Striping Wax Off Wood Floors

How to remove old wax from floors without chemicals.

Striping wax off wood floors.

You can buy commercial wax removers to make this job less onerous but read the label carefully before purchasing one. To strip and wax a floor start by purchasing a floor finish stripper specifically designed for your flooring. Nothing adheres well to wax and even after cleaning the wood grain can become contaminated. Sanding down the finish can drive the wax even deeper because the friction of sanding heats up the wax.

There is more than one way to remove wax from an existing finish but none guarantee success. A wax coating can help extend the life of your hardwood floors by providing a natural barrier that protects against moisture. Sweep away loose dirt dust and other debris and mop the floor with warm water to remove any grime or. We have seen floor finishes takes weeks to dry when they got wax contaminated and that was on floors that we actually resanded.

If you do not remove all traces of the paste wax no finish and i mean no finish will stick to the floor. Wax can penetrate the wood making future paint or stain finishes or touch ups difficult or impossible. Even freshly washed and waxed floors. Next mix the stripper with water according to the instructions and mop it over the floor.

Many are intended for vinyl linoleum and tile but not hardwood. Then let the solution sit on the floors for 10 minutes before scrubbing it in with a sponge. Hardwood floors are a tradtional flooring choice popular because of the natural beauty they bring to a space. Then use a squeegee to remove the wax and stripper soak up the excess liquid with rags and mop the floor with clean water.

And worse yet more coats of finish may never dry. Waxed floors such as linoleum or vinyl can flake or become yellow due to age or too many layers of wax. For tile floors remove the wax by mopping with ammonia laundry detergent and warm water. Removing old wax from wood floors is time consuming but it is not an impossible task.

The best way to strip wax buildup from floors depends on what kind of floors they are.