Refinishing Floors

Floor RefinishingThe summer months are the busiest time of the year when it comes to refinishing floors, especially for educational facilities. But as anyone that has ever refinished floors knows, the job can be long and arduous.

One of the most difficult and time-consuming steps in refinishing floors is ensuring that all the finish and soil buildup along the edges of the floor, in corners and in hard-to-reach areas is removed. But it is a job that must be performed in order for the floors to have a clean, even shine.

Because this particular step is so necessary and so difficult, following is information on the different ways to strip edges and corners clean. Refinishing pros recommend the following techniques:

  • Scrub the edges using a scrubbing pad or razor scrape and chemical stripper. Wear gloves and goggles, make sure the area is well ventilated and properly dilute the stripper before use. Allow for proper dwell time, then thoroughly rinse all surfaces clean.
  • Use a “paddle stick” with a scrub pad along edges and in corners to agitate the stripper and loosen the finish and soils, then rinse clean.
  • If using a rotary buffer, apply more pressure to edges by pushing down on one side of the handle and pulling up on the other while carefully maneuvering the machine as it moves along the edge. This technique can be effective, but requires considerable skill and experience to perform correctly.
  • Use an “orbital” floor machine; these systems have a rectangular design, so they can fit comfortably into edges and corners. Walk the machine slowly along the edge for thorough cleaning and agitation. Some systems have optional weights that can increase downward pressure for more effective edging.

“When it comes to floorcare, it’s the details that make the difference,” says Debby Davis, product manager for Powr-Flite and a floorcare expert. “Ensuring the edges and corners are properly stripped, cleaned and finished is the difference between a good job and a bad job.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Springfield Breaks Ground on $53.7M Pipkin Middle School Rebuild

    Construction is underway on a new, state-of-the-art Pipkin Middle School in Springfield, Mo., a major step in Springfield Public Schools’ (SPS) long-term facility improvement plan, according to local news. The $53.7-million project officially broke ground in early June, following years of planning and community input aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and addressing student capacity concerns.

  • ProTeam Launches GoFit 6 HEPA Backpack Vacuum

    Technology leader Emerson recently introduced the new ProTeam GoFit 6 HEPA backpack vacuum, according to a news release. The vacuum was designed to capture 99.97% of particulates down to 0.3 microns—including atmospheric hazards like lead dust, mold spores, and other particulates—through an advanced filtration system.

  • California High School Starts Construction on New CTE Building

    Analy High School, part of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently broke ground on a new Career Technical Education (CTE) Building, according to a news release. The 15,000-square-foot facility will offer specialized facilities for students in engineering, welding, culinary arts, agricultural sciences, and design thinking.

  • modern college building with circuit and brain motifs

    Anthropic Introduces Claude for Education

    Anthropic has launched a version of its Claude AI assistant tailored for higher education institutions. Claude for Education "gives academic institutions secure, reliable AI access for their entire community," the company said, to enable colleges and universities to develop and implement AI-enabled approaches across teaching, learning, and administration.

Digital Edition