How to burnish a floor

What’s involved in burnishing a floor? And how about buffing a floor? What are the differences between each? What are the pros and cons to each approach? If I hired a floor fitter, which option would be the cheapest? Is there much of a difference in the quality of the outcome of using each of these options? Thanks for your time.

Asked by Everson on 19th Aug 2021
Expert Trade Answers
"To burnish/polish a commercially finished floor is to achieve the highest possible shine."
Answered on 21st Mar 2022 - Member since Feb 2022 - report
"Step 1. Prepare the area for burnishing. Remove any furniture, rugs, or other obstructions from the area.

Step 2. Dust mop and scrub the floor. Before you burnish, you need to make sure that the floor is spotless. Burnishing a dirty floor is a recipe for disaster. Because burnishing heats up the floor and floor finish gets softer when heated, dirt on the floor can become embeded in the floor finish, and only stripping will take it out.

Step 3. Prepare the burnisher. Start by placing the burnishing pad in the exact center of the pad driver. Because the burnisher spins very quickly, an off-center pad can cause unwanted vibrations.

Step 4. Burnish the floor. Move the burnisher across the floor at a consistent speed. Overlap your passes by about two inches to help maintain a uniform appearance across the floor. Keep moving while the pad is in motion. Burnishing generates substantial heat, and staying in one place can cause the burnishing pad to overheat. Stay in one place too long, and you might transfer the pad material onto the floor, leaving a difficult to remove mark.

Step 5. Clean up the dust. If you didn’t use a burnisher with an efficient dust collection system, you might need to dust mop the floor after burnishing. For complete dust removal, consider another pass with your floor scrubber after dust mopping as well.

Step 6. Reset the area. Replace any furniture, mats, or other objects you moved while cleaning.

Step 7. Clean up and store your equipment. Get your burnisher ready for the next job. Remove the pad and wipe away any dust from the machine. If your equipment is battery-powered, you might need to service the battery pack and recharge the machine. See this article for complete battery care instructions: The Definitive Guide to Battery Maintenance."
Answered on 15th Jun 2022 - Member since Oct 2021 - report
Find Tradespeople, compare up to 3 quotes!
It's FREE and there are no obligations
Ask a Trade
Got a question that only a tradesperson can answer? We have thousands of trades ready to answer any question you may have.
Ask your question
Ask a Trade

Are you looking for advice on a DIY project or have a question for our tradespeople?

We'll email your question to tradespeople who are skilled in your chosen category.

Your question will be made public - please do not include any personal details.

{{ first(ask.errors)[0] }}

By continuing you agree to the Community Guidelines.

Report Content

{{ first(reportForm.errors) }}

Thank you

Your report has been created and will be investigated shortly.

Ready to get a price for your home improvement project?
Get started

Over 1 million homeowners and over 50,000 tradespeople
use MyJobQuote nationwide each year