Floor burnishing is used to maintain the shiny mirror-like finish of a floor, especially in commercial places like gyms, grocery stores, and dance halls.
The process uses a high-speed rotating pad that buffs the floor to a perfect polish. Burnishing is usually carried out after cleaning and buffing a floor, but inasmuch it is an effective maintenance routine, it should not be done every day. So how often should you burnish a floor?
So, how often should you burnish a floor?
How often you burnish a floor depends on the level of floor traffic. High-traffic areas can be burnished every week so that the floor maintains its luster; areas with less traffic can be burnished once a month or whenever the floor starts to look dull.
How to Burnish a Floor
Table of Contents
Prep the Area
Start by closing all possible entrances into the area that you want to burnish. You do not want any foot traffic into the area as you work.
Also, remove any furniture in the room that will get in the way. Next, clean the floor using a dust mop, or you can wet mop the floor to get it completely free of all dirt and debris.
Prep the Burnisher
Select a suitable burnishing pad depending on your type of floor finish and machine you’re using. Pull the machine back on its handle and attach the burnishing pad to the high-speed driver; there is usually a centering device that can be screwed into the driver to hold the pad in place. Mount this piece tightly to the driver.
Prep your Solution
You will need a floor restoring solution that you can apply by either mopping it onto the floor or by spraying it directly onto the floor using a spray bottle.
Apply the solution to the floor as you burnish to constantly lubricate the pad as you go. You can also use polishing cream instead of the spray burnishing solution.
Apply the cream in about 3″ long streams before using the burnisher to spread the solution about, or you can apply small drops on the floor and burnish to a high shine.
Read: How to polish marble floors
Burnish the Floor
After attaching the pad to the burnisher, start the burnisher in a leaned back position so the pad isn’t in contact with the floor.
Use the machine to slowly buff the floor after applying your burnishing solution/cream of choice. Work in small sections, and you may find it easier to work with the burnisher in a forward and reverse motion, simply guide it in its motion.
You may need to dig the head of some burnishers into the floor surface, this is known as heeling, and it removes deep scuff marks.
When burnishing the floor, follow an overlapping pattern so you can go over each pass twice to achieve the most brilliant shine on a floor and to avoid missing any area.
Burnish the floor until it achieves a high shine, changing your pads often, so they do not load up with debris.
Read: How to polish travertine floor
Clean Up
After burnishing the entire floor, go in with a dust mop and then wet mop the area, or you can also scrub it with an auto scrubber to remove any dust that was created during the burnishing process.
When the floor is completely dried, you can allow traffic into the area and return removed items to their original positions. Wash the pads immediately after use and store them properly for future use.
Read: How to polish hardwood floors with buffer
Conclusion
The frequency at which you should burnish a floor depends on the amount of traffic the floor receives. High-traffic areas can be burnished every week so that the floor maintains its luster; areas with less traffic can be burnished once a month or whenever the floor starts to look dull.
