POLYURETHANE FINISH: The #1 Secret to Results as Smooth as

I had tenants in my house that used some kind of wax product on my 1927 hardwood floors and kitchen cabinetry. While the cabinets are from the 90's and can probably be salvaged by painting over them, these old floors have been sanded down to the nails. I had a flooring guy I trust tell me he believes that the wax may have been applied between protective coats of polyurethane 2 years ago.
I'm trying to move back into the house myself in the next few weeks and I don't want to disappoint my wife who loved those old floors with the feeling of these sticky, dirt holding floors or covering them up with carpet or area rugs.
Any experience or suggestions would be great.
Edit: Some History: I had my floors completely redone in 2016 before leasing out my house. The tenant was horrible and had animals not on the lease that would cause damage to the walls/floors by chewing the walls and clawing at the floors. I had the same flooring company come in after the tenant left to buff and put a fresh coat of polyurethane down at the beginning of 2019, which I thought would have solved the problem.
However, now that my second tenant has left and I'm looking to move in, I found that the floors, even after being mopped with Simply Green and Rejuvenate Hardwood Floor cleaner (both bought at Home Depot), the floors would still have a sticky feeling to them and you could see where some of the polyurethane was wearing off.
When I had the flooring company come in to see if there was something that could be done, they said that the problem likely had to do with the floors being waxed between when I leased the house in 2016 and when they came to buff and put a fresh coat of poly down in 2019.

I'm a relative beginner to the world of wood-working. I dabbled in it many years ago but I'm trying to get back into it now and one thing I have always sucked at is applying stains, varnishes, etc. I really wanted to perfect that art before I got into making worthwhile things, so I researched it online and bought a ton of tiny cans to experiment with.
Obviously an important test of a finish is durability, and since it's only been days, I can't comment on that. But I figured I'd share what I learned in my research and share my experience applying various products. Oh and hopefully invite any corrections or suggestions on what else to try!
I used basswood and poplar boards cut into small pieces, because that's what I have laying around (procuring lumber is not easy for me right now). I typically sanded them down to 220 grit.
Stains
For stains, I first tried various colors of Varathane Wood Stain, and also their "3x faster, 1 coat" stain (both oil based). Stain is dead is easy to apply, I just used a paper towel (bounty, not a shit brand) to wipe it on, then wipe the excess up 5-10 mins later. The 3x stuff was, as expected, dark with just 1 coat. Both looked great on the poplar, but blotchy on the 1 basswood piece I tried. Blotchy is a matter of luck IMO. The pattern can often end up looking nice.
I also tried Varathane gel stain, which claims to be easier to apply and better for vertical surfaces, but I don't see how normal stain is a problem in either of those regards. The most notable thing about gel stain for me was that it went on extremely evenly on every piece I tried including the blotch-prone basswood. It was much lighter than regular oil stain though, and a second coat didn't darken it by a huge amount. You may be tempted to eat it because it feels a bit like chocolate pudding. Try to resist this.
Pre-stain conditioner
To prevent blotchiness, you can apply this stuff, wait a half hour, then put your stain on. I tried Varathane pre-stain conditioner on the basswood (didn't bother with the poplar, didn't need it). It reduced blotchiness to some degree but didn't fully eliminate it. Predictably it lightened the final color. Maybe if my wood wasn't shit it would have made a bigger difference.
Penetrating/Oil finishes
These are penetrating finishes that you wipe on. They keep the natural look of the wood better than a hard finish like polyurethane but they don't offer as much protection to the wood. From what I can tell it mostly boils (ha) down to two types: linseed oil, and tung oil. I used Sunnyside and Watco brands respectively.
Overall I had a pretty similar experience with both. I applied the recommended number of coats for each onto unstained wood. The tung oil felt a little bit harder to me than the linseed oil, which felt pretty close to natural wood. The linseed oil has a bit more of a yellow-ish tint that did bring out the (not very impressive to begin with) grain. Neither looked or felt artificial or plastic-y, and they definitely looked a bit better than the unfinished wood (again, there wasn't much of a grain to bring out. can't wait to try these on nicer wood)
I'll throw Danish oil in here too, though I think it's a blend of oil and varnish. And actually the one I tried had stain in it too: Watco Dark Walnut Danish Oil. I rolled the dice and applied this to a piece of the blotch-prone basswood. The result was pretty decent! I love the overall look and tone, the only downside was 2 side of the block had meh-looking blotches.
Surface finishes
These finishes form a hard layer on top of the wood, and therefore provide the most protection. The tradeoff of course being that they feel the least natural.
I started with the most common finish and my mortal enemy: polyurethane. Specifically, Varathane Polyurethane. I've always struggled to apply this stuff correctly. I won't bore with the details of my experimentation but after applying it a fair number of times, I've honed my methodology to the point where I'm quite a bit better than before, but definitely not perfect. My tips:

• Use a good brush! I think this one is more important than any stuff about bubbles in the can and all that. IMO (talking completely out of my ass) bubbles happen where the brush meets the wood. Avoiding bubbles in the can and pulling air out of the bristles with mineral spirits? ehhh not convinced those make a difference.
  
• Might be common sense, but angle the work or light source so you can see the sheen of the finish. Otherwise it's pretty much impossible to see that the coverage is complete and free of runs/bubbles.
  
• Brush on slowly, it helps a lot.
  
• Consider thinning your poly with mineral spirits OR using 'wipe on poly', which I think may just be thinned poly and which I discuss more below in its own section. When thinned, the poly self-settles better so inevitable unevenness when applied resolves itself before it hardens. This will make the layers thinner so you'll have to apply more. Applying it as the top layer under normal-strength poly might be the best way to build up a finish quickly but make sure it's nice and smooth
  
• I believe I had some luck wiping the brush off in a paper towel then going over the wet surface again with the dry brush to smooth it.
  
• You can futz with it up to 30-45 mins but then it's too late
  

As mentioned, you can thin it or just use Watco Wipe-on Poly. Because these are less goopy and self-level better, you can wipe them on with a rag or paper towel. This is a huge advantage to me, I hate cleaning brushes. And in both cases I found the result to be better than a full-concentration brushed on poly. I think when I need poly on something, I'm going to default to using this approach. Can't see a very compelling reason to use the regular stuff.
I used Varathane Spar Varnish for a small incense box for my porch. It pretty much went on like poly. I applied 4 coats and it's been holding up well so far in the weather. Oddly enough, the end result ended up smoother than regular poly.
The final category of surface finish I tried was Zinsser Shellac which is a pre-mixed alcohol solution of shellac in a can. I was drawn to this finish because it's natural, and because of my contentious relationship with poly. I applied it on bare wood and stained wood, again using a paper towel. BTW my MO is to always try a sheet of bounty with a product, I find it usually works better than expected. A lesser brand would leave lint, but I find that bounty only releases lint if you drag it along a sharp edge. Anyway, I applied 3 layers of to an unfinished piece and to a piece with the varathane 3x stain. You only have to wait an hour in between applications, so you can finish stuff really quickly with this stuff. I find it much easier and more forgiving than poly, you just wipe it on evenly-ish and it levels nicely. And I have to say, the end result is my favorite of any product in this experiment. Very smooth, perfect level of sheen, not too plastic-y, and just an overall nice feel. Obviously I'm very new to this and I'll learn a lot more as I continue to try things out, but so far I quite like shellac and plan to use it on my next few projects.
Wax Finish
Last one, I promise: Varathane Paste Finishing Wax. This one I bought with no research because it looked cool, and I ended up loving it. I rubbed some on to a paper towel (I hear a cheese cloth works better, got some on the way) then rubbed a roughly even-ish thick coat onto the surface. I waited 15 mins then wiped it off, then tried to sort of buff it out by rubbing a cloth into it with small circular motions. I think this works a lot better with an electric buffer but doing it by hand did have some effect. I repeated this a few hours later. First off, I love the way the stuff smells. Maybe I'm just weird though. More importantly, it added a very nice sheen and feel to the wood. I added it on top of the Watco colored danish oil and I've decided I like the combo a lot and will consider it for projects. Actually I ended up using this test piece to make a simple holder for my pyrography tips.
About the lack of pictures... I've been practicing all kinds of things on the limited number of blocks I have, so they're in.. various conditions. I might have a pic on request for anything specific. Anyways, sorry for the crazy long post. I wanted to document my results and I figured I might as well post it here in case it helps anybody or generates helpful discussion. If nobody responds, I'll at least have this for reference!
EDIT: Just thought of another important tip for poly and other slower-drying surface finishes: Don't underestimate ambient dust! Keep it in a clean, low-traffic area, covered if possible. If you have cats, keep it as far away from them as you can. All it takes is one walk-by and you can end up with highly visible cat hairs in the work!
EDIT 2: I just remembered I also tried spray varnish in a can. This was an interesting one. I found the resulting finish kinda plastic-y feeling and def not my favorite, but it's hard to beat the convenience of this stuff. I kinda hate spraying cuz I suck at doing it evenly but it did go on pretty easy. I think if I was churning out keychains to sell or something, this could be the best way to quickly apply a little protection to the wood. Dries in 30 mins!

