Why You Should Refresh Your Commercial Floors With a Strip and Wax

If you run a successful business, having clean, shiny floors is a great way to give customers a positive first impression. Remember: Your floors are one of the first things people see when they walk through your door. If they’re clean and well maintained, this will instantly make your business seem more professional and inviting.

One great way to give your floors a new lease on life is by stripping and waxing them. This process restores the floors’ finish and helps protect them from further damage.

What Exactly is a Strip and Wax?

As you know, floors can get beat up with time and lose their original shine. Even with regular cleaning, they’re bound to get damaged and worn eventually. That’s why it’s a good idea to add floor stripping and waxing to your maintenance checklist to avoid bigger problems down the road.

As the name suggests, a strip and wax is a way to bring the shine back to your floors by stripping them down with a special solution and waxing them again. This is especially helpful if they look scuffed and dull from lack of upkeep.

How to Strip and Wax Floors

Before getting started, make sure all movable furniture and other objects are moved out of the area. If a lot of items need to be relocated, temporarily renting out a commercial storage space might be a good solution.

Since the process of stripping and waxing involves harsh chemicals, be sure to protect employees in the vicinity, and cover any immovable objects or surfaces that could get in the way.

It might be best to do the stripping and waxing at a time when most employees are out of the building to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals. Then, prepare surfaces by thoroughly cleaning and drying them.

Once the floors are ready, carefully mop down the area with the stripping solution and let it sit for about 15 – 20 minutes to give the chemicals time to work.

Next, touch the floor with gloved hands to see if it feels sticky. If it doesn’t, that means the solution has been applied for long enough and should be removed. If it does, leave it on for a little longer.

Removing the solution is as simple as using a mop and a bucket of clean water over the entire treated surface. Make sure to remove the solution completely before moving on to the wax finish.

Once the floors are completely washed, they should be thoroughly dried before doing the next step. A great way to speed up this process is by turning on fans, but the important thing is to ensure the floors are completely dry.

If residue from the stripping solution is still present, go over the area again with a mop and bucket, and then let it dry. Removing all residue is essential before moving on to the finish. Otherwise, the final result won’t look as good or last as long as it otherwise would.

Finally, use a mop and bucket to apply the finish. For best results, make sure to give every coat time to dry fully (about 30 – 40 minutes). For commercial floors that get a lot of traffic, using 3 – 4 coats is a good idea. Make sure to tackle this floor maintenance at a time when you can commit to several hours of work to get the job done in one sitting.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Stripping and waxing large commercial floors is time-consuming and expensive. If inexperienced members of your staff are expected to do the job, here are a few common mistakes they might commit: 

• Choosing products that aren’t right for your facility’s flooring 
• Failing to properly dilute the stripping solution before applying it to the floor 
• Not leaving the solution on for long enough 
• Letting the floors dry before removing the solution 
• Not removing any remaining residue that’s left after rinsing 

These mistakes can damage your floor and lead to costly repairs, so be sure that whoever does the stripping and waxing knows what to do and what to avoid.

Maintaining a Strip and Wax

You may be wondering how often a strip and wax should be done. This varies based on factors like how much foot traffic your floors get and what kind of climate your facility is in, but a good rule of thumb is to have it done once per year.

If you notice that your floors need more, though, by all means, have it done more often.

By keeping up with floor maintenance, you’ll end up saving your facility time and money and extending the floors’ lifespan. Completing as little maintenance as possible might seem like a good idea in the short term, but having to replace flooring can be extremely expensive if floors wear out prematurely from lack of care.

Stripping and Waxing Your Floors Can Help Your Business

As we’ve already discussed, floors are one of the first things customers notice when they walk into a business. If the floors are scuffed, worn down, or stained, this will reflect on your business and how customers view you. In offices, especially, floors are often large and attention-grabbing. If they’re well maintained, visitors will most likely leave with a better impression than if they’re in rough shape.

Your floors are a reflection of your facility and how your business runs. If customers see that you invest in your floors and don’t let them get worn out, they will have more trust in your ability to also address their needs as customers.

Is it Time for a Strip and Wax?

By now, you know how important it is for your facility’s image and budget to keep commercial floors well maintained. If you’re wondering whether your floors need a strip and wax, they probably do.

Using the information we’ve shared in this article, make sure to get this maintenance done without waiting for bigger problems to appear. Need help? Don’t know where to start? We can do the heavy lifting for you. Contact System4 today to learn more about getting your floors stripped and waxed.