Quick shine your floors
Quick shine your floors
An important part of wood floor maintenance is learning how to polish floors yourself to add extra beauty, shine and longevity to your floors. Learning how to polish floors yourself is a relatively quick, cheap and easy way to properly maintain wood floors.
Polishing vs. refinishing
It’s important to understand the difference between polishing a wood floor and refinishing one. Though the end result might seem similar, the process is quite different. When you polish a wood floor, you are keeping the finish that is on the floor intact and restoring the existing finish, filling in microscopic scratches and evening out the appearance of the floor. When you refinish a wood floor, you are completely removing the floor’s existing finish and replacing it. This task should be left to the professionals.
How often should I clean and polish my floor?
Dusting and cleaning your floor will help minimize dirt and debris on your floors that can act like sandpaper and wear your floor, giving a dull appearance. We recommend cleaning at least once a week. Polishing depends entirely on the amount of traffic on your floor, but typically a polish should be done every two to three months.
Prepping your space
Before you’re ready to polish your wood floor, prepare your space for a hassle-free process.
1. Remove all furniture and belongings in the room. Clear the area. Be cautious when moving large objects and furniture. If possible, use furniture pads to help protect the floor from accidental scratches and gouges.
2. Give the floors a good clean. Dust and wet mop your floors. Make sure the floor is completely dry before applying the polish. For more information on this, read our article on cleaning hardwood floors. If necessary, discreetly test the polish on a small portion of the floor, like in a closet.
3. Make sure you have all the right tools. Polishes can be applied with the Bona applicator pad, Bona Microfiber Cleaning Pad or a high-density foam roller. Check the polish instructions to make sure you have all that you need to finish the job.
How long will cleaning and polishing take?
The length of time to clean and polish depends on the size of your wood floors. However, using efficient tools, like the Bona Premium Spray Mop for Wood Floors will save you time and protect your floor. Just spray and mop!
Bona Polish is an incredibly simple DIY project. No special equipment is needed. Simply remove furniture and rugs; sweep, vacuum or dust mop your floor and give it a wet cleaning with Bona Wood Floor Cleaner. Squirt Bona Polish (available in gloss or matt to suit your preference) onto the floor, spread with a Bona Microfiber Applicator Pad and allow it to dry for two hours before walking on it and 12 hours before subjecting it to heavy traffic.
Applying the polish
When you’re ready to polish your wood floor, have a predetermined plan with these tips.
Work in small sections. When applying the polish to your wood floor, work in small sections to keep the applicator pad/roller wet. Be sure to smooth out the polish along with the grain of the wood.
Use a feathering technique. To avoid stripes of uneven polish on your floor, take a cue from interior painting and feather out the polish so that you have smooth transitions as you move from section to section.
Plan your exit. Make sure you don’t polish yourself in a corner. Know in advance how you’re going to break up the floor. If possible, have a helper apply polish along the perimeter of the rooms while you follow close behind.
Finishing the job
Once you’re finished, the floor can be walked on already after two hours but avoid heavy traffic and replacement of furniture and rugs the first 12 hours. Clean floors regular to maintain finished look.
Bona also offers polish for hard surface floors, like stone, tile or laminate.
When you need a full refinish
When your floors have deep scratches and need a complete refinish or you just want to change the color or style, you can opt for a floor renovation with a Bona Certified Craftsman. These contractors combine skill, passion and trust to give you the floors that you've always wanted. They are trained and certified by Bona to provide minimal disruption to your home with high-quality products that deliver beautiful results. Find one near you.