Floor Buffer Machine

Here’s a carpet cleaner and hard floor/cleaner/buffer in one. Commercial grade technology for home use that gets the work done fast! It is designed like a janitorial machine where by just changing the brushes and pads you can adapt it to any floor surface without paying a penny to a professional.

The design of twin brush rotary system is based on commercial cleaning machines. This machine shampoos carpets, removes spots and cleans high traffic areas. It also deep cleans and buffs hard floor surfaces such as hardwood, ceramic tile, vinyl and linoleum. It’s indeed great for deep cleaning grout.

It has a 3-speed design and a powerful 4.2 amp motor. The large 144 oz. tank allows you to clean large areas without the need of frequent refills. This model weighs 18 lbs and cost around $150-$165.

Kenmore Professional Floor Cleaner Features:

· Commercial technology for domestic use
· 18 ft. line cord
· Chromed steel handle
· 1 pair each: shampoo brushes, scrubbing brushes, tan polishing pads, lambs wool buffing pads
· Collection Tank: Easy to empty
· Cord: Easy release cord
· Vac Storage: Compact storage

Recommended for: Tiles, Carpeting, Bare floor cleaning, Vinyl, Linoleum, Hardwoods.

Commercial Technology:

The idea to bring a commercial type machine down to a level for the average home owner is a noble concept. The machine does have the power, the 3 speeds work great. Brushes and pad goes on easy.

Chromed steel handle:

This one is lightweight, easy to push and has no drag. Simply spray area with household cleaners and let the powerful dual nylon brushes do the rest without giving you any trouble.

Brushes and pads:

It is designed like a janitorial machine where by just changing the brushes and pads, you can adapt it to any floor surface. The brushes includes shampoo brushes, one pair of scrubbing brushes, tan polishing pads, and lamb’s wool buffing pads with it. Does the job well.

Kenmore Professional Floor Cleaner Recommendations:

Pros:

“I have used this to scrub and polish my kitchen vinyl floor and my hardwood floors throughout my house. Wow!!! What a wonderful job it did. It brought all my floors back to life. I have had many compliments from neighbors and friends on how great they look and some think I got new floors! The machine was so easy to use! I would definitely recommend this machine!”

Cons:
I have a kitchen in my home about 12×18 with commercial tiles the one you normally see in a supermarket. Just to give an idea of what I was using this machine for. The idea to bring a commercial type machine down to a level for the average home owner is a noble concept. The machine does have the power, the 3 speeds work great. Brushes and pad goes on easy. Unfortunately that’s where it ends. The manual was a joke and the fit and finish is terrible.
It could use a bit more weight.
The handle is wobbly.
The solution container does not hold tightly to the handle it keeps popping off.
The motor and brush housing is plastic made to look like chrome metal.
The cap on the solution compartment where the solution dispense out, pops off on numerous occasion because there isn’t enough thread for the cap to screw on tightly or the cap is not deep enough. Here is one I can’t figure out, the solution compartment has numbers on the side to let you know how much liquid is in the compartment, unless you have X-ray vision, you can’t tell.

The Gloss Boss Floor Buffer gets all of your floors deep-down clean – it even removes stubborn stains and spots from carpets! Now you can professionally clean and polish all types of floors with incredible ease. These machines can be used to clean, polish, and strip hardwood floors. Simply spray area with household cleaners and let the powerful dual nylon brushes do the rest. Features heavy-duty wheels for transport and a foot-activated power release pedal. Works on carpets to remove stains! Includes two washable micro fiber pads.

The 1/3-horsepower machine can be used with any home cleaning solution or stain remover and is as easy to operate as a vacuum cleaner; the brushes engage with a tap of the foot pedal, its lightweight, slim design and wheels allow you to quickly navigate around furniture and along walls, and the 18′-long cord provides enough slack to clean large areas.

