Make Your Floors Last Longer With The Faber Finishing Wax
Floor finishes have two main roles: protecting the underlying installation, and enhancing the appearance of the structure. In both commercial and domestic settings, the floors come under loads of attack on a daily basis, friction effects from foot traffic that cause wear, spills, nicks and scratches – they all have a bearing on the structural integrity of the installation. With aesthetics, the state of the floor impacts everything else in the premises, and you want to have an elegant installation that sets an inviting décor. The Faber Finishing Wax under review brings on board different attributes that enable you to achieve your goals in maintaining your floors. These include:
- Enhanced aesthetics
The Faber Finishing Wax brings out the beauty of the installation, from accentuating the pigmentation of parquet and wood floors, to making the colours and patterns on those natural stones more prominent. In particular, it makes the surface shiny with its self-polishing effect, giving the premises a brighter and more open feel, while also providing a satin effect. This is also a non-yellowing formulation which is a key factor to consider when looking for treatments for your floor.
As the years go by and you want to spruce up that surface shine you obtained from the Finishing Wax treatment, you can achieve this by washing and waxing the surface with the Faber Maintenance Wax. This enables you to restore that lustrous effect without going fully through a whole stripping and rewaxing cycle. Alternatively, you can still use the Faber Finishing Wax, where it is diluted with clean water in a 1:5 ratio.
The Faber Finishing Wax is used for indoor applications, and is suitable for granite, marble, travertine, limestone and similar natural stone installations, marble agglomerates, porcelain, ceramic tiles, and clinker, all through to cotto, terracotta, wood floors and parquet structures.
This water-based formulation sets a protective barrier on the floor surface, enabling it to resist the effects of scratches and general wear and tear, even on those high traffic sections of the premises. The oil and water-resistant properties of the Faber Finishing Wax ward off the stains, buying you time to clean off spills that occur on it, and prevent greasy residue from clinging to the surface. The action of sealing textured surfaces prevents dirt and grime bonding with the floor, allowing it to be quickly washed off. These factors combine to make the routine cleaning tasks easier.
Speaking of daily cleaning, this can be achieved with products from Faber as well. Here, the choice will be dependent on the particular material being dealt with. Floors treated with the Faber Finishing Wax can be cleaned with formulations such as the Faber Neutral Cleaner and Floor Cleaner, each with its application instructions.
Working With The Faber Finishing Wax
The application stages include:
- Preparing the surface
Here, a thorough cleaning is required, since dirt and dust on the floor will negatively affect the bonding with the Faber Finishing Wax. After the cleaning, allow the surface to dry, as the formulation should never be applied onto wet or damp surfaces. Remember to protect adjacent areas that are not being treated with the product.
To enhance the bonding process, you can apply a water repellent product to the surface. This acts on the material and makes the Faber Finishing Wax catalyse more efficiently on the installation.
Some issues to note before proceeding:
- The wax should not be applied to overly heated surfaces.
- If you’re dealing with recently laid tiles or applied grout, let the adhesives or grout used cure completely before proceeding.
- Carry out a preliminary test on a hidden section of the floor if you’re uncertain about the compatibility of the product with the particular material in question.
- Treating the floor
Once the floor is ready, apply a coat of the Faber Finishing Wax onto the surface. Spread it abundantly on the floor, ensuring that you have made a uniform coat. You can use a roller or lambswool applicator for the application. It is recommended that you follow one direction when spreading the product on the surface, taking care not to have sections with too much material. If there will be a build-up in particular areas, this can be redistributed as long as you’re still working on the area. Should you notice the build-up after you have already moved on to a different section and the affected spot has begun drying, then wait for 3-4 hours for the entire area to dry before making rectifications with a traditional mechanical polisher.
When dealing with highly absorbency floors or textured surfaces, an additional coat may be required. Here, first allow the initial coat to dry within 2-3 hours, then proceed to apply the second coat, and this time follow a perpendicular direction to the initial layer, forming a criss-crossing pattern.
The self-polishing Faber Finishing Wax will deliver the shine without additional measures being carried out. However, if you’re after an even more extremely polished effect, then you can bring in a mechanical floor polisher with its white or lambswool pad and work on the surface. However, this polishing should only be carried out after 3-4 hours have elapsed to allow the coat that has been applied to completely cure. Proceed to polish the floor until you obtain the desired shine.
- Drying process
With the Faber Finishing Wax being a fast-drying formulation, you will be able to resume using the floor quickly. The treatment itself will have dried within 1 – 2 hours after application, and normal traffic can be permitted back onto the area after 4-6 hours.
Floor maintenance with the Faber Finishing Wax aids in reducing the expenses that go into the building maintenance process. For starters, the product itself has been affordably priced, and it also comes with a wide 10-20m²/L application rate. The coverage will depend on the level of absorbency of the material being worked on, and the thickness of the layers that you apply. In addition, the oil- and water-repellent properties help reduce the resources that are used up during the cleaning process. The hardwearing nature of the treatment increases the durability of the surface and its resistance to everyday wear means there will be less money being channelled into making repairs. This all comes together to cut down the long-term cost that goes into the surface care process, giving you more bang for your buck.