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Winter 1996 - Article 2

From The Lab
Diluting Strippers

"If a little is good, more is better." This adage is applied to many things in our lives such as food, medicine and money. In reality, more is not always better. A case in point is floor finish stripper.

When faced with a tough stripping job, users often "glug" stripper at a high concentration thinking it will work better. In most cases the complete opposite is true and stripping becomes a nightmare. Here's why.

Multiple coats of floor finish on the floor represent a great deal of "solids" that must be reemulsified into solution in order to be removed. Without the proper amount of water in the stripping solution, the "solids" on the floor only partially emulsify creating a sticky, pad-clogging mess. This partially emulsified solution acts as a lubricant and keeps the pad away from the tile. Proper stripping will not occur.

How do you avoid this? The critical factor is to add the proper amount of water. Water acts as a carrier for the old floor finish -- bring it into solution and off your floor! Proper dilution rates are critical and can be found on the label. Make sure you always follow label directions.