Here's some background and information what I have going on.
Pictures: https://imgur.com/a/rGs8dbl
I bought an old Farmhouse, originally built in the 1920s, and from what I can tell there have been multiple additions and renovations made to it since that time. One of the rooms had some flooring that was in pretty rough shape. I was about to just paint the floor in one of the worst rooms, but I figure I'd try to sand and finish it first, if I fail that would be plan be.
So I planned on renting a drum and an edge sander, but the rental place near me only had the big square buff machine. The nearest store that had the correct machine is about 3 hours away, so I figured I would just go for it with the buffing machine, how slow could it be?
As it turns out, it was nearly useless for removing the old layers of varnish, or whatever coating used to be on the floor. I did the classic thing all of the articles online tell you not to do- I just went at it with both an orbital and a belt sander. It took about 6 hours of very uncomfortable sanding, but I managed to get down to bare wood. I then went over the entire area with the square buff, using a 36-60-100 grit pattern. Seems pretty smooth, and even if i shine a bright light across the surface, I can only see a few light scratches where some orbital sanding marks are. I didn't bite deep enough into the wood to remove some of the deeper gouges or some of the water stain, but I'm ok with that- it kind of fits with the rest of the house this way.
I'm thinking at this point I'm going to do a thorough vacuuming and cleaning of the room, and apply Minwax Oil Modified Polyurethane, satin finish. I'm not planning on doing any staining, with the wood being damaged like it is I figure it will only show the scratches and dents even more, plus anything weird I did while sanding. I was planning on applying it with a lambswool pad (any prep advice for that?) with a synthetic brush for edges.
I called Minwax, and they said I should buff the surface with a 220 grit paper in between coats. Does this seem like a good idea? I had to return the buffer, so I'd only be using a pole sander.
Just looking for some general advice on how to apply a water based poly, or any other thoughts about how to make this project turn out a little better.
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Thanks!

