How to Buff a Floor

[rockywaseem]

I have a linolum (vinyl kind) floor in my kitchen. Does this machine will clean the floor because of high traffic in that area it looks very dirty

[thejanitorialstore]

@rockywaseem Before you can buff or burnish a floor with floor finish on it, there needs to be plenty of floor finish on the floor. Depending on the location you might have 4-7 coats of finish on it. If there is heavy soil you might need to scrub and re-coat or strip/wax first. After 24-48 hours you can spray buff or burnish the floor.

[rwcobbs]

@rockywaseem - Go to home depot or lowes, go to floor title section, look for floor polish, one gallon, buy a spong mop, need bucket big anuf to fit spong mop into, be sure to clean floor before applying floor polish, put 4-5 coats on floor, make sure floor is dry before re-applying, use a soft cleaner when cleaning floor from week to week, mop lightly so floor will look shiney, don't use wax for VCT, there is a floor polish for linolum that is better for home use.

[thejanitorialstore]

nimbette2,

The difference in machines is the rpm's. A slow speed will turn at between 175 to 350 rpm's and a high speed will be 1500 to 2500+.

If you do a search for twister diamond cleaning system or spinergy stone care solutions you will see that you can use diamond pads with a slow speed machine to keep the gloss on your concrete. Depending on the soils coming in you should not need to perform this often.

[nimbette2]

This is a very informative video. I am having polished concrete overlay floors installed in my condo - 3000 grit polish. I am being told I won't need to polish too often, but just in case I need to to keep it reall shiny - what is the difference between the slower machine for buffing and the faster for burnishing? Should I use burnishing for the concrete overlay? What kind of buffing solution and pad would I need for polished concrete? My contractor isn't giving me too much advice, help!

[nickmendezrico]

Hello there, I have some red concrete floor that get trashed due to three dogs in the house, I was thinking about applying a sacrificial wax coat, but have no idea what to get or how many coats to apply, any ideas?

[thejanitorialstore]

@nickmendezrico If you are thinking of applying a finish you might consider applying a coating because of the dog traffic. A sacrificial wax coat will not hold up and you will find yourself re-coating often. With the coating you will be able to buff when needed to maintain the level of appearance you desire.

[nickmendezrico]

@thejanitorialstore thanks a lot for you answer, now excuse my ignorance, but what's a coating?, what kind of material is it and where can I buy that?, thanks in advance I really appreciate ppl like you taking the time to spread your knowledge in the web, thanks again....

[thejanitorialstore]

@nickmendezrico A coating is a two part resin floor finish that is very durable. It is used in high traffic and industrial areas.

Most are an epoxy. You can check at your local janitorial supply store for the product.

[nickmendezrico]

@thejanitorialstore got it!, thank you very much

[nickmendezrico]

Hello there, I have some red concrete floor that get trashed due to three dogs in the house, I was thinking about applying a sacrificial wax coat, but have no idea what to get or how many coats to apply, any ideas?

[thejanitorialstore]

Manufacturers make floor buffing compounds. Check with your local janitorial supplier.

[almieda321]

what kind of solution is needed

[KeepColdwithCoolidge]

I just have my guys come in and scrub/wax the floors every quarter; they strip/wax the floor once per year.

They told me that buffing really wasn't all that necessary, just so long as the floor is mopped(with neutral cleaner) every evening.

I suppose that I'll have to take them at their word; my floors look great!

[thejanitorialstore]

@KeepColdwithCoolidge Sorry - missed your post. It all depends...some floors that don't get a lot of heavy traffic don't need buffing. But if you've got a lot of traffic, chairs scraping against the floor like in this lunchroom, it helps to smooth out the scuffs and snap the shine back.

[MrSammyWinchester]

can you buff painted floors?

[thejanitorialstore]

Only if it has a floor finish on it.

