Blotchy, Dirty Looking Hardwood Floors
Medford, New Jersey homeowners contacted Sparkle Surface Care because of the poor appearance of their hardwood floors. They had been using a shine product hoping it would restore the luster to their hardwood floors, but it seemed to be doing more harm than good. In addition to the over-waxing problem, the floor also had sun fading, a loss of finish, and some water damage.
About Shine Restoring Products
Shine restoring products are products available on the store shelves in the cleaning section, usually right next to the hardwood or floor cleaners. These products are different from daily cleaners in that they are shine enhancers, not basic cleaning solutions. They include:
- Wax
- Carnauba
- Shine Restorer
- Acrylic
- Oil Soaps
The appearance of hardwood, engineered wood floors, Pergo, or even what is known as a “click floor” can become diminished when these products are even used too often. These days, hardwood floors typically come with a polyurethane coating that does not allow these types of products to properly absorb into the grain of the wood. Instead, the product lays on top and becomes an unattractive dirt magnet.
Solution: Sanding and Refinishing
This particular floor had multiple issues going on, so Sparkle Surface Care had to refinish it. Had over-waxing been the sole problem, they would have simply stripped off the wax.
Highly trained and experienced technicians applied professional stripping solutions, including ammoniated stripping agents and heavy duty emulsifiers, to dissolve the multiple layers of coatings. It took several applications of stripper to completely and safely remove the buildup, because over-wetting the floor could have resulted in damage and warped boards.
The next step was to sand the floor, removing a very thin upper layer of wood to erase the sun and water damage. Sanding also addressed the areas where the finish had worn out and gave the floor a nice, uniform appearance in preparation for a fresh, new coating of a lasting finish.
The homeowners were very pleased with the outcome and glad to know that if they avoided using shine restoring products in the future, the fresh, clean appearance of their newly restored floor would last a lot longer.