Here’s my story, my journey, my grand plan! I decided after buying a new house and having the space for a dedicated game room I’d embark upon the journey of designing and building my very own, very unique, gaming table. I started out with the thought of just using the “build your own game table for $150 plans” (https://youtu.be/spdescYFqIE) I did use some tips and tricks from that original design but it quickly escalated from there! Some major modifications to the basic plans from that table were made. I liked the idea of a counter height table. My game group likes the ability to choose to stand or sit during our gaming sessions. The counter height allows for either sitting or standing and gaming in comfort. I went with a little bit of a larger surface and slightly deeper vault to comfortably sit/stand 8 gamers and allow all to still reach much of the gaming surface. I chose to use western red cedar for the primary surface wood. It’s a softer wood so I had to be sure to find a polyurethane that was highly durable to finish the table with. I went a little extreme and chose to use 6x6 western red cedar for the legs. They are extremely stable and extremely heavy! Since I chose to go with a counter height table, I knew I’d need something to act as a foot rest. I decide to solve for this by using 1 ½” cast iron pipe and attaching it to the legs for stability. This turned out to be a super comfortable foot rest while seated at the table. I sanded and spray painted the foot rest in a hammered black paint to give it the forged by hand look.
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Now.. onto the part where I decided I’d build the impossible…. I thought to myself… how do I make this unique, one of a kind, so extreme that people look at the table and just say wow? I browsed the deepest, darkest corners of the internet…hunting for ideas, for inspiration, for the light bulb moment where I said “that’s it”! I came across a youtube video where some super DM guy won a contest to have his ultimate table built (https://youtu.be/PpH6rY2wBlI). While I liked the table I thought it was a bit much.. The part I loved were the legs. They did a sort of brick pattern on them that stood out to me. It screamed gothic castle and I said, “I want that!” But, how? How do I do that? That would be hundreds.. if not thousands of hours of carving by hand to achieve anything that looked close…and probably still not great. Then I had a lightbulb moment. A great friend of mine named Reza had recently built a CNC machine. I thought to myself.. ”Hmmm, I wonder if we could design a tileable brick pattern we could then carve onto the sides of the table to give it that cool gothic castle look?” We again scoured the interwebs to find something that could possibly work. After some digging, we found a pattern we liked, but it was very basic. We took that pattern and spent countless hours redesigning it…. adding layer after layer of textures and depth, and uniqueness to it. Then we’d do a test cut and realize it wasn’t right. Then spend more and more hours trying to get it right. Finally.. after what seemed like forever the design was complete and looked amazing. Seems like it’d be time to start final cuts, right? WRONG! Me…being me.. I said wait.. how cool would it be if we added windows to the design? And then the windows have lights in them! Woah, now we’re talking! Back to work on design. Now, at this point I fully expected Reza to murder me in my sleep! More design work, more test cuts, more trial and error. Finally, again after what seemed like forever, we got the windows right! Yes! Time for a final cut! But nope, I have another idea! Castles have gates. Let’s put gates on the castle walls! It’s not a castle unless it has gates! So, again, back to the wonderful, tedious world of design work. A few more months, a lot more alcohol, more trial and error, and test cuts, and we had ourselves a final plan to cut and build the walls! And, it didn’t take a government shutdown to get them built! So, after 100+ hours of cut time on the CNC machine we have ourselves highly detailed castle walls, with windows, with gates! Done right?? Heck no! let’s make it cooler! How about we build dioramas behind each window and gate to make the castle look like its inhabited! More to come on that later. That’s going to take a ton of work after the table is fully built and functional! And, oh yeah, Castles have towers at the corners.. Towers where the guards watch over the realm. Keeping it safe from attackers! I want that! How do we make the castle table look like it has towers?? Well.. guess what… back to brainstorming and coming up with ideas. After a little bit of pondering, a lot more of Reza probably wanting to murder me in my sleep… we came up with a plan! After a bit more scouring the internet for what castle towers look like we came up with a design that, quite frankly, was amazingly cool! Let’s go with a round window with a Templar cross design in it! So, hours and hours and hours later a design came to life. Then, hours and hours and hours later of test cuts on the CNC machine a design for the “towers” was done! I was finally satisfied with my grand plan. I know.. seems impossible at this point, right??
