Flooring Wax
From Floor Coverings
Contents |
Why wax your floors?
Many people may wonder that. It makes your floors look shiny and new and clean, and it nourishes them well, enabling the flooring to last longer. It is not that hard to wax a floor. Remove your wax first by using a stripper. Vinyl, hardwood and laminate all have different requirements, so read labels and follow manufacturers' instructions, if you have them. Renting a floor stripper/scrubber can make quicker work of stripping the old wax off your floors. They can be rented or purchased, depending on how much floor waxing you want to undertake in your lifetime. Some people enjoy making their floors shiny and new looking. Some don't and would rather turn the job over to professionals.
Stripped and now what?
Ventilate your room well when using wax stripper, by the way. You don't want your family to find you keeled over on the partially stripped floor, knocked out by stripper fumes. Use rubber gloves to protect your hands and of course, remove all furniture and rugs before stripping. Some people like to leave all that in place and then the floor will look very strange. Always test a stripper in an obscure corner of your room first, if your house or floors are really old. You don't want the stripper to eat a hole through the wood, like the alien did in a famous Sci-Fi movie (and that was through metal plating).
The fun part is now at hand -- waxing your floor
Use the appropriate wax for your type of flooring. It's all on the can or bottle. Use the wrong kind and your floors will look worse than when you started. Use the right kind and the floors will be beautiful. Start in a corner with a thin coat of the right wax, using a new or ultra-clean floor mop. Apply several coats after allowing each layer to dry thoroughly. Two or three applications should be enough. After you have the right floor wax down, be sure and get the proper cleaner for your type of floor and wax, so that you can keep it looking great. Run a floor buffer over the waxed floor occasionally, in between waxings. A thin coat of wax can be applied in between major waxings and strippings, but too much will give your floor that waxy yellow buildup of 1950s TV fame.
Which flooring wax should I use?
That does depend entirely on what kind of flooring you have. Of course, vinyl, laminate, hardwood and other types of flooring like cork, are all from different sources and take waxes differently. Do a little research and you'll find the correct wax for your floors. Some waxes are a natural substance and some are manmade.
