Periodically waxing your commercial floors (whether vinyl, epoxy, acrylic, linoleum, or VCT) protects them from scratches and stains, provides a glossy appearance, and minimizes visible surface imperfections. This critical form of commercial floor maintenance requires a bit of preparation before performing, however. Previous layers of wax must be removed from the surface before a new coat can be installed -- this process is known as stripping. Here’s how to properly prepare your commercial flooring before waxing it.

Commercial Floor Care Before Waxing

Gather the Proper Materials for Floor Stripping

You’ll need several tools at your disposal to strip your floors in preparation for waxing. Commercial flooring services will come prepared with personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect their skin from the caustic stripping substance, including rubber gloves, slip-resistant footwear, goggles, face masks, etc. They’ll also bring the necessary amount of high-quality stripper, a bucket to hold it, a mop, a low-speed scrubber complete with a stripping pad, and a dry vacuum.

Properly Apply Stripper to Flooring

With all the right equipment, the next step is to apply the stripping solution to the floor. This is done by dipping a mop with the solution and spreading it evenly across the floor, being careful not to step on the wet areas as you go. Once the floors have been saturated with stripper, allow the solution to do its job by letting it linger for the instructed amount of time.

Scrub the Floors to Complete the Stripping Process

After allowing the stripper to operate on its own, commercial flooring contractors will then use their floor scrubber to raise the previous coat of wax that has now been loosened. It’s important to work one small section at a time to minimize messes and ensure that no spots are missed. If the scrubbing pad begins to lose its effectiveness, it can be flipped over or replaced as needed.

Thoroughly Clean Your Floors

At this point, your commercial floors will look a bit messy due to all the residue that’s been brought to the surface. Fortunately, this loose debris is easily cleaned up with a dry vacuum. Any leftover stripper must be properly and safely disposed of before moving on. Also, the mop and bucket must be thoroughly cleaned with soap and hot water, so no excess stripper or wax remains. Check your flooring again to see if any additional commercial floor care or cleaning is required before the waxing process begins.

Get Ready to Wax

Now that your floors have been properly stripped and cleaned, it’s time to apply your commercial floor wax. You’ll want to do whatever you can to ventilate your space to reduce the inhalation of fumes during and after the job. A fresh mop will be needed for this process, as well as a clean bucket filled with floor wax. The wax should then be applied much in the same way the stripper was applied earlier. When all is said and done, the wax will take about 15-30 minutes to dry in standard conditions.

Stripping and waxing are important tasks to perform on many types of commercial floors. The Budd Group provides stripping and waxing services whenever they’re required to help maintain the durability, safety, and beauty of a facility’s floors. To learn more about our services and values, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!