# How to Strip and Wax a Floor: A Commercial Guide to Machines, Pads and Finish > How to strip and wax a commercial hard floor: prep, apply stripper, scrub with a black pad, recover the slurry, neutralize and rinse, then apply thin coats of finish and let it cure. Includes the machines and pads for each step. - **URL:** https://janitori.com/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-strip-and-wax-a-floor **In this guide** - [Which floors can you strip and wax?](#floors) - [What do you need before you start?](#supplies) - [How to strip and wax, step by step](#steps) - [Which machine and pad?](#machine) - [How long does it take?](#timing) - [Keeping the finish looking good](#maintain) - [Mistakes that ruin a strip and wax](#mistakes) - [FAQ](#faq) To strip and wax a commercial floor, clear and dust-mop the area, apply stripper at the label dilution and let it dwell without drying, scrub it with a floor machine and black pad, and recover the slurry. Then neutralize and rinse, let the floor dry, and apply several thin coats of finish. This guide is for custodial and facility teams working on resilient hard floors such as vinyl composition tile. It covers the order of work, the machines and pads for each step, the timing, and the maintenance that keeps you from stripping again sooner than you need to. **Key takeaways** - Stripping is a wet process with a deadline: work in small sections, keep the stripper wet until you pick it up, and never let it dry on the floor, because dried stripper is hard to remove and can damage tile. - The floor machine does the agitating with a black stripping pad, and a wet/dry vacuum recovers the slurry. One maker's procedure reserves the auto scrubber for the neutralize-and-rinse steps only, so check your stripper and machine guidance. - Apply finish in thin, even coats with a clean flat mop, let each coat dry before the next, and keep foot traffic off for at least 8 hours so the finish can set. - Do not buff or burnish new finish for 24 to 48 hours. Regular maintenance and a top scrub and recoat extend the life of the finish, so a full strip is needed less often. ## Which Floors Can You Strip and Wax? Stripping and waxing is done on resilient floors, mainly vinyl composition tile (VCT), linoleum and terrazzo. It is not recommended for wood, laminate or ceramic tile, and stripper labels exclude some surfaces, so always read the label before you buy. Some strippers list surfaces they must not touch, such as asphalt tile, linoleum, rubber, or painted floors. Test the stripper on a hidden spot at the label dilution and look for bleeding or softening before you commit to the room. ## What Do You Need Before You Start? You need a stripper, a neutralizer or rinse water, floor finish, a floor machine with black stripping pads, a wet/dry vacuum, mops and buckets, and wet-floor signs. JANITORI does not make strippers or finish, so follow your stripper and finish labels for the chemistry. | Item | What it is for | Stripper and finish (from your finish supplier) | Dissolve the old finish, then build the new one. Follow each label for dilution, dwell and coats. | Floor machine with a black stripping pad | Agitates the stripper so the old finish lifts as slurry. | Hand pad or scraper | Reaches edges and corners where a round pad cannot. | Wet/dry vacuum | Recovers the slurry and the neutralizer solution before they dry. | Mops, buckets and a flat finish mop | Apply stripper, rinse, and lay finish. A clean liner in the finish bucket keeps stray soil out of the finish. | Wet-floor signs, gloves, eye protection, non-slip footwear | Protect the crew and the public while the floor is wet. Strippers are typically hazardous chemicals, so keep the safety data sheet at hand. OSHA's [Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200)](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1200) requires employers to keep a safety data sheet for each hazardous chemical accessible to the employees who use it. Ventilate the area as the label directs. ## How Do You Strip and Wax a Floor Step by Step? Prep the room, strip in small sections, recover the slurry, neutralize and rinse, let the floor dry, and only then apply finish in thin coats. Skipping the rinse or applying finish to a damp floor are the two steps that most often cause a redo. - **Prep the area.** Remove furniture and mats, sweep the perimeter, dust-mop the floor, and put out wet-floor signs. Under OSHA's walking-working surfaces rule, workroom floors must be kept clean and, as far as feasible, dry ([29 CFR 1910.22(a)(2)](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.22)), so plan the traffic route around the wet area. - **Mix the stripper.