How to Polish Wood Floors

Preparation

• 1

  Move all furnishings from the room or off to one side. Remove area rugs.

• 2

  Use a broom to clean surface dirt and debris from the wood floor.

• 3

  Wash the floor with a wood floor cleaner and a mop to remove stuck-on dirt and debris. Dry the floor immediately with a rag or dry mop.

One-Step Polishing

• 4

  Tip the liquid wax bottle and pour a 4- to 6-inch pool of wax directly on the wood floor. Place a lamb's wool applicator in the center of the pool and allow the applicator to absorb the wax. Add more wax to the floor if the applicator soaks up all of the wax.

• 5

  Position the wax applicator on the wood floor, beginning in a corner. Pull the applicator back to spread an even coat of wax on the floor. Work in arm's-length sections to achieve an even application. Spread liquid wax in one direction on the wood floor.

• 6

  Place the wax applicator up to the baseboard, overlapping the first line of wax by 1 inch, and pull the applicator back. Continue to soak the applicator with wax and overlap wax lines. Spread the wax until it covers the entire section.

• 7

  Step back, pour more wax on the floor and spread the wax using the same method as you did with the first section. Let the wax dry according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drying typically takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

• 8

  Move the furniture to the waxed side of the room and repeat the wax application process.

Two-Step Polishing

• 9

  Dip a clean, soft rag into paste wax. Apply a layer of paste wax to the wood floor while following the grain of the wood. Work in 4-by-4-foot sections, beginning in the corner of the room, to avoid walking over wax before buffing. Let the wax dry for 30 to 40 minutes or until the wax looks white and hazy on the wood floor.

• 10

  Equip an electric floor buffer with a polishing bonnet. Turn on the electric buffer and move it over the dry wax until the wax-haze turns to a shine.

• 11

  Pick up more wax on the rag. Spread the paste wax over the next section of the wood floor, overlapping the first section by 1-to-2 inches. Let the paste wax dry and buff the floor with the electric buffer. Continue to apply wax section-by-section, let it dry, and buff the wood floor with the buffer until wax covers the entire floor.