Floor Buffer

Hoover Hardwood Floor Buffer

2010-07-12T05:31:00.000-07:00

The Hoover H3060 has a couple of plus points which were found missing on other models. For instance it has provision for interchangeable spin brush that enables you to reach the difficult areas and get tge job done sooner. And there is a cuddy too that holds the required cleaning agent and the tools. It needs no assembly and all that you have to do is to add water and solution before getting started. But as we all know there is nothing free in this world, you should not mind paying a little extra for these features. Depending upon your source of purchase the price of this floor buffer may vary from $160 to $180.

Despite its being costlier, it offers value for money. For instance the grout and brush can so conveniently be changed that your grandmother would love to do that. Apart from the needed cleaners, the cuddy is designed to hold extra tools and an additional cleaner, lest one should get finished in the middle of its cleaning job. In totality it is equipped with a telescopic wand and swivel nozzles, an upholstery brush and two cleaners, one each for grout and hardwood or sealed floors.

It offers the convenience of shutting off the brush roller with your foot. Telescopic wand with its eight feet long attachment enables you to reach any crack or crevice without an extra effort. All that it needs to clean your floor apart from already added water and cleaners is to switch it on for an effortless cleaning operation. Another advantage that can’t be ignored is the design of the handle that can easily be folded up before storing the machine.

It is very safe for cleaning of all types of floors like marble, ceramic, wooden or vinyl. It is not uncommon to use it with want-attachments for cleaning of even grout between the tiles of shower. That makes the job so much easier!

There are minor limitations too that you could afford to ignore easily. Length of the cord at eight feet is rather short but you could easily shift the machine to reach other areas. Another limitation could be the capacity of the tank to hold just a quarter gallon of water. Unless you have a very small kitchen, you would be asked to replace it at least once during the operation. But, replacing dirty water of any tank has never been a pleasant experience!

Despite minute limitations this wet/dry vacuum and floor buffer is worth its price, though on a slightly higher side. Provision of extra attachments that are so easy to use, saves a whole lot of time. You’ll not regret your decision of having got one.

What Speeds To Use When Buffing?

2010-06-20T05:59:00.000-07:00

Users typically inquire what should be the speed of the buffer while polishing their floors.

Once you get used to handling your floor buffing machine and have become familiar with its controls and achieved satisfactory results, you are likely to question what should be speed of the machine for different applications. Speed plays a crucial role in giving the expected results.

Low speed buffers have color coded cleaning pads to facilitate identification. The color indicates how fast the buffer should go with a particular cleaning pad. The thumb rule is the darker the pad, the slower should be the speed of the buffer.

For example, pads in black color are abrasive pads meant for getting rid of stubborn dirt and for stripping the floors. Suppose you apply stripping agent to the floor, plug in the buffer and switch on the supply and adjust the speed to maximum. As you glide it on the floor in a professional manner, you’ll splash small amounts of stripper all around. In case the floor buffer is really able to break into the dirt, most likely you would have scratched and damaged the floor. However, the buffer is expected to just glide over the surface and remove negligible amount of polish. The design and functioning of the cleaning pad calls for a slower speed to do an effective work. You should be maintaining a speed of 175 rpm.

Floor pads in red color are most often sufficient for daily cleaning jobs. The ideal speed for such pads is 250-275 rpm. The said speed suffices to remove dirt and scuffmarks without causing any damage to the finishing of the floor. If you run the machine at higher speed, it will most likely damage the finish and cause scratches on the floor.

For speeds of 350 rpm or more, use pink or pale colored pads. Here’s a chance to demonstrate your skills as an operator. Start buffing at the speed of 300 rpm with buffing agent applied on the floor and then change over to higher speed that you can handle. The higher the speed, the brighter is the finish.

The suggested speeds of the buffer are not intended to slow you down but to help you getting the best results while using the machine with floor pads. For getting brilliant and shining floors you should conform to these speeds, else the floors may look dull and yellowish.

Oreck Orbiter 550 Floor Buffer Machine

2010-05-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

The Oreck Orbiter floor machine is versatile enough to do it all. It strips, waxes, buffs, sands and refinishes any floor surface. Whether your floors are of marble, vinyl, wood or carpet, The Oreck Orbiter floor buffer revolutionary oscillating motion makes it the easiest commercial floor machine to use and maintain. No torque, no brush marks, no swirls, no sanding marks, no gouges, no big bills from outside contractors, no hanging on for dear life, no belts, no gears, no motor brushes to wear out, no water that can soil and mildew carpets, and best of all - no experience necessary. Also works as a carpet cleaning machine, oscillating motor reaches all areas. It has an upright design with finger tip controls located on the handle.