** Dilute it to the label ratio using cool water. Too weak and it will not lift the finish, too strong and it can damage the tile, and hot water speeds evaporation so the stripper dries too soon. - **Apply in small sections.** Work in sections you can strip and pick up in about 20 to 25 minutes, roughly 10 ft by 10 ft. One maker's procedure spreads about 250 to 300 sq ft per diluted gallon, so 1,000 sq ft takes roughly 3.3 to 4 gallons. - **Let it dwell.** Leave the stripper on for the time on its label, commonly a few minutes to about 15 depending on how many coats are on the floor. If it starts to dry, add more solution to keep it wet. - **Agitate with the machine.** Fit a black stripping pad and scrub in overlapping passes, about 50 percent overlap, starting near the wall and working away from it. Flip or change the pad when it clogs with slurry, and work the edges with a hand pad. - **Recover the slurry.** Pick it up with a wet/dry vacuum before it dries. Look for shiny patches of old finish that remain, and re-strip those spots now, because they are hard to spot after the new finish goes down. Check the vacuum's recovery tank for foam early on, since heavy foam can interfere with the shutoff float. - **Neutralize and rinse.** Apply the neutralizer or a neutral-cleaner rinse as its label directs, recover it, then rinse with clean water until no residue remains. Some crews rinse two or three times. - **Let the floor dry completely.** Use fans if needed, and do not lay finish on a damp floor. Fans that move air toward the ceiling avoid rippling a newly applied coat. - **Apply the finish.** Use a clean flat microfiber mop, which leaves less lint than a cotton mop, and apply thin, even coats. Let each coat dry, commonly 30 to 45 minutes, before the next, for about three to five coats in total. - **Cure and reopen.** Keep foot traffic off for at least 8 hours after the last coat, and hold off on buffing or burnishing for 24 to 48 hours. Working as a team speeds this up: one person applies stripper, one runs the machine, one recovers slurry, and one neutralizes and rinses. If you are short a person, the neutralize-and-rinse pass can wait until the whole area has been stripped. ## Which Machine and Pad Should You Use to Strip a Floor? Use a low-speed rotary floor machine, commonly 175 to 300 RPM, with a black stripping pad, and a wet/dry vacuum sized to the area for slurry recovery. The units listed below have 19 to 20 inch aprons. Black is the standard pad color for stripping, though color codes can vary by maker, so read the pad label. Replacement pads and drivers are in [floor pads and drivers](/collections/floor-pads-drivers), and the technique for running the machine is in [how to use a floor buffer](/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-use-a-floor-buffer). | Step | Machine | Listed specs | Agitate the stripper | [Mercury Hercules H-20E](/products/mercury-hercules-super-heavy-duty-floor-machine-20-apron-175-rpm-1-5-hp-a-c-triple-planetary-transmission-model-h-20e) | 20 in apron, 175 RPM, 1.5 HP, triple-planetary transmission, 5-year warranty | Agitate, plus spray buffing on the same machine | [Mercury Cleanmaster TS-19](/products/mercury-cleanmaster-dual-speed-floor-machine-19-apron-175-300-rpm-1-5-hp-d-c-rectified-model-ts-19) | 19 in apron, switchable 175 or 300 RPM, 1.5 HP D/C motor | Recover slurry on larger areas | [Mercury Storm WVP-20](/products/mercury-storm-wet-dry-tank-vacuum-20-gal-poly-tank-dual-1-335-hp-motors-225-cfm-78-water-lift-5-piece-tool-kit-model-wvp-20) | 20 gal poly tank, dual 1.335 HP motors, 225 CFM, 78 in water lift | Recover slurry on larger areas | [Dapper Supply 26.5 gal DP-CVC1135](/products/dapper-supply-26-5-gallon-heavy-duty-industrial-wet-dry-vacuum-dual-motor-3-3-hp-222-cfm-dp-cvc1135) | 26.5 gal, dual motor, 3.3 HP, 222 CFM | Recover slurry in smaller rooms | [Dapper Supply 10 gal DP-CVC1119](/products/dapper-supply-10-gallon-4-0-peak-hp-wet-dry-vacuum-3-in-1-function-dp-cvc1119) | 10 gal, 4.0 peak HP, 3-in-1 function Size the vacuum to the job. The slurry you pick up is at least the volume of stripper you applied, so a small tank needs frequent emptying on a large floor. Browse the full range in [floor machines](/collections/floor-machines). For the rinse pass on a large open floor, an auto scrubber cleans and recovers in one pass, and [how to pick the best commercial floor scrubber](/blogs/equipment-guides/best-commercial-floor-scrubber) shows how to size one. ## How Long Does a Strip and Wax Take, and When Can You Walk on It? Plan on a closed, off-hours window, because stripping is only part of the job and each coat of finish needs drying time. Keep foot traffic off for at least 8 hours after the last coat, and treat 24 to 48 hours as the point for buffing. - **Per coat:** commonly 30 to 45 minutes