Somewhat a lost art, spray buffing has now resurfaced not only as a key to stretching floor refinishing cycles, but also at removing heel marks, stains, spills, and leaving floors with a high-gloss shine.
Schools all over North America are now in the final stages of preparing their schools for the fall season. One of the big tasks is stripping and refinishing floors. Many cleaning professionals have implemented steps to stretch refinishing cycles, sometimes as long as 24 months. But, the effectiveness of this strategy is very dependent on spray buffing the floor.
For those that need a refresher course on spray buffing, James Flieler, VP of sales and marketing for Charlotte Products Ltd., reviews some of the key steps in the process:
- Cordon off the work area with wet floor signs
- Dust and then damp mop the floor using a good quality pH neutral cleaner
- Use a cleaning solution specifically engineered for spray buffing; “sometimes cleaning professionals mix their own concoction. It’s always best to use a product expressly manufactured for this task.”
- Start at the farthest end of the area and walk backwards, towards the exit
- Always mist the spray over the equipment directly onto the floor; “realize that small amounts go a long way”
- Using a low-speed floor machine, with a clean spray buffing pad move the machine side-to-side over about a three foot wide area of the floor; this needs to be performed twice
- Let the machine linger over heavily scuffed floor areas to remove them; in some cases, these areas may need to be cleaned first using a little “elbow grease.”
- Finish by dust mopping the floor
“A few more things to remember,” added Flieler. “Never let the spray buff solution dry. If it does, clean the [floor] area and then re-mist. And for best results, don’t rush the process. Moving slowly over the floor brings out the shine.”
James Flieler, VP of sales and marketing at Charlotte Products Ltd.
