Want to protect the finish of your floors while extending their lifespan? Regularly waxing and stripping your floors when needed should be on your to-do list. Below, we’ll take a look at best practices for stripping and waxing floors, why it is important and how our floor care supplies in Danville can help simplify the process.

The Importance of Stripping and Waxing Floors

Floors are often neglected, taking daily abuse that causes them to lose their luster over time. The process of stripping and waxing brings that luster back, giving your facility an overall perception of cleanliness.

Stripping and waxing also gets rid of dirt and grime collected on the floor and creates a protective barrier that reduces the risk of scratching or warping due to water damage or moisture.

Ultimately, this process improves the endurance of your floor finish, particularly in high-traffic areas.

How often should I strip and wax my floors?

How often you strip and wax your floors depends on a number of factors, although we generally recommend stripping and waxing at least once or twice a year.

Facilities or areas with high amounts of foot traffic will require more frequent stripping and waxing.

There are a few telltale signs we look for to determine if a floor is overdue for stripping and waxing, including a hazy finish, discoloration, the appearance of scratches and the erosion of floors due to chemical spills.

How to Strip and Wax Floors

When rebuffing fails to restore the shine of your floors, it’s time for a strip and wax! Follow these steps for the best results:

Strip existing wax

Out with the old, in with the new! Stripping the existing wax from your floors is the first step in the process. We recommend using a stripping pad and floor buffer to apply stripper. Take time to remove all existing wax so you don’t end up with a cloudy or uneven floor surface later!

While this is the most time-consuming and labor-intensive part of the process, Betco has two solutions that make it much easier!

Betco’s Extreme Floor Stripper was developed to penetrate and remove multiple coats of burnished floor finish with a minimum amount of labor. Using the latest in technology, it unlocks the chemical bonds of acrylic and urethane-fortified floor finishes, releasing them from the floor surface. Suitable for use on most surfaces, Extreme has a lower pH that other competitive formulas and does not require neutralization or rinsing. This stripper is in stock and available now in our online catalog. Click here to view the 5-gal. pail and here for 1 gallon.

Betco’s Ax-It Plus Stripper is another favorite here at DP Supply, Inc. It’s also designed to remove layers of floor finish in less time with less effort and no rinsing. When used as directed, floors are ready to recoat without neutralizing, and it can be used on many types of hard surface floors in a range of dilution ratios. Click here to view the 5-gallon pail in our online catalog and here for 1 gallon.

Apply Floor Sealer

If you’ve used Betco’s Ax-It Plus or Extreme Floor Stripper, you can skip this step! Otherwise, you should apply a floor sealer before applying wax to freshly stripped floors. A sealer will protect the floor surface from absorbing wax. Generally, we recommend applying two layers of sealer.

Apply Floor Wax

After stripping and sealing floors appropriately, it is now time for a fresh layer of wax. Typically, we recommend applying four to ten layers to get a long-lasting finish that is durable to withstand a few buffing sessions. High-traffic areas may require additional layers of wax.

Apply Floor Finish

Floor finish protects the wax you just laid down by reducing dirt buildup and scratches over time. For a high gloss, long wearing finish, we highly recommend Betco’s Hard as Nails. This floor finish cures faster and harder than any other metal-interlock finish, making it the perfect labor-saving solution for any facility. The non-scuffing, self-leveling and self-sealing finish produces superior wearing and resists dirt embedment, leaving your floors glossy and able to withstand daily wear and tear longer. Available in both 5-gal. pails and 1 gallon sizes, click here to learn more!

For the highest gloss and wear with the least amount of labor, we recommend Betco’s Untouchable Floor Finish. This non-scuffing, durable, detergent-resistant floor finish maintains its high gloss with minimal burnishing, and excellent leveling and extremely low odor make it easy to apply. Click here to view both the 5-gal. pail and 1 gallon size in our online catalog.

Buff the Floors

Finally, buff your floors to remove any dirt or dust that may have settled during the previous steps. Regularly buffing floors extends the lifespan of your wax while protecting the underlying flooring surfaces. High-traffic areas may require buffing each week to look their best, but lower-traffic areas can be buffed monthly.

To maintain your beautiful glossy floors, use an appropriate cleaner to prevent dulling floors or leaving a film. We recommend Betco’s pH7 All Purpose Cleaner because it easily emulsifies and suspends dirt and grime on floors, leaving behind only a film-free clean! For use in both mop buckets and auto scrubbers, click here to learn more about Betco’s pH7.

Choosing the right floor care supplies in Danville is essential for keeping your floors looking their best. If you have any questions stripping and waxing, please contact us today!