All Oreck Floor Machines are virtually maintenance free. Durable zinc and steel are used. And they're built in America. Plus, parts are readily available if ever needed.

Specifications
Cleaning Path 13"
Motor Induction
Cord 35'
Weight 24

The Orbiter is priced from $440, and comes with a 1 year warranty. The unit weighs about 24 lbs.

Oreck Orbiter 550 Features:

· Sands, refinishes, strips, scrubs, waxes, polishes, and cleans all floor surfaces.
· Oscillating motion reaches every corner right out to the baseboard.
· Includes a 35ft. cord.
· Weighs 24 lbs.
· Cleans a 13" path.

When choosing different pads and brushes for the Orbiter floor buffer, there is no exact science to which pad or brush is most suitable on a particular floor. Pads are good for scrubbing and polishing flat surfaces. Brushes work well for getting into recesses in non-flat surfaces, like tile, where the bristles can get into grout lines. When you choose an accessory, remember - you want one aggressive enough to do the job but gentle enough not to damage the floor. It’s sheer common sense. For example, do not use a black pad (aggressive) on a wood floor (soft floor). Start with what is safe and move to more aggressive if needed.

The pads are color coded depending on how aggressive they are (except for the beige marble pad): White is the softest, followed by red, green, brown and black being the most aggressive. Pads are designed to be porous and open-weave (except the beige pad) so that when it loosens dirt it can be picked up. The dirt goes inside the pad (i.e. off the floor). All pads can be turned over and the other side used before cleaning or disposing. Pads may be hosed off in some instances and re-used.

Brushes are also color coded with Black being the softest followed by the union mix (tan) brush, the orange scrub brush, with the brown grit brush being the most aggressive.

Never store the Orbiter with a pad or brush mounted on it because they can become deformed, especially the brushes.

The Orbiter 550 consists of Sand screens 60 grit, 80 grit and 100 grit sand screens available to allow for sanding and refinishing wood floors.

Sand screen is sandpaper on a small grid-like sheet. The sand screen attaches to the Orbiter by "velcro-ing" it to a brown pad. When a urethane coated floor gets scuffed, a new layer of urethane may need to be put down. The floor needs to be prepared first. Using a 60-grit screen, go over the floor quickly. You do not need to remove a lot of material. Repeat with an 80-grit screen: Vacuum and damp mop up all dust. You may repeat this procedure with a 100-grit screen but in general it is not needed.

This bonnet has many uses. First, when using the Dry Carpet Cleaning System, it should be used instead of the carpet brush, on low nap carpets. It also can be used by itself with the Permits to clean carpet traffic lanes. It can also be used to clean coated wood floors. Simply vacuum spray on your favorite wood cleaner and go over it with a bonnet. It acts as a sponge to pick up dirt. These bonnets can be hand washed or machine washed (cold, gentle cycle).

This is a polisher to bring out the floor's natural high gloss. It is not aggressive enough for cleaning. It is designed to bring up a shine. It can be used on all flat, smooth floors; wood (coated and uncoated), vinyl, linoleum, laminate, etc. On waxed floors it will remove scuffs. Think of it as what people use on their cars to bring out shine. This bonnet can be cleaned. Rinse it with soap and water, gently wring it dry and put it on the black pad holder and it dries to its correct shape.

The Orbiter 550 also has a number of brushes available that are designed to get into the grooves of uneven flooring surfaces which are as follows:

Black Bristle Brush: For use with the Dry Carpet Shampoo System. It has a very soft nylon bristle

Polishing and Light Scrubbing Brush: This is a natural fiber brush (Similar to broom bristles). It is very versatile and safe for all floors because it is gentle. It can be used to polish wax wood floors

Orange Brush: This brush is designed for scrubbing. The bristles are made from heavy-duty polypropylene bristles. It is the most versatile scrub brush and ideal for heavy-duty jobs. It will clean smooth textures or painted concrete floors and other heavy-duty floors.

Green Brush: This brush is slightly more aggressive than the orange brush. There are aggressive particles imbedded in the bristles. In particular, it can be used on asphalt. Should only be used on heavy-duty jobs.

Fingertip On/Off Switch:

This unit is astounding easy to turn on, one bump with your finger, and you are ready to go as it has a “t” style handle bar having on/off switch on the handle itself.

Unique Orbital Action:

The Oreck Orbiter is powered by Thus it is a very good machine to use.

Oreck Orbiter 550 Recommendations:

a ¾ hp motor and provides oscillating cleaning and buffing power that reaches all areas of floor, right to the baseboards. The orbital actions leaves no undesirable swirl marks, no brush marks, or gouges are caused due to orbital actions.
Pros:

This machine built by an American company offers following pros:

· Strips, waxes, buffs, sands and refinishes hard surface floors.
· Dry cleans carpets.
· 12-inch cleaning pad with 35-foot cord for quick scrubbing of large areas.
· Lightweight - just 24 lbs.
· Oscillating motion eliminates brush marks, swirls, sanding marks and gouges.
· Reliable - no belts, gears or motor brushes to wear out.
· Five-year motor, one-year overall warranty

Cons:

Vacuuming and sweeping are required before you can use the Orbiter. Won't get all the way into a corner, but pretty close. Some splashing may occur on walls when scrubbing with the Orbiter – Walls may need some touch up cleaning.

It seems a little complicated, you’d have to be very careful and be familiar with the accessories. There are a number bonnets, pads and brushes. The right accessory must be used to avoid flooring getting damaged

Weight of the machine could damage and distort the bristles if brushes are not removed prior to storing the orbiter.

Koblenz P-820 Floor Buffer Review

2010-03-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

Koblenz has taken this heavy duty universal floor buffer machine and down-sized it for the home. No other machine exists that will scrub, wax, polish and luster all kinds of floors. This is the same type of machine that is used by the professional janitorial maintenance contractors. One machine does it all. Only the brushes and pads are changed to suit the job. Now you have the machine and all its brushes and pads to do all the hard floor cleaning in your home. Just take a look at some of the cleaning chores a Koblenz can help you with: The average price for the Koblenz P 820 Floor Buffer is around $160 with 1 Year Manufacturers Warranty.

Koblenz P820 Floor Buffer Features:

· Scrub/Polish/Buff/Wax/Shampoo
· All Metal 4.2 Amp Motor
· Lightweight and Tough Poly Housing
· Thick Bronze Gears
· 120oz Solution Tank
· Two Speed Brush, 900RPM Max
· Flow-Thru Brush Design
· Quiet Operation
· Lightweight Design for Home
· Painted Steel Handle
· Fingertip Solution Control
· Full Wrap Non-Marking Bumper
· Burgundy Color Finish

Motor:
The most powerful 4.2 AMP motor available having full width bronze gears for extra long life. Only metal parts are used in designing, thus making it strong and sturdy.

12 inch Cleaning Path, 20 Foot Cord:

This 12 inch rug shampooer/floor scrubber and polisher is designed and built to last. This machine scrubs, polishes, buffs, waxes and shampoos all kinds of floors with professional results with less time required and little effort. There is a one year warranty on all defective parts.

The P-820 includes the 120oz dispenser tank with lock down cap, all steel handle with grip painted to match the lightweight polycarbonate motor housing.

Included Accessories:
· One pair of shampoo brushes
· One pair of power scrub brushes
· One pair of tan polishing pads
· One pair of lambs wool buffing pads

Koblenz P820 Floor Buffer Recommendations:

Barring some petty issues, most consumers seemed happy and weren’t hesitant in complementing the manufacturer. It comes with one set of white colored scrubbing brushes. The P-820 has 2 speeds, cleans waxes and buffs all hard floors. One consumer researched and concluded it took eight hours to hand scrub 200 sq feet of Italian tile flooring and give it a clean look. This machine saved time and knees while delivering excellent results.

Here’s the observation of another customer “this floor buffer utmost everlastingly and doesn’t seem to outwear”.

Most of the customers were very happy with the Koblenz P820 Floor Buffer as it is very easy to use and setup along with time saving too. The most important feature is its weight that is very light. Some use a little added “foot” pressure only to move it.

A reviewer wanted to clarify to likely buyers that “this machine is a SCRUBBER.” Meaning it will pour the liquid and only scrub for you but won’t remove the liquid. You’ll have to wipe up the tiled floor yourself and vacuum the cleaning residue for carpets.

As you consider price along with features, it saves space having only one machine that does a splendid job on your hard surface floors.

Buffing Your Hardwood Floors

2008-12-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

Our hardwood floors lose shine over time, no matter how often we clean them and wax them. But this doesn't mean that you should replace the whole flooring. Those scratches and nicks can be dealt with with the help of a floor buffer. Leave the floor replacement for some other time, because it won't be necessary.

Buffing hardwood floor is a less expensive and messy alternative to take. It is somewhat a new technique that is used to revive hardwood flooring. If this technique is used in the right way, your surface will definitely get a new look - shiny one.

Before we start to explain what is buffing all about, lets say it is not a solution to any situation. If the flooring surface is damaged seriously, then a machine won't be able to erase all those scratches and marks. And since there won't be any shine here either, it is best to refinish the whole wood flooring. The buffing is an option only when there are minor scratches involved. Some gaps, light wear and gouges are perfectly fine and can be repaired.

When you use a buffing machine or a scrubber, it is like preparing your surface for a new finish. This is because finish would quickly peel off it there isn't any buffing.

The machine, floor scrubber or buffer, is available for purchase or for rent. You can rent one for small amount of money, but if you plan to use it for more then 5 or 6 times, I suggest you buy one. This is because you will be more convenient with one of these polishing machines on your disposal and because after several usages, the polisher will pay itself off.

A screen that goes with a buffer should be around 100 grit. It depends on the hardwood flooring, but most of them are ok with a 100 and 120 grit. Just make sure to cover all the areas equally.

The steps you need to take when buffing, meaning using your scrubber or buffer:

Clean the area with a vacuum cleaner after you finished sanding it. No dust or dirt should be on the surface.

Prepare a buffer, get used to it and feel the vibe it is working on.

Set a screen that has 100 or 120 grit.

In case you have a wax finish on your floor, remove it before you start buffing.

After you finished buffing the entire surface with a scrubber, apply wax.

This is all you need to know. There will be some other details included in this operation, but you will get to resolve them as you work. Nothing tells you more about floor buffers then actually using one and experience it by yourself.

Floor Buffer Benefits

2008-12-07T11:34:00.000-08:00

Main tasks of a floor buffer are washing, cleaning, shampooing and drying. The results of all these actions is a fresh, clean floor that looks like a new. With the help of these polishing machines, you save a lot of time. If you had to do all the work manually, you would spend several days in order to get it all to look perfect. But since these machines are so powerful, you just need to press a button and do all the scrubbing and polishing easily.

These machines have a tank with a cleaner that is used on a floor. There are buffer pads who are doing the cleaning and scrubbing themselves. You will use them to clean, polish and them finish the flooring. It is a three step process that will be done with ease, because all the work is on the machine. The floor buffer will remove the dirt, polish the flooring and provide protection to the floor. And the best part is, it can deal with all the scratches and marks. Buffing is the last stage when using this machine, after that you only need to apply wax.

When it comes to models and brands, there are many of them on the market right now. We won't recommend anything to you at the moment, lets just say that there are plenty of options, with different accessories and features. Prices also vary by a large margin, so I suggest you research the market before you go for a cheap floor buffer or for unreasonably expensive floor scrubber. Decide what kind of work you will do with it and how much you will have to do. What will you need from the features and how it all fits with your budget. I suggest you start searching online, for reviews, ratings and user experiences.

What Are Floor Buffers?

2008-11-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

If you ever had to clean your hardwood or tile floor, you know how much work that is. It is never easy to make it shiny clean, no matter how much energy and will you have to do it. And this is especially the case when you have to clean large a room or some other big surface area. The amount of work involved is quite stunning and if we want to do it properly, we need to spend entire day doing it.

But this is why we have floor buffers. Those are machines that are made for cleaning different types of flooring. They can also polish them and but the wax that will keep them shiny and new. There are all kinds of these machines, some of them are used in homes, other for commercial purposes. It all depends on the needs, or how many square feet you need to clean.

They are used for surface scrubbing, stripping and buffing. And they range from Low speed, Dual speed to High speed floors buffers. Some of them are battery operated, while others, more powerful ones, use propane as a fuel. And just like the different needs they fulfill, the price they have also ranges a lot. Some of them cost around $500, while other are even more then $4,000.

The price is determined by the specifications of a scrubbing machine. The diameter is one of the most important factors, since that determines what amount of surface can a floor buffer clean in one pass. That size ranges from 12" to a huge 27 inches in diameter. The small ones a good for homes and other places that have modest areas to clean. Bathrooms or kitchen floors are usually maintained with these. Large machines are used for commercial purposes, when there is a cleaning company in the question or a office that has a lot of floors to take care of.

There are many other features and specifications that are relevant to the buyer and user. Some of them are the motor horse power, the capacity of a cleaning tank, how much pressure pads can deliver etc. These are all details that will be important to anyone who has special needs to take care of. If you are only looking for a home floor buffer, then a most basic unit will suffice. For something more serious, you can get one of the larger machines that can cover a lot of ground and are ready to deal with tougher stains.

Some of the companies that produce these machines are: Eagle, Kent Euroclean, Hawk, NuSource, Oreck, Onyx and Sanitaire. They have a large selection of these machines and are offering something for everyone. You can find these machines on many online shops, not only on the sites of manufacturers. I suggest you read few reviews of the machines you are interested in and think about the options you have. That will be perfect for finding the best floor buffer for your needs.

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2008-11-16T13:53:00.002-08:00

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2008-11-16T13:53:00.001-08:00

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2008-11-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

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About

2008-11-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

This blog was established in 2008 to help you to learn about floor buffers and hardwood flooring maintenance. A good choice for cleaning and polishing your home will change the atmosphere you have in your home. I hope I can provide you with some useful information about anything related to these buffing machines and polishers.