What Is a Floor Burnisher?

Burnisher and Buffer

• Floor burnishers and floor buffers perform similar functions, but the two machines operate at different speeds. The pads of a floor buffer turn at about 175 to 350 revolutions per minute (rpm). Floor burnishers can operate at 1,500 to 3,000 rpm. The higher speed of the floor burnisher allows it to polish a greater area in less time than a floor buffer. The greater rpm of the burnisher also gives the floor a shinier gloss than a buffer.

Types

• The three principal types of floor burnishers use different power sources: electricity, batteries and propane. Each type possesses certain advantages and disadvantages. Electric burnishers have the advantage of not having a battery that winds down, but they tie the machine operator to a long cord, and the amount of electricity they require may overload an electrical system. Both battery and propane powered machines can only run for a limited time before their power source exhausts itself.

Commercial

• Floor burnishers typically work best for commercial businesses that have large areas of flooring to polish, such as grocery stores. Because burnishers can polish floors so quickly, they save business owners money in labor costs. Since they can polish their floors at a lower cost, business owners can also polish more frequently, keeping their facilities looking clean and shining at all times. Burnishers can improve lighting as well. Light reflects more sharply off a polished floor.

Precautions

• Not all floor finishes accept polishing with high speed floor burnishers. Machine operators or business owners should confirm the compatibility of their type of floor finish and the speed of the floor burnishers. Cleaning the floors with mops prior to polishing the floors prevents the production of excessive dust when using the machine. Keeping the machine well maintained increases the effectiveness and working life of the burnisher.