to dry before the next coat. - **Foot traffic:** at least 8 hours after the last coat, so soil is not tracked into soft finish. - **Buffing or burnishing:** wait 24 to 48 hours. Working the finish sooner can distort or remove the new coats. A high-speed machine for that later step is in [floor burnishers](/collections/floor-burnishers). Finish thickness and conditions change drying time, so treat these as working numbers and defer to your finish label. Schedule stripping for a closed period so the floor is not opened before it sets. ## How Do You Keep a Newly Waxed Floor Looking Good? Dust-mop daily and damp-mop with a low-residue, pH-neutral cleaner at the label rate, and rely on regular buffing and a top scrub and recoat to renew the finish. Maintaining the finish is what pushes the next full strip further out. **Run it with JANITORI chemistry** [Floor Cleaner No.61](/products/floor-cleaner-janitori-no-61) The everyday cleaner for the maintenance step, once the new finish has cured. It is pH-neutral, low-residue and low-foam at label dilution, needs no rinse under normal conditions, and is labeled for mop or cleaning-system use on concrete, stone, ceramic, wood, laminate, marble, granite and terracotta. Vinyl composition tile is not on that list, so test a hidden area and confirm with your finish maker before you switch a finished floor to it. Mix at the label rate. Never use a maintenance cleaner as the neutralizer unless the stripper maker's label says so. Keep the daily routine simple: dust mop, damp mop, and spot-clean spills before they are walked into the finish. If you also run an auto scrubber on the finished floor, use fresh solution, and check the recovery tank for foam on the first fill, because foam pulled into a vacuum motor damages it. ## What Mistakes Ruin a Strip and Wax? The common mistakes are letting stripper dry, skipping the neutralize-and-rinse, laying finish on a damp floor, applying coats too thick, and opening the floor before it cures. Each one leaves residue, haze, ripples or tracked-in soil. - **Stripping too large an area.** If the stripper dries before you recover it, it is hard to remove and can damage the tile. Add solution to keep it wet. - **Wrong dilution.** Over-strong stripper can bleach tile, and over-diluted stripper will not lift the old finish, so you strip twice. - **Skipping the rinse.** Leftover stripper residue can interfere with the new finish. - **Thick coats and a dirty applicator.** Thin coats dry evenly. A clean flat mop and a lined bucket keep lint and debris out of the finish. - **Rushing the cure.** Opening the floor early tracks soil into soft finish, and early buffing can distort the coats. ## Frequently Asked Questions ## What is the first step to strip and wax a floor? Clear the room, sweep the edges, dust-mop the floor, and put out wet-floor signs. Then mix stripper at the label dilution in cool water and apply it to a small section that you can strip and pick up within about 20 to 25 minutes. ## How many coats of wax should you apply? Commonly three to five thin coats, with each coat allowed to dry, usually 30 to 45 minutes, before the next. Check your finish label, because the coat count and drying time vary by product. ## Do you need to rinse after stripping a floor? Yes. Recover the slurry, apply the neutralizer as its label directs, then rinse with clean water until no residue remains. Finish laid over leftover stripper residue can interfere with the new finish. ## Can you strip a floor without a machine? Small areas and edges can be worked by hand with a pad or scraper, but it is slow. For commercial floors, a low-speed floor machine with a black stripping pad is the usual tool. ## How long should you stay off a newly waxed floor? Keep foot traffic off for at least 8 hours after the last coat, and wait 24 to 48 hours before buffing or burnishing. Follow your finish label if it gives longer cure times. ## Related Guides - [How to Clean Linoleum Floors: A Commercial Guide to Routine, Cleaners, Pads and Machines](/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-clean-linoleum-floors) - [How to Use a Floor Buffer: A Commercial Guide to Technique, Pads and the Right Machine](/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-use-a-floor-buffer) - [How to Use a Floor Scrubber: Step-by-Step Auto Scrubber Guide](/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-use-a-floor-scrubber) - [Best Commercial Floor Scrubber: How to Pick One for Your Facility](/blogs/equipment-guides/best-commercial-floor-scrubber) - [How to Clean a Commercial Concrete Floor](/blogs/equipment-guides/how-to-clean-a-concrete-floor) [Shop Floor Machines](/collections/floor-machines) [Shop Floor Cleaner No.61](/products/floor-cleaner-janitori-no-61)