Article Archive | Back To Current Issue

Spring 2007 - Article 2

From The Lab
Testing Wood Floors for Wax
and Floor Finish

The summer wood floor recoat season is fast approaching. Schools generally are straightforward in terms of recoating – the floors are nearly always maple and are finished with either a water-based coating such as Sport Kote® (#222) or an oil-modified urethane such as High Solids Gym Finish (#234). Non-gymnasium floors, including retail locations and residential sites, oftentimes are finished with the above two products but are not limited to these finishes. They may contain natural wax (paste wax) or standard acrylic floor finish. Prefinished flooring containing aluminum oxide is also common in homes and businesses. How do you know if you are dealing with one of these unusual situations?

The first thing you should always ask for is a history of the floor – especially if you are unsure of what is on it. If your queries don’t turn up any firm answers, it is time to do a little bit of testing using various chemicals.

If you suspect natural wax, you can confirm its presence in an inconspicuous area by putting a couple of drops of Waterless Cleaner (#1130) or Citrus Degreaser (#1185) on the floor. Wait for a couple of minutes and then wipe the area with a clean, white cloth. If the cloth turns dark yellow to brown and feels greasy there is natural wax on the floor. These floors cannot be recoated with standard wood finish – they must be sanded to bare wood first.

Floor finish on wood floors is common in many homes. To confirm its presence, dilute a floor stripper at its recommended dilution and then put a few drops on the floor. If it turns white in 2 – 3 minutes, it likely means floor finish is present. (A wood finish would not turn white that quickly if at all). A deep screening is recommended in this situation to remove the finish before recoating with the correct product.

Prefinished floors, even though many are “designed” to “never need recoating”, eventually need refinishing. Floors that contain aluminum oxide present a difficult challenge – the oxide coating must be removed before recoating. You’ll know you’re dealing with aluminum oxide if your deep scrubbing or screening does not degloss the floor. These coatings are so tough that normal floor prep procedures cannot be used. Instead, you will need to dry-screen with 120-grit screens. Each screen will only cover about 100 square feet (they normally go about 500 square feet). Once screened, the floor can be vacuumed, tacked and recoated.