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You are here: Experts > Style > Interior Decorating > Flooring and Carpeting > brick floor needs refinishing
Expert: Bill Hohmann - 10/20/2009
Question
Hi Bill,
We have lived in our house for 10 years and the brick floors laid by the previous owners have a finish that has darkened the brick. Because of certain wear areas (office chair,eg.)where there is no more finish, we want to strip the finish and reseal the floor with a clear, glossy finish or wax. The dark finish comes up with scraping (stain has not seeped into the brick) but we have used a floor stripper machine, belt sander, and various chemicals with limited success because of the natural unevenness of the brick. The hand scraping does the most thorough job but we have 3 rooms to do!
What is the most efficient way (and greenest way if possible) to remove the old finish? What would you recommend as a "green" clear sealer with gloss? Wax ideas?
Thanks!
Answer
If you tried various chemicals, with poor success, then I doubt a "green" approach would be very useful unless you tried something like sand blasting on a minor scale.
My experience with floors like this is that there is usually a combination of a sealer and a wax present, and both have to be tackled together, using a stripper designed for sealers with a wax stripper. Our SR-5 with our Internacional Stripper should do the trick, along with a chemically resistant hand held scrub brush. You start by putting the SR-5 down on an area no larger than about 4 feet square, and let sit 5 to 10 minutes. Scrub the surface, and add to the mix the other stripper. Wipe up the stripped material with paper towels, then move on to the next section. What I do is, right before I start scrubbing one section, I apply the stripper to the next section so that it is ready when I am done with the previous section.
Sometimes the process needs to be repeated, depending on the porosity of the brick and grout; amount of wax present, etc.
After it is all clean, It is best to first apply a sealer to block off any porosity, followed by a floor finish. Waxes create too many problems. A finish will do everything a wax will, and do it better.
Bill Hohmann
Sparks
Please call so we can see if there is someone in your area that carries it, or you can order it directly via phone or website: www.sparkssw.com
Bill
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