FAQ: My tile floor is dingy and discolored. How do I remove the old finish and apply a new one?
Just follow these 10 easy steps for a beautiful looking floor!
- Dust or sweep the floor and remove all heavy soils.
- Dilute Pow-R, Aggressor or DeSantis supplied stripper carefully following the directions on the label. Cool water is most effective for Aggressor & Barebones. Warm water is best for Pow-R
- Mop the stripper solution on a small section of the floor, no larger than 10’x10′ and allow the solution to remain undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes. Note: Never let solution dry on the floor.
- Scrub by hand or with a machine the area with stripper on it. If using a machine a stripping pad is best.
- Using a wet/dry vac or floor squeegee pick up scrubbed solution.
- Apply a liberal solution of clean, cool water on the freshly scrubbed area.
- Damp mop rinsed area with a clean, well wrung rinse mop to remove any and all squeegee marks and streaks. Allow the floor to dry well, 45 to 60 minutes is the average fully dry time.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 for the rest of the floor. When finished the floor should be uniformly dull when completely dry.
9. Using DeSantis Solutions’s Infinity, Encore or other DeSantis supplied floor finish in a clean mop pail w/wringer, or apply directly on the floor. Mop must be clean and not have been used in the stripping-scrub process. If using a bucket and wringer, dip mop in finish and wring out until it stops dripping. If finish is placed directly on the floor, use a small puddle of finish from which to spread the finish from the farthest corner of the room and working to the door exiting the room. Allow the finish to dry completely and do not force dry the finish with a fan or other device.
10. Additional coats can be applied to enhance gloss and extend wear. Wait at least one hour between coats. Try not to apply more than 2 or 3 coats in a 24 hour period. Multiple coats can be applied the next day if desired after each previous coat is dry. Any buffing if desired must not be done until the finish is well established and cured, usually this happens in one or two weeks.
Keep it looking nice!
We recommend waiting about two weeks to begin buffing. For the first buffing use a mildly aggressive pad like a Lustre Light blue pad. Maintain the floor by dust mopping and damp mopping with cool water and a neutral cleaner like Everbright. This can be done as often as daily. If high gloss is desired high speed burnishing using a floor restorer or buffing solution like Snap Back is suggested.
