You walk into a building for the first time and the first thing you notice is how shiny and clean the floor looks, but I bet you never thought about how they keep that floor looking so immaculate, have you?

One word – Wax!

By waxing the floor you are using a wax to polish and preserve the finish on the floors, giving them that shiny almost wet look. The wax when applied to the floor will create a seal, keeping dirt and debris out while protecting the floor itself from scuffs, scratches, and stains.

When you wax a floor though you have to be careful in how you clean and care for it, while the wax is meant to take the brunt of the abuse instead of the floor covering itself the wax can be broken down over time if not properly cared for.

One main thing to remember when you are caring for a waxed floor you want to use cold water and not hot and also a very mild soap or no soap at all. Each time you mop the floor with a soap solution you actually break down the wax little by little. This is why most businesses will have the floors resealed or re waxed every few years.

When you are preparing to wax a floor, the first step is to strip and clean the floor you are going to be working on. You want to make sure all the dirt and debris are cleared from the floor, because once you put the wax down anything that is on the floor will be sealed into the wax and that can pose a problem and cause the floor to look dirty.

After you have your area stripped, cleaned and prepped you can apply the wax. You can either apply the paste wax or the liquid, the liquid in my opinion is easier to apply simply because you mop it on your floor just like you would mop the floor to clean it.

There are a few main items you will need when you are preparing to wax your floor.

• Shellac (either amber or clear)
• Denatured alcohol
• Natural or dark brown paste wax or natural or dark brown liquid wax (the liquid wax is probably easiest for large areas since you apply it just like you were mopping the floor)
• Lambswool applicator or a 6-inch China bristle brush
• Rags (this tends to be a bit messy)
• Buffer
• ¼ or ¾ inch white pad
• Steel wool (1/0 to 4/0 depending on the sheen you desire)
• Small steel wool pads for edges
• Maroon pad

This list will vary depending on your personal preferences and the type of floor you are waxing along with the specific method of waxing you are using but it is a good starting