[thegoldengolem549]

omg this is amazing, im gona be able to make my employers think ive used a floor buffer before

thank you

[thejanitorialstore]

It does not make a difference where you start in the center or along the edge if you are doing a hallway, what ever work best for you. If you are doing a large floor area, start at one end along the edge and walk back and forth just like you are mowing grass, continue this process until you reach the other end of the room/area.

[dvideto]

Outsides on a floor to be buffed are done first then the center?

[mafriqa]

what is the difference between buffing and burnishing?

[thejanitorialstore]

Buffing is done using a low speed machine such as a 175 to 350 rpm or a high speed machine 1500 to 2500. A solution is misted on the floor and then buffed with the appropriate pad until dry.

Is performed on small areas of floor.

Burnishing is done with a high speed machine 1500 to 2500 rpms, the conditioner or restorer is mopped on, let dry and burnish with the proper floor pad.

Is performed on any size floor, daily, weekly or monthly.

[thejanitorialstore]

You may or may not need to move tables for spray buffing. It will depend on the account. In this case since it's an employee breakroom the customer did not want to pay extra for having the tables moved. If it was a public area like a restaurant the tables would probably be moved.

[dvideto]

Why didnt the tables get moved for spay buffing?

[urkingod]

What is the right pad for my tile?? How do I know?

[thejanitorialstore]

You would not match the pad to the tile, you would match the floor pad to the finish on the floor. All floor finish will have a percent of solids, the higher the solids, the more durable the floor finish, the more aggressive the pad might be to get the results you are wanting on the floor finish. All high speed floor pads are color coded based on the manufacturer of the pad. You might see a white pad for polishing (less aggressive) or a horse hair blend (more aggressive).

[thejanitorialstore]

There are many reasons why you might have had problems with the floor, here are just a few:

Did you spray buff or burnish the floor?

If spray buffing did you vacuum the floor and then mop with neutral floor cleaner before buffing?

Mop head contaminated?

Used wrong color or type of floor pad did you use?

Finish coat applied too thin?

What was the rpm of the floor machine you used? Slow rpm?

Wrong detergent/solution used?

[jonanlis1]

when i went through the floor buffing process the floor somewhat dulled and I received a white film on the floor, what potentially went wrong?

[skyydawg123]

Hello,

We just had the floors at my work stripped and waxed and they look gorgeous. We get a tremendous amount of traffic in the building, and I am trying to figure out the best way to keep it looking good for as long as I can. What would you suggest, spray buffing it once a week would do the trick? I do not think that my buffer has enough rpms to burnish the floor.

Thanks

[thejanitorialstore]

How often will the floor be swept, mopped and buffed? Will the floor receive heavy traffic and soil? This will help you determine if you should burnish weekly/bi-weekly or spray buff monthly. Spray buffing will provide a deeper cleaning.

When buffing or burnishing you should use a 1500 to 2500 rpm floor machine. You can do it with a 175-350 rpm machine but it will take much longer to complete the job.

[skyydawg123]

The floor is swept and mopped thoroughly every evening. I was thinking I could just buff the floor once a week, and then spray buff it once a month. Does that sound like a pretty good routine?

[thejanitorialstore]

That would be a good floor program.

But if you burnish once per week you might find that you will not need to spray buff.

If you scrub and re-coat in 6 months and a strip/wax once per year, the floor appearance should be at a level the customer would be happy with.

[skyydawg123]

Thank you, you have been very helpful.

[rosou13]

how can we buff wall tiles and how to choose the correct pad for buffing

[1992peter]

I have a question about the floor buffer.

When would you use a spray buffer, and when would you use a conventional Non-Spray buffer?

[thejanitorialstore]

Are you talking about the spray buff chemical? It would depend on the frequency of service. The less frequent the service (every month or so), you'd probably spray buff. The more frequent the service (daily or weekly), the more likely you'd burnish.

[1992peter]

OHHHH.

I see.

Thank you!

[paulhunter123]

why is the buff always removed from the buffer after use?

[thejanitorialstore]

Do you mean why is the "pad" removed? So you can clean it. Also, you don't want to leave it on the machine because it will pick up more soil.