- Lightweight, yet rugged and easy to control with less fatigue
- Scrubbing brushes,
- 2 micro fiber pads,
- Carpet bonnets and four Buffing pads.
- High performance and durability
- Cord measures approx. 18′L
- Also features powerful 120V motor

Weight:

Easy to push Gloss Boss weighs a mere 7 lbs. ETL certified and heavy-duty wheels for easily maneuvering around furniture. The rugged ABS housing and 18-gauge steel handle ensure years of reliable use.

Twin Rotating Nylon Brushes:

Its twin counter-rotating nylon brushes spin at 470 rpm for superior, high-torque agitation and thorough cleaning. Plus, its 2-sided micro fiber pads with cleaning strips provide one of the most advanced materials for hard-surface cleaning, attracting dust and dirt like a magnet with its superfine fibers.

Pricing:

With average price of about $100, the Gloss Boss floor buffer is the most cost effective low moisture carpet cleaning machine on the market today. The unit is equipped with twin nylon scrub brushes that agitate and deep clean spots and stains from carpet. To remove soil from wide areas of carpet, attach the two carpet bonnets (also included with Gloss Boss) and use the Encapsulation Carpet & Rug Cleaner

Foot Activated Power Release Pedal:

The motor of the Gloss Boss gets started by just tapping the foot pedal, and lowering the handle.

Accessories for the Gloss Boss:

The unit is equipped with two nylon scrub brushes and includes a full assortment of cleaning attachments and cleaning solutions including twin micro fiber pads for hard floors, two wide-area carpet cleaning bonnets and four felt pads for wood floors, accommodates different surfaces, or you can leave the brushes uncovered to scrub concrete in a garage or basement.

Pullman Holt Gloss Boss Buffer Recommendations:

Keeping in mind the price and size, it saves space, the only one machine of its kind and does a splendid job on floors. The pads are washable and reusable, which reviewers really liked.

One reviewer wrote: “What surprised my family was the weight of buffer which can be operated by the small adults and also requires small space to store”. And another reviewer noted: “It produces a long lasting, brilliant shine”.

As far as I’m concerned, I would have this machine in the garage and use it when it suits me and how it suits me. No reason to pay someone a large sum of money for something you can do yourself. This floor buffer pays off itself after a year.

Almost any floor buffer would have arrangements for washing, shampooing, cleaning and drying of floor. All these are necessarily needed to get clean and shining floors. In a matter of minutes these machines do the same job as one would manually do in couple of hours. The pressing of buttons does scrubbing and polishing of floors. Floor buffers are also employed to get rid of stubborn marks and scratches from the floor.

The two main parts of a floor scrubber comprise of a tank that is filled with neutral cleaner and the pads needed for scrubbing, cleaning and mopping of floor. The first step uses the scrubbing pads for cleaning and polishing that enables floor to get that much desired shine. The next action these pads perform is finishing of floor that offers it the protection and also helps it resist staining. And, finally it does the touching-up of scuffmarks and scratches to complete its activity of buffing the floor. Tile floors are best maintained by use of a heavy duty cleaner.

There are many manufacturers of floor buffers, each with a couple of models. That makes a huge variety available with many features and accessories. As can be anticipated, you get a large variation on prices too. For selecting an appropriate machine, you should consider these:

- The type of floor you’ll be cleaning with the intended machine.
- How frequently are you going to use the buffer?
- Are you really going to need all the features and accessories provided by the manufacturers? Mind you, some of these come at extra cost. You have to see the viability of the whole project.

Keeping the above points in mind you may go ahead with your online research or visit a couple of retailers before finalizing the most viable machine for you.

The other day we received a call from an agitated customer who wanted to know why his new floor burnisher made his polished floor look hazy, and acquired a milky look. Like anybody else who isn’t aware of the subject, he thought it had something to do with the floor machine itself or perhaps the pad attached underneath was causing it.

