Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Granite Polishing

Waxed floor before stripping
Here's another interesting project we had. Granite is a nice product as it is one of the hardest natural stones available so a floor can last a long time with the proper care. This particular client had been waxing his floor for the last 15 years and placing matting in the winter. Stripping the floor proved interesting.

As the finish on a polished granite floor is hard and shiny floor finish will adhere to it but once stripper is introduced most of whats on the floor comes off with much ease. In fact for the amount of finish that was on the floor this was probably one of the easiest stripping jobs I have ever done.

Stripped floor
1) we applied Time Out Plus floor stripper diluted at 1:10 and allowed it to sit for 10 minutes before stripping with a 3M high pro pad.

2) Rinse the floor well and allow to dry.

Applying Granite Polish Cream
3) Using the weight floor buffer with full weight ( about 225lbs) and Ecolab Granite Polishing Cream slowly buff a section 10'X10' adding water to the cream to create a consistent slurry.


4) Wet vac slurry when finished.

5) Flood floor with clean water to remove all residue and wet vac it up.

6) Give a final rinse and allow to dry.

Finished Product
7) Buff floor with white pad to remove any remaining residue and admire.

NOTE - If the floor does not have finish on it presently and you want to clean it up a little then you can alternatively use a tile and grout cleaner on the initial step. Also keep in mind that as granite is a natural stone the finished product will differ from location to location as well as under different lighting.



Finished Product Under Different Lighting Conditions







Though this is the process we used and the final product was what we had hoped for I was recently sent this video from Ecolab which shows the process done slightly differently and appears to be just as effective. Enjoy.