Whats the differences between "buffing" and "burnishing" a VCT floor?

Question

(vinyl composite tile - as in those found in shopping malls ,hospitals and schools.)..other than the pad used - what does each job actually accomplish?

Answer 1

HOW TO POLISH/BURNISH FLOORS

The purpose of burnishing a floor is to give it a glossy shine.  A well burnished floor can make an room look cleaner and bigger.  Burnishers can range from speeds of 800 rpm's to 3000 rpm's.  Burnishing floor pads use soft fibers to smooth the floor finishes surface to a high gloss shine.

    *

      Scrub floor to remove dirt and debris.

    *

      Burnish the floor using a burnishing floor pad.

    *

      Dust the floor to remove micro-particles of floor finish and dust.

Procedure:

    *

      Make sure that your floor has been prepared for scrubbing.  After the floor has been prepared vacuum or dust mop the floor to remove any dust.  We recommend that you spray your dust mop with dust mop treatment to remove as much dust as possible.  Make sure to remove anything stuck to the floor because this will gum up or rip the floor pad.

    *

      Make sure that the floor you are burnishing does not and will not have traffic moving through it.  Use warning signs to make sure the area where you are scrubbing is marked out so that everyone is aware of it.

    *

      Before you burnish any area make sure that you have removed and dirt and debris from the floors surface.  An easy way to achieve this is to use a floor machine and scrub the floor using a scrubbing floor pad.  Dust mop the floor using a dust mop treated with dust mop treatment.

    *

      When burnishing a floor use a burnisher that rotates the floor pad at least 800 rpm.  Types of pads you should use are white, UHS or an ultra burnishing pad.  Burnish the sides of the room first then swing the burnisher side to side towards the center of the room.  Overlap your previous path by about 6 inches with the burnisher.

    *

      After the room has been burnished use a dust mop to remove fine particles of floor finish and dust.

    *

      Burnishers come in all sizes and styles and start in the $1400 range for a base model. ( National Super Service makes a wide range of burnishers at low prices.)

VS

HOW TO BUFF/POLISH FLOORS

Purpose

To improve the attractiveness of the floor's surface by increasing the gloss.

Supplies and Equipment

Supplies and equipment used for dust mopping and damp mopping

"Floor Hazard" signs

Floor machine

Use any of these floor machine pads: ETC s Gorilla®, Gorilla Lite®, Jaguar®, AquaPlus® or Superspeed Rubberized® Pad, ETC's Tan Buffing Pad, ETC's White Polishing Pad

Procedure

1. Prepare the area for buffing:

a. place "Floor Hazard" signs in easy-to-see locations near the entrances into the area being buffed.

b. move supplies and equipment into area.

c. dust mop area to be buffed.

d. damp mop area if necessary.

2. Using the floor machine with a buffing pad, buff the floor area by:

a. starting along the baseboards at the farthest corner from the entrance into the room.

b. moving backward toward the entrance about 10' at a time, buff the room using a side to side motion overlapping the strokes.

Note: When buffing a hallway, buff 12' along base board at a time on each side of the hallway, then buff the area between those baseboards.

Use a side to side motion in the buffing operation.

3. After buffing the entire floor area, use a clean, treated dust mop to pick up dust left from the buffing operation.

Answer 2

Both terms mean to polish the floor, giving it a glossy shine.  The words are interchangeable on many floor care instructions.