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After getting all (almost all, the windows and gates are still in progress and I will update this thread with more pictures when I get those) the cuts done and cleaned up it was time for final assembly. We spent many hours making it as perfect as we could. There’s not a single exposed fastener on the table. So, of course, it took a lot of extra time clamping and gluing to get it together. Before starting on the finishing process, we flipped the table over to run all of the wiring for lighting. Getting that in place before finishing the table was so much easier than trying to do it post finishing. A last-minute change in design allowed us to add a bottom covering in the void between the walls and the table vault. This sparked yet another idea! How cool would it be to make the “floor” sections by the windows and gates removable… then they can be taken out and dioramas can be changed out on them at any time to bring new life to the “castle”?! Yep.. we did that too! Once the table was fully assembled it was time for filling in all the voids with a clear epoxy to smooth out every surface with the exception of the walls of course. Once that was completed the sanding began. It felt like I sanded for eternity. I’m pretty sure my fingerprints were sanded off as well! After finish sanding was complete it was time for clearcoat. I decided I didn’t want to stain the table because I loved the natural look of the cedar. It was just too gorgeous to color it! I did a total of SEVEN coats of oil-based polyurethane on the table. I used an HVLP sprayer to make sure I got a super even, streak free coating on the table. I wet sanded the poly after 4 coats, and then again after the 6th coat. After the 7th and final coat I used a super fine steel wool to buff the surface and remove any final imperfections. After letting it cure for a few days I applied a high-grade furniture wax to the entire table for added durability and higher shine. We cut 2 pieces of ½” finish plywood and covered them in a high-grade black felt to serve as the vault cover. I wanted felt because we occasionally like to play poker. I thought that application would serve itself well for a poker table conversion.
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And that’s where this epic journey is as of today. The table has made its way to its final resting spot. We nearly killed ourselves trying to carry it to the basement game room, but we made it without incident. It has a home. It looks glorious, but the journey will continue. A few flickering candle LEDs need installed. Windows and gates need added, and the dioramas need to be built. But we need a break…and we need to game!
Below are TONS of pictures of the entire process. Again, I will add more to this thread as more is done to the table.
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A quick list of materials: (I won’t breakdown what the costs of each part were but in total I think materials were about $1000 all in)
Western Red Cedar for all exposed wood surfaces
Pine 2x4’s and plywood for the under surfaces and supports
1 ½” cast iron pipe for the foot rests
¼” neoprene for the vaulted surface and the player cubbies
Black felt for the vault covers
Black plastic cup holders
Amber flickering torch LED’s for lighting
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Below are a TON of pictures from start to “finish”.
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I present to you……. THE TABLE OF KINGS!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-cPrUf8NX0
Short video of the lights in the rooms. The windows should be in by next week.
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Well, that's it for now. I'll update this thread as I get the window inserts installed and the gates built. The dioramas will come eventually and I'll update as I do those as well.
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I want to say a special thank you to all those who helped me during this very long, very frustrating, but SUPER enjoyable process. First, Reza.... without him none of this would have ever been possible. His skills in design and cnc work are incredible! Next, Mark, James, and Sean. You guys all helped at various points during the project. Whether it be borrowing tools, or asking for back breaking labor to help me move the monstrosity up and down 3 flights of stairs, you guys never once complained and were always there when needed.
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Now, we game! I hope all of you who read this enjoy this thread! I'm open to all feedback... positive and negative. and, of course, any questions you have that could help in building your dream table please ask! I learned a ton of lessons during this process!
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Happy gaming!
-Tommy D.

Hi, you might have seen some of my previous posts but, I am back again redoing my new wooden table as the first polyurethane attempt was horrid. So I sanded all of it of going with the grain to avoid scarring. I dont want to buy mineral spirits for one so.... That leaves me with these: https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-Chiseled-Foam-Paint-Brush-8500-2/100671926 for the first two coats and these: https://www.amazon.com/Wooster-Brush-3103-1-1-Paintbrush-2-Inch/dp/B0019EY2GO/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=wooster+foam+king&qid=1559960909&s=gateway&sr=8-2