SPRAY BUFFING
Spray buffing can be an effective, time saving method to restore the sheen and finish of an acid-stained concrete floor but needs to be done carefully and with the appropriate equipment and materials.
"Spray Buffing" is an alternative method of re-coating a floor with floor finish. It is a short-cut that combines damp mopping and re-coating with floor finish. By using a certain type of floor finish formulated with detergent, heel marks, scuffs, scratches, and dirt can be removed, and gloss restored, at the same time, by using a low speed floor buffer fitted with a red polishing pad to work additional material into existing floor finish. This method is very effective for maintaining high traffic wear areas, such as hallways, or small meeting rooms, but can only be done a limited number of times before adding a new coat of floor finish is required.
Spray buffing is generally not effective for heavily soiled floors, or when using a rotary floor machine, buffer, or burnisher with RPM's greater than 175. Otherwise, dirt and contaminants may be worked into the existing floor finish and cause yellowing and discoloration. Spray buffing is also best done by a professional cleaning or flooring contractor since, if not done properly, the floor can end up with varying degrees of gloss, in addition to discoloration. Spray buffing is rarely required in homes, and given the ease of normal damp mopping and floor finish re-coating, should generally not even be considered. Spray buffing can be used with higher speed machines (350-1,200 RPM's) to remove heavy marks and scratches, but usually only if the floor has been damp mopped first and appropriate, "natural hair" pads are used for buffing. Dust mopping is then recommended after spray buffing to ensure that lingering residue is removed.
Spartan Chemical sells a good spray buff product simply called Spraybuff. Diversey's comparable spray buff product is called Snapback.