How To Remove Old Wax From Your Wood Floor
It is time to refinish your wood floor and you can’t seem to find the best way to remove that old wax. So ideally there is no way the job can go on. Do not consider taking any short cuts. Usually sanding your floor before the refinishing process without removing as much wax as may be needed may interfere with the process. It may push the wax further into the wood grains and when this happens you may just find an appalling result for your refinished floor. So if you intend to refinish your wood flooring follow these steps to remove the old wax.
Sweep And Mop With Warm Water
Since you do not intend to have any dirt or wax build up that may interfere future refinishing process, you will first begin by sweeping the floor. This is because when you sweep it will remove any loose dust, dirt, or debris. After sweeping, mop the floor with warm water as this will remove any grime or residue from the woods surface.
Use Mineral Spirits
With the sweeping and the mopping done, you may need to use mineral spirits to further remove that old wax from your engineered hardwood flooring surface. So use a cloth to work in small sections of the floor while pouring small amounts of mineral spirits. This is because working in small sections will make it easy for you to ensure that the old wax is removed. Once you have adequately worked the minerals into the wax, take the cloth and use it into a circular motion to scrub the wax from the floor.
Re Apply The Mineral Spirits
It is ideal to remove as much wax as you can from the floor surface since this will allow you to apply a more durable finish such as polyurethane. So after the first cleaning with mineral spirits wipe the floor dry with a second cloth. Check the cloth for any traces of the old wax, usually a yellowish substance on the cloth. If this shows it indicates the presence of old wax and so acts as a great pointer for the second rub using mineral spirits. So scrub the floor once more with mineral spirits until you cannot find any traces of the old wax.
Use Steel Wool For Stubborn Wax
Usually you may find some stubborn wax stains even after a thorough cleaning process with the mineral spirits. If this happens simply use fine steel wool to scrub it off and then until the residue is removed, or visit Wood Flooring Los Angeles to see how. Then wipe with a clean dry cloth. This should also be done in smaller sections until your floor is cleared of any old wax. Remember for your hardwood floor to be ideal the wax build up must be cleared off. So consider changing the clothes frequently since they will be your best pointers to cleared surfaces.
With the wax off the surface you will wait for the floor to dry up before applying any finish products or sanding your floor.
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