When we informed him that invariably the cause of such haziness was the left over stripping solution on the floor, he found it difficult to believe and insisted it had never happened earlier. Well, he had been lucky all that while. You can rent floor buffer or even have a used floor buffer on your hands, and you will be OK. But the strong solution is a dangerous thing.

After removing the old wax from a floor, a fairly strong alkaline solution is applied to it that partially dissolves the old finish. The stripping solution is allowed to remain on the floor for ten to fifteen minutes before being agitated by a floor buffer with a coarse stripping pad. That causes any other wax finish to loosen up for its convenient removal.

As you can see this process is quite alike removing varnish from a piece of old furniture, which follows the sequence of applying a stripper, waiting for sometime and then mechanically removing the old softened coating.

Most of the stripping solution and old wax slurry may be removed with the aid of a wet-dry vacuum. Once that has been achieved, a neutralizing solution has to be applied. Make sure that the floor is absolutely clear of old stripping solution. Even a little of its left over on getting dry can form a chemical reaction with fresh wax and cause hazing on the floor. The neutralizer, as the name suggests, neutralizes the high pH of the stripping solution and thus prevents the hazing.

Though the application of a neutralizer is essentially needed after stripping of floors, a cleaning with cold water for better results should definitely precede it. Keep using your dry/wet vacuum in between washings to take away the neutralizer and clean water washes. With a fresh coating of wax on such a washed cleaned and dried floor that has been thus neutralized will not make it look hazy.

Despite your taking all the measures like cleaning, weeping and waxing to keep them shining, hardwood floors are sure to lose their shine over r a period of time. Nevertheless, the appearance of a few nicks and cuts here or there on the floor doesn’t call for a replacement o the whole floor. That will be a very expensive and time-consuming option.

You have an alternative that is inexpensive and not so massy, and that’s buffing your floor. That’s one of the modern techniques for refinishing that revives the looks of any old hardwood floor. Proper execution surely delivers a shiny new look to your old floor. And, what it delivers’ll surprise you!

Buffing is not the best solution under certain circumstances. If the floor is badly damaged the buffer can’t be expected to bring true original shine and looks. But, buffing takes good care of petty flaws like small gaps, minor scratches, and gouges and slight wearing off of boards.

Buffing hardwood floors is a potentially good way of getting partially refinished floors. Moreover, every time you get an almost new finish. Buffing is helpful in removing the old existing finish quickly, thus enabling the floor to accept the new finish effectively.

-Tools

For buffing of your hardwood floor you need a machine known as a buffer. You really don’t have to buy this equipment because you are not going to use it all that often, may be once a year would suffice. Financially, it’s not a very viable proposition to invest in a machine so infrequently to be used. It’s good to rent it for a couple of days from a rental company.

The buffers have a screen. For hardwood floors a screen of around 100 grits is recommendable. While using the buffer care should be taken to sweep the whole area evenly.

- Proper Steps

1. After sanding the floor must be vacuumed. Ensure that the floor is free of all dust particles before buffing it.

2. Go for a trial run of the buffer in the middle of the floor before going with full steam. Be aware that a buffer takes a little time to get used to, more so when you are buffing your hardwood floor for the first time.

3. For best results, use a screen of 100 – 120 grit.

4. Hardwood flooring with a wax finish, should be stripped of wax coating before buffing it.

5. Remove wax, buff it and then apply wax for a great looking floor.

The Hoover H3060 comes with some exclusive features that other machines may be lacking. A feature that comes to mind is the provision of interchangeable spin brush that helps you reach not so convenient areas and does a quick job of that. Then, it has a cuddy wherein you may keep the required cleaning agent and tools needed for the operation of the machine. There is no need to assemble the machine, just add water and solution for getting started. Inclusion of all these features adds to its cost and that explains its higher price. You may have to spend $169 to $180, largely depending on from where you buy this machine.

Though it is better priced than other machines, it is worth the price for convenience of operation it offers. Take for instance the changing of brush and grout. It’s so convenient that even a child can do it. Another convenient feature is the design and capacity of its cuddy. It can hold extra tools and additional cleaner, so that there is no interruption of work even if you were in the middle of cleaning action and the cleaner in use is finished. The other additions include a telescopic wand, swivel nozzles, a special brush for upholstery and two cleaners, one for the grout and the other for hardwood or sealed floors.

A very convenient feature enables you to switch off the brush roller with your foot, without having to bend. The telescopic wand has an eight feet long attachment that makes it easy to conveniently approach any crack or crevice for proper cleaning. A machine already loaded with cleaners and water just needs to be switched on to go ahead with an easy cleaning operation. Further, the handle of the machine can conveniently be folded after cleaning, and that facilitates convenient storage.

This equipment can safely be used for cleaning of different kinds of floors and that covers: ceramic, marble, wooden or vinyl. Apart from all these features, if you opt to go for certain accessories and attachments, even cleaning of grout on the tiles of shower can easily be accomplished.

Now, like any other machine, it has some limitations also. The limited length of eight feet for the cord may fall short at times and you’ll need to shift the machine for cleaning bigger areas. Another constraint is the capacity of the tank designed to hold only a quarter gallon of water. That may prove sufficient for very small kitchens, but you should be prepared to refill at least once during its operation. And, everybody shirks carrying this job of replacing dirty water from a tank.

Despite these minor limitations and a slightly higher price that the competitors, wet/dry vacuum and floor buffer from Hoover is worth the price. The extra attachments that come with it make cleaning very convenient and time saving experience.

Anyone who ever tried cleaning a hardwood or tile floor would know how tough that job is. You need to put in a lot of physical strain to get a shining floor. Depending on its size, you may be required to spend one full day for a successful execution of this activity, which just can’t be avoided for long.

That’s what prompted the development and manufacturing of floor buffers. Now, you can have a machine for cleaning any kind of floor. Not only cleaning, you can employ these machines for waxing and polishing of floors to keep them shining. There are different kinds of machines, with different applications and varying output and capacity. The smaller ones find application for domestic use, whereas the larger variety is needed for maintaining larger floors. Your choice of an appropriate machine is decided by the area to be cleaned and the kind of floor you have.

The utility of floor buffers lies in surface scrubbing, stripping and buffing of floors. A factor that determines the capacity of the machine is its speed of operation, and you get them working on low speed, high speed or dual speed. Further, such a machine may operate on batteries or may use propane as fuel that makes it more powerful. Like any other equipment, here too the price would depend on the capacity of the machine and the features it has to offer. You may get one for just about $500 or one of the expensive models that costs $4,000 or even more.

The features and the specifications of a machine determine its price. An important feature of any machine is its diameter because that defines the length of stroke a machine can have. In simpler words it conveys the area that the machine is capable of cleaning in one round. The diameter varies from 12” to 27”, depending on the model. For a small or an average sized home the smaller machine generally solves the purpose and is empowered to clean kitchens and bathrooms. Large commercial buildings need bigger machines and are generally patronized by companies that undertake contracts for cleaning of such buildings or big commercial establishments.

There are a whole lot of features and specifications that one has to choose from. However, some of the important ones would naturally include the power of the machine that to a good extent is indicated by the horsepower of the motor installed, the capacity of its cleaning tank and the pressure applies to the pads for cleaning and other actions.
The buyer has to interpret his requirements as per these factors. For domestic applications a basic model would generally suffice. However, for larger area you need a bigger machine that can cover more floor area in a given time and may have the capacity to deal with stubborn stains.

Here are some of the manufacturing companies: Eagle, Hawk, Kent Euroclean, Oreck, Onyx NuSource, and Sanitaire. All of them have a few models to offer, making it a large selection to choose from. You can get more information about any of these machines as all can be viewed online. You will also find it worthwhile to read the reviews of these machines and compare the features and performance. That should prove helpful in zeroing your selection of a suitable machine that answers your requirements.