Wood Floor ... streaks and haze

[hogjowl]

I did a big move in cleaning on a pretty dirty home yesterday that had a bunch of wood flooring in it. The wood, like the rest of the house, was pretty dirty. All I did to it was clean it with Bona-X's wood floor cleaner. I sprayed the cleaner on, buffed it with a white pad, and then came behind with a microfiber bonnet. I "looked" like it did a pretty good job, to me ... but today the lady told me she was afraid to walk on the floor because everywhere she walked she would leave foot prints. She also said that if you ran your hand across the floor it would leave a streak.

I'm assuming that I didn't get all the dirt off the floor, because the Bona-X product shouldn't have left a film of any kind. There is also the possibility that there was a film of some sort already on the floor from prior cleaning attempts. The Bona-X product is kinda weak and I may have not removed it all.

In any event, I probably need to get more aggressive with this floor. Do you guys have any suggestion of products, or procedures I should use?

 

[handdi]

do'nt ya think u should rinse with clean water?
do'nt know.

 

[CapeCleaner]

The wood, like the rest of the house, was pretty dirty.

Sounds like you put the Bona cleaner on top of a lot soil. I think simply rinsing might actually make it worse. Add water to dirt and you get mud.

I would go with a neutral cleaner with a red pad, suck it up, rinse well, dry, a coat of floor finish with a lambs wool applicator and you're done.

 

[Mark Imbesi]

That may be too much for a pig farmer to handle.

 

[hogjowl]

The wood, like the rest of the house, was pretty dirty.

Sounds like you put the Bona cleaner on top of a lot soil. I think simply rinsing might actually make it worse. Add water to dirt and you get mud.

I would go with a neutral cleaner with a red pad, suck it up, rinse well, dry, a coat of floor finish with a lambs wool applicator and you're done.

Ok, sounds good, but a few questions:

Red pad sounds kinda aggressive for a wood floor. You did see that it was a wood floor, right?

When you said "suck it up", I imagined a bit more water being used than I thought appropriate. This floor has an eased edge and I am afraid of getting too much water on it. Am I being too passive in my approach?

A coat of floor finish? Like ... you're suggesting vct wax?

 

[CapeCleaner]

Ok, sounds good, but a few questions:

Red pad sounds kinda aggressive for a wood floor. You did see that it was a wood floor, right?

You need something more agressive than a white pad in order to abrade the floor a bit. This helps the finsih adhere to the wood.

When you said "suck it up", I imagined a bit more water being used than I thought appropriate. This floor has an eased edge and I am afraid of getting too much water on it. Am I being too passive in my approach?

You don't need to flood the floor. I normally mop the cleaner onto the floor so I can control the amount then use a vac to suck up the solution after using the floor machine. You can also use your truckmount with a hard surface wand but it can be overkill unless you have a large, open area.

A coat of floor finish? Like ... you're suggesting vct wax?[/quote]

Not VCT, wood floor finish. One of the suppliers on here can certainly hook you up with what you need. Just make sure you get the same finsh - gloss, semi-gloss, matte - as the rest of the floor.

Bona employs about the same process. Here is a link to their site: http://www.bona.com/en/US/Concepts_and_ ... asy_Steps/

 

[Mark Imbesi]

Marty,

I've been doing a lot of research on this recoating business. My choice to start out with is Basic. They can be found here: http://www.basiccoatings.com/Pages/default.aspx.

What I dont understand is why this floor is at the recoat stage, when all that is complained about sounds like a "film". I sure you dont need to etch the surface to get rid of a film. But, what do I know?

 

[hogjowl]

Exactly ... I agree. The problem is the haze/film. I just want to know how to clean it. Not recoat it.

But, am I to understand from the prior posts that there is no way to clean it?

 

[John G]

Cotton or glad pads would have picked up that residue much better for you.

A white to beige pad works well, so does a grout and tile brush with thin pad.

 

[CapeCleaner]

I've been doing a lot of research on this recoating business. My choice to start out with is Basic. They can be found here: http://www.basiccoatings.com/Pages/default.aspx. quote]

What product are you suggesting he use? What process? Can their products be used with all floor finishes? (Basic® Coatings Maintenance products are designed to work in conjunction with our wood floor finishes.) What assistance can you provide based upon your research?

Cleaning and recoating is - in my opinion - the best way to maintain wood floors for the long term. It's an extremely easy process, cost effective, and keeps floors looking great. I have clients for whom I do this yearly. A new client wants to have it done twice a year...in a seasonal home. Higher-end clients know how to care for their homes. Maybe that's not the case here.

The quick and easy route was taken and that didn't work too well. Now what?

 

[boazcan]

Just did one like this.

Neutral floor cleaner mixed twice as strong. Mop on, dwell for 5 mins, take excess off with micromop that you applied with. Dry with cotton pad. Spray the Bona then buff with microfiber. It worked for us. Floor was in a commercial store. Not overly dirty, but dirty. It had residue from a previous cleaner. Are you traveling this far now? 8)

 

[alazo1]

Sounds like residue from the cleaner. Ask her to use a damp rag to a small part to see if it comes out. If it does just clear water mop.

Albert

 

[Mikey P]

Cotton or glad pads would have picked up that residue much better for you.

A white to beige pad works well, so does a grout and tile brush with thin pad.

I bet he is right.

 

[Chris Muetterties]

I had this same thing happen to me. Found that the customer did not realize they were using a wax on it. and we had to remove it all.

 

[hogjowl]

How did you remove the wax?

 

[Chris Muetterties]

We used the RX for Wood cleaner and white pads and bonnets. Took about 3 cleanings. The first few cleanings looked good till it dried. They custy was using mop-n-glo for wood and thought she was doing a good job caring for it.