Top Five "Whys" of Floor Finish

You might think the customer service department of a major professional cleaning equipment manufacturer would only receive questions about the company’s machines. However, according to Gary Pelphrey, general manager of Powr-Flite Direct, most of the floor-care questions they receive regard floor finish and not equipment.

Below are the five most frequent floor-care questions received by the Powr-Flite customer service department:

1. Why can’t we strip/refinish floors in the winter months?

The optimum temperature for stripping/refinishing floors is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Too cold - or too hot - and the finish may not adhere properly.

2.  Why do we get streaks in our floor finish after it has dried?

Streaks in the floor’s finish can be caused by several factors, possibly the finish was not thoroughly dried before another coat was added; too many coats of finish have been applied; or the finish was applied too heavily.

3. Why are there swirls in the floor finish after burnishing?

Again, there may be multiple reasons: possibly the wrong burnishing pad is being used; similarly, the pad may be too aggressive for the finish applied; too slow or too fast a burnisher is being used with a given burnishing pad.

4. Why is it so hard to remove the old finish on a floor?

When refinishing floors, what many cleaning professionals forget is to allow the stripping solution to dwell on the floor for several minutes before stripping. This allows the chemical to break down the finish so it can be removed more easily.

5. Why does my floor finish “walk off” the floor?

Make sure the finish applied is recommended for that specific type of floor. If the finish is formulated for a VCT floor, for example, it may not adhere properly to a stone, terrazzo, or ceramic tile floor.

“Of course we always add one more answer no matter what the floor-care question,” says Pelphrey. “We tell our callers, proper floor care is a systems approach requiring the right machine, chemicals, and training.”

About Powr-Flite 
Established more than 40 years ago, Powr-Flite manufactures a full line of floor-care equipment and carpet extractors for the professional cleaning industry. Based in Fort Worth, TX, the company has over 20 patented designs and its products are recognized throughout the world for their innovation, durability, quality and performance. Their products are marketed directly to end-use customers as well as through distributors throughout the North America, Europe and the Far East. For more information please visit www.Powr-Flite.com.