPER RESIDUE. DO NOT USE A MOP THAT WAS USED FOR STRIPPING TO CLEAN A FLOOR. IF YOU HAVE A LARGE AREA SUCH AS A SUPERMARKET TO CLEAN YOU SHOULD USE A AUTO SCRUBBER WHICH WILL MAKE YOUR CLEANING A LOT EASIER.

BUFFING & RESTORING: ALWAYS CLEAN THE FLOOR BEFORE BUFFING OR BURNISHING THE FLOOR. SPRAY BUFFING CONSISTS OF A SPRAY BUFF CHEMICAL, A FLOOR BUFFER OF 175 RPM OR 300 RPM AND A FLOOR PAD MADE FOR BUFFING. TO SPRAY BUFF YOUR LIGHTLY MIST THE SPRAY BUFF IN FRONT OF THE BUFFER AND YOU BUFF THAT AREA UNTIL THE SPRAY BUFF IS WORKED INTO THE FLOOR AND A SHINE APPEARS. MOP ON RESTORING USES A SIMILAR CHEMICAL TO THE BUFFING CHEMICAL BUT IT IS APPLIED BY MIXING THE SOLUTION IN A BUCKET WITH WATER AND MOPPING THE SOLUTION ONTO THE FLOOR. YOU LET THE FLOOR DRY AND USE A HIGH SPEED BURNISHER OF 1500 RPM OR MORE WITH A BURNISHING PAD TO SHINE THE FLOOR. THEIR ARE ALSO PASTES THAT CAN BE USED WITH BURNISHERS THAT YOU PLACE A RIBBON OF THE CHEMICALS IN FRONT OF A BURNISHER AND WALK THE BURNISHER UP AND DOWN THE AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE SHINED.

STRIPPING: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT AFTER YOU STRIP THE FLOOR YOU MUST RINSE THE FLOOR NUMEROUS TIMES WITH A FLOOR NEUTRALIZER TO ASSURE THAT RESIDUE FROM THE STRIPPER IS GONE. TO STRIP IT IS BEST TO PURCHASE A GOOD QUALITY STRIPPER. A GOOD QUALITY STRIPPER OR RELIQUIFIER WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND BACK ACHES. STRIPPERS, EVEN THE BEST TEND ONLY STRIP ABOUT 4 COATS OF FINISH PER STRIPPING. IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 4 COATS OF FINISH ON A FLOOR OR VERY THICK COATS THAT YOU NEED TO STRIP YOU WILL HAVE TO STRIP MULTIPLE TIMES. IF YOU USE A BUCKET THAT YOU NORMALLY USE TO CLEAN WITH YOU WILL NEED TO RINSE THAT BUCKET OUT VERY VERY GOOD BEFORE YOU USE THAT BUCKET AGAIN. PREPARE THE FLOOR BY SWEEPING IT. MOVE ALL FURNITURE OFF THE FLOOR. MIX YOUR STRIPPER PER DIRECTIONS ON THE CHEMICAL AND ALSO READ THE DIRECTIONS ON THE CHEMICAL. MOP ON THE STRIPPER AND ALLOW TO SIT FOR AT LEAST FIVE MINUTES. USE A FLOOR BUFFER WITH A STRIPPING PAD AND SCRUB THE FLOOR. DO NOT ALLOW THE STRIPPER TO DRY. DO PORTIONS OF THE FLOOR AT A TIME. THE EASIEST WAY TO PICK UP THE STRIPPER IS WITH A WET DRY VACUUM. YOU COULD MOP UP THE STRIPPER BUT IT WILL TAKE LONGER. FOR CORNERS AND BASEBOARDS USE A AEROSOL FLOOR STRIPPER AND DOODLE STRIPPING PADS. AFTER YOU HAVE STRIPPED THE FLOOR DO NOT USE THAT MOP FOR ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN STRIPPING FLOORS. NEUTRALIZE THE FLOOR BY RINSING THE FLOOR A FEW TIMES WITH CLEAN WATER IN A CLEAN BUCKET WITH CLEAN MOPS.

APPLYING FLOOR FINISH: THEIR ARE MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPLY FINISH. MOPS, LAMBS WOOL APPLICATORS AND SPONGE MOPS ARE THE MOST COMMONLY USED APPLICATIONS MOPS BEING THE PREFERRED METHOD. WHEN USING A MOP YOU WANT TO USE A FINISH MOP OR RAYON MOP BECAUSE THESE MOPS TEND NOT TO LINT. THEIR IS NOTHING WORSE THAN GETTING THROUGH A JOB AND SEEING LINT RUNNING THROUGH THE FINISH. YOU WANT TO PUT THE FINISH IN A MOP BUCKET. LINE THE BUCKET WITH A TRASH LINER AS NOT TO CONTAMINATE THE FINISH AND MAKE CLEAN UP EASIER. DO NOT USE A USED MOP TO APPLY FINISH. MOP ON FLOOR FINISH IN THIN COATS STARTING FROM THE FARTHEST AREA. SEALER GENERALLY ISN'T NEEDED WITH NEWER FORMULATED FINISHES. APPLY 4 TO 5 THIN COATS ALLOWING 20 TO 30 MINUTES BETWEEN COATS. AFTER THE FIRST COAT YOU CAN BURNISH THE FLOOR FINISH WHICH WILL CUT OFF MICROSCOPIC PEAKS IN THE FIRST COAT OF FINISH BUT THIS IS NOT NECESSARY. IF YOU APPLIED THE STRIPPED THE FLOOR AND APPLIED THE FINISH CORRECTLY THE FLOOR SHOULD DRY TO A DEEP GLOSS UNLESS THE FINISH YOU USED HAS A SATIN FINISH.

FLOOR MACHINES COME IN A VARIETY OF SIZES, SHAPES AND SPEEDS. TO STRIP A FLOOR YOU WILL NEED A 175 RPM FLOOR BUFFER WITH A PAD HOLDER TO USE STRIPPING PADS OR A STRIPPING BRUSH. TO BUFF A FLOOR YOU CAN USE A 175 RPM TO SPRAY BUFF BUT THE FASTER THE BUFFER THE BETTER THE SHINE YOU WILL GET. 1500 RPM PLUS FLOOR BUFFERS ARE CALL FLOOR BURNISHERS. THESE UNITS USE SPEED TO MELT THE FINISH TO CREATE THE SHINE AND IF USED PROPERLY WILL GIVE YOU THAT MIRROR LOOK. FOR CARPET CLEANING YOU CAN USE A CARPET BONNET PAD ON STANDARD SPEED FLOOR BUFFER TO BUFF OUT THE DIRT, YOU CAN ALSO USE A CARPET BRUSH ON THE STANDARD SPEED FLOOR MACHINE TO SCRUB THE CARPET WITH A SHAMPOO, AN ENCAPSULATION CHEMICAL OR A TRAFFIC LANE CLEANER AS A PRE-SCRUB PRIOR TO EXTRACTING. IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO A LOT OF CARPET BONNETING GO WITH A 1.5 HP MODEL. I ALSO LIKE THE 1.5 HORSE POWER SINCE IT IS A BIT MORE HEAVIER AND STRONGER AND WILL HELP IN STRIPPING.

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