How Do I Wax a Concrete Floor?
Waxing your floor not only makes the floor shiny and beautiful, but waxing can protect the surface of your stained concrete floor. By being properly prepared with needed supplies, following written instructions and taking time to do a thorough job, you'll have a shiny, stained concrete floor you can be proud of. Does this Spark an idea?
Materials
To wax a concrete floor, you'll need a gallon of concrete floor wax for stained floors, a soft cloth to apply the wax and you'll need to rent a buffing machine. You'll need one black stripping machine pad to clean built-up wax, dirt and dust from your floor, and another black pad to go over the floor surface a second time. Purchase a red buffing pad so you can buff the floor until shiny. To protect surfaces from wax and the buffer, purchase two-inch blue painter's tape.
Before You Wax
Tape the bottom of any doors, baseboards and any appliances with the painter's tape. Turn on room lights and open your drapes or blinds so you can see the floor clearly while applying the wax. Plan to start in the middle of the room so you're not stepping on areas that have already been waxed.
Use a black pad and slowly buff the entire surface of the floor. According to Godwin Architectural Concrete, this will give you a clean floor before you start the waxing process.
Once you've buffed the entire floor, sweep the floor well so that dust and debris are not absorbed into the wax. Shake your unopened can of wax, so the solvent and wax are mixed together well.
Waxing
Wax a five-foot square area of the floor by applying a thin coat of wax with your soft cloth. Use the buffer and a black pad to go over the floor. Buff slowly, until the wax covers one and a half times the starting area and the wax becomes sticky. Step carefully, as the floor will be very slippery at this point. Continue the process for each area of the floor and flip the black pad over periodically.
If you notice little chunks of wax coming off the buffer, you may be applying too much wax. Use your black pad to remove any wax build-up. If the baseboards and wall corners have an accumulation of wax, use a soft, dry rag to clean it up before the wax hardens. At this point, the floor should appear shiny in different spots.
Using your second black pad, go over the entire floor surface again. The floor will be glossy, but not shiny, and you'll eliminate any uneven areas in your wax. Use the razor edge of a window scraper to remove hardened or thick wax.
Use your red pad to go over the floor surface. Flip over and use the other side when the first side has too much build-up. Your floor should appear shiny at this point. Do a final sweep with your broom to remove any remaining dirt or debris, and remove the painter's tape.
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