How to Buff Stained Concrete

Stained concrete often becomes dull as the wax coating is scratched over time. Fortunately, stained concrete can be dry buffed to remove dirt and return the shine to the original wax. Buffing removes the thin, scuffed surface of wax and shines the remaining layer of wax underneath. Stained concrete with heavy traffic, such as regularly used entrance ways, should be re-waxed and buffed every 12 to 18 months. For stained concrete with light traffic, apply a fresh coat of wax followed by buffing every 18 months to two years.

Things You'll Need

• Broom
• Painter's tape
• Soft cloth
• Floor wax
• Buffing machine
• Black cleaning pad (for re-waxing)
• Red buffer pad (for buffing)

Instructions

Preparation

1. Remove all the furniture from the stained concrete floor.

2. Sweep the entire floor, taking care to remove all soil around the baseboard area.

3. Place the painter's tape around the trim along the edge of the floor. If there are baseboard heaters or other appliances that cannot be removed from the room, tape the edges of those as well.

Clean and Wax

1. Start from the farthest corner of the room and work in six foot by six foot sections to clean the floor with the black cleaning pad attached to the buffing machine.

2. Inspect the pad frequently to see if there are balls of soil on it. If there are, remove them.

3. Sweep the entire floor again, taking care to remove all dust from close to the baseboards. Any remaining soil will become mixed in with the new coat of wax.

4. Shake the container of wax in order to mix it thoroughly.

5. Use a soft cloth to spread a thin coat of wax over an area five feet by five feet.

6. Use the black pad on the buffing machine to distribute the wax over twice the area in an even film. If there are balls of wax on the pad, there is too much wax on the floor. Remove the balls and continue to spread the wax to thin it on the floor.

7. Use a fresh black pad on the buffing machine to go over the entire floor again, without additional wax.

Buff

1. Place the red pad on the buffing machine.

2. Start from the farthest corner of the room and work slowly in six foot by six foot sections to buff the floor.

3. Check the pad frequently for balls of wax or soil and remove them to prevent them from scratching the floor.

4. Remove the painter's tape from the trim and appliances. Sweep the floor to remove dust created by buffing.

Tips & Warnings

• Move the buffing machine to the right by lifting up on the handle very slightly. Move the buffing machine to the left by pushing down on the handle very slightly.

• Practice with the buffing machine away from walls to prevent damage to baseboards and walls. The rotating motion pulls the buffing machine, and strength and practice are required to control it.

References

• Godwin Architectural Concrete: Re-Waxing Your Stained Concrete Floor
• Concrete Network: Buffing Machine Floor Maintenance Video