The Best Ways to Polish and Shine a Floor

Flooring is an important element of a home's decoration, so it's essential to take good care of it.

Wooden floors need to be maintained to keep them in the best condition. So, what are the best ways to polish and shine a floor?

Floors are exposed and vulnerable to a lot of wear and tear, no matter how durable they are. This could be from heeled shoes, pets scratching, objects falling on the floor, or furniture being dragged.

Luckily, there are ways to polish and restore shine to a damaged floor. One of the most commonly used techniques is sanding, which involves removing the top surface of the wooden floor and then applying a new varnish. This can be an expensive option and it puts the wood under a lot of strain, so it’s recommended only for very damaged floors.

Alternatives to sanding are polishing and waxing. These are much easier and simpler techniques to restore a floor’s original shine and remove imperfections. They will also keep the floor shining for much longer.

What are the best ways to polish and shine a floor?

Before starting any treatment, it’s important to first consider whether polish or wax is better for your wooden floor. There isn’t one option that suits all floors. Depending on the characteristics, qualities, and finish of your floor, you will need to choose one technique or the other.

Surfaces that have a protective coating, such as a moisture barrier, would benefit from being polished. However, wooden floors or floors with a stained finish need waxing, rather than polishing. Using the wrong technique could result in imperfections in your floor.

It’s therefore essential to determine what type of material you’re working with. To this end, you could remove a small section of the floor coating from somewhere that isn’t visible. If your floor has a coating, then you will see a transparent layer on the sample.

How to polish a floor

• Before trying to repair a floor, the first step is to clean it thoroughly. Start by removing any furniture and cleaning off any dirt or dust from the surface. You can use any appropriate cleaning agent that you find in the supermarket.
• You can start polishing the floor once it’s completely dry. The best way to do this is with a sanding disc. These discs vary in terms of coarseness (grit), and the coarseness you need will depend on how damaged your floor is. If it’s very damaged, you could opt to use a coarser disc first, and then a finer one. If the floor has more minor damage, then a finer disc will be enough.
• After you’ve removed any imperfections, you can move on to applying a lacquer or varnish to restore your wood’s original shine. To get the perfect finish, it’s best to apply the solution with a flat-surface mop and to work it into the surface in the direction of the wood grain.
• Lastly, repeat this process once more to ensure the floor is well covered. The floor will stay tacky for a couple of hours, however, once it has dried it will shine as if it were brand new. 

How to wax a floor

The best way to restore the shine and brilliance to untreated wooden floors is by applying a wax. This is one of the most popular techniques as it has many benefits:

• Wax renders floors more resistant to stains, as it prevents them from absorbing liquid from spills.
• Another benefit of wax is that it helps to minimize minor imperfections, such as scratches and superficial marks. 
• Also, by making the floor more durable, waxed floors last much longer than unwaxed floors.

Applying your solution

Applying a polish is a much easier process than the sanding itself. Two things are very important. Firstly, you must thoroughly clean the floor to remove every speck of dust. Secondly, it’s essential to ensure the floor is fully dry before applying the solution.

However, it’s equally important to not apply too much of the solution. You could use a mop to apply the polish or wax to ensure it covers the surface evenly. Once your solution has dried, your floor will shine as if it was laid yesterday.