Ever wondered how hotels and larger malls keep their floor so glossy; you know it involves the use of a floor buffer and some cleaning solutions. But no matter what getting that shine seems impossible. Here are the four easy steps you will need to take to get that Glossy finish on your floors, every time.

Step 1 Manual Cleaning
Always sweep or dust mop a floor. Use a neutral cleaner and wash the floor using a mop and wringer bucket. Check packaging to ensure that the floor cleanser is neutral, if it does not say so on the packaging, it would most probably strip your floors’ finish. Large areas the use of an auto scrubber will make the job easier.

Step 2 Restoring or Buffing the floor, also known as waxing or polishing
Buffing of a floor is often mistaken for waxing. Today wax is no longer used on floors. Floors are buffed using a polymer coating, which is referred to in the industry as a floor finish.  Before buffing ensure that the floor is clean.

There are two ways of allying the burnishing agent “Floor Polish”: Spraying and Mopping and Spray buffing

Spray buffing is done by spaying a burnishing agent onto the floor then using a floor buffer, the area is buffed. Once the burnishing solution is worked into the floor the shine will appear

Mopping is using a mop a restoring solution is mixed with water and the floor is mopped, allow to dry. Then using a high-speed floor buffer with a burnishing pad the floor is buffed.  There are various chemical pastes, spray and liquids on the market, ensure you use the correct type for your floor.

Step 3 Stripping the Floor

Steps 1 and 2 deal with the daily maintenance of the floor. Stripping is the process of removing the accumulated burnishing agent. Strippers or re-liquefiers remove on average four coats of finish, therefore thicker coats will require more than one application. When stripping have a separate set of cleaning tools for this purpose only, and mark them. Apply the stripping agent as per directions and use a floor buffer fitted with a stripping pad to ease the removal process.

Mop up the stripper or for faster results use a wet dry vacuum cleaner. Wash the floor at least twice before applying a neutralizer with a new mop and bucket. Do not use the same one you stripped the floor with! The idea is to remove the stripper and neutralize the floor not reapply diluted stripper.

Step 4 finishing the floor
Mopping is the preferred method for applying floor finishing, it is essential to use a mop that will not fray, there are numerous finishing mops available on the market. Have a mop for this purpose only, used mops will leave streaks.
Apply 2 to four coats of finishing agent to the floor allowing for 20 to 30 min drying time between coats. Floor should dry to a gloss, polish using a home floor buffer.

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for maintenance.

By applying and following these steps will result in glossy and well-presented floors.

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Many people believe that by using floor buffers that your floors will come out perfectly glowing every time. Only to then become dismayed when one day their floor seems to have become blurred or hazy after having stripped and re-finished it.

Needing to blame someone or something, the floor buffer is saddled with the blame and either sees the end of its service by being replaced by a newer grander model (manufacturers smile), or it is sent off like all disobedient polishers for a service and a change of pads (smiling mechanics). Oh don’t for a minute think it is bad to have your polisher serviced or to put new pads on it. It’s good appliance maintenance. The fact that you would consider the polisher guilty of not doing its work, when we all know the polisher is the least likely to submit to a go-slow or strike (okay unless it breaks that is, and then both mechanics and manufactures smile).

Blurred or hazy floors are not as a result of the floor buffer and it's inability to do its job. They are caused when the operators using them and responsible for cleaning the floors rushed the job at hand. A job that by not following the processes correctly whilst cleaning and stripping or finishing the floor resulted in a surface no polisher would be able to shine up. Blurred or hazy floors are caused by the chemical reaction between a stripper and a finishing agent or polish. Their appearance serves as a warning and indication that the floor was not properly cleaned after the stripper was applied, or that the neutralizer may have been applied using the same mop as that which was used when applying the stripper. Streaks on floors are caused when the application of the finishing agent is done using an old or used mop, thus staining the finishing agent and resulting in streaks.

Therefore be nice to your floor buffer as it was doing its job, and glare at the person using it. (Should that person happen to be you, the bathroom has a mirror) Because the only way to get rid of a blurred, hazy or streak marks on floors, is by stripping, cleaning, washing and neutralizing them all over again, before re-applying the finishing agent.