Floor Maintenance Process Guide

Non-woven nylon and natural hair pads are used for many applications in the cleaning, maintenance and polishing of different types of flooring surfaces. These surfaces consist of VCT, natural stone, terrazzo, ceramic tile and concrete and we offer a complete line of floor pads specifically designed for the maintenance of these different types of flooring.

There are four major steps in the maintenance process: Stripping, Scrubbing and Cleaning, Buffing and Polishing, and Burnishing. Understanding each step and the specific floor pads involved is crucial to achieving the best appearance and extending the life of the floor.

Step 1: Stripping

Throughout the life of the floor there will be times when the finish will need to be completely stripped off, and the floor refinished. This will need to be done when the finish has worn down to the flooring surface, the finish is chipping or flaking, there is staining and/or there is embedded dirt that cannot be removed by normal cleaning. The stripping process is performed with the use of a low speed machine ( 175-350 RPM), the appropriate stripping solution and an aggressive floor pad such as the Ultra Blue Stripper, High Productivity Black Stripping and Black Super Strip. All three pads feature an open weave design that minimizes loading and speeds up the stripping process.

• The Ultra Blue Stripper pad is the most aggressive pad and is used for the most severely worn floors.  

• The High Productivity Black Strip pad is used to remove extreme wax buildup. 

• The Black Super Strip pad is used for general stripping applications with minor wear and wax build up. 

Step 2: Scrubbing and Cleaning 

The Scrubbing and Cleaning process is performed periodically to remove heavy scuff marks and mild wear and soiling from the finish. This process removes one to two coats of finish. After the floor is cleaned, a new coat of finish is applied. This periodic maintenance extends the life of the floor before complete stripping of the coating is needed and involves the use of a low speed machine ( 175-350 RPM ), a spray cleaner, and a scrubbing pad such as the Green Super Scrub or Blue Super Clean. 

• The Green Super Scrub pad is used to remove heavy scuff marks and heavy soiling. 

• The Blue Super Clean pad is used for removal of moderate wear and dirt from surfaces.

Step 3: Buffing and Polishing

The Buffing and Polishing process is for the daily or weekly maintenance of floors to maintain and restore the luster of the finish and removes light scuffs and dirt from the surface. This keeps dirt from becoming embedded in the finish and lessens the frequency for scrubbing and cleaning and is performed either wet, with a spray buffing solution, or dry. 

Depending on the type of finish and surface, either nylon or natural hair pads are used. This is done with either a low speed machine ( 175-350 RPM) or a high speed machine ( 350-1200 RPM). For low speed wet buffing applications either the Red Buffer or Red Buffer Plus is used. 

• The Red Buffer pad is used to achieve a high gloss finish and for light cleaning.

• The Red Buff Plus pad is for general purpose light buffing and polishing.  

• For low speed dry or light mist applications to achieve a mirror gloss shine the White Super Gloss pad is used.  

For high speed wet buffing applications natural hair pads like the Grizzly, Grizzly Bear Lite and Ultra Grizzly Bear are used. 

• The Grizzly pad is ideal for removing heavy scratches and marks and leaving a high gloss finish on medium to hard surfaces.

• The Grizzly Bear Lite pad is used to obtain a high luster on soft and flexible surfaces. 

• The Ultra Grizzly Bear pad quickly removes scratches and marks to leave a high gloss finish on medium to hard surfaces. 

Step 4: Burnishing

This process is for the daily maintenance and restoration of coatings to moderate- or high-gloss sheen in a dry application. This process is performed on high and ultra-high speed machines ( 1000-3000 RPM) with the use of nylon and natural hair pads.

• The Pink “Topshine” Burnish pad restores the gloss to hard finishes only, and can be used in place of natural hair pads in health care facilities. 

• The Champagne Polish and Burnish pad produces the highest gloss of any pad on the market in lite burnishing applications. 

• The Grizzly pad removes heavy marks and produces a high luster shine on hard finishes. 

• The Grizzly Bear Lite pad produces a high luster on soft and medium finishes, and flexible surfaces. 

• The Ultra Grizzly Bear pad removes marks and scratches from medium finishes.  

• The Mint Soft Burnish pad maintains a high luster wet-look on soft to medium finishes. 

• The Lite Blue Burnish pad delivers a deep gloss shine on soft to medium finishes.  

• The Aqua Ultra High Speed Burnish pad produces a wet- look shine on soft to medium, and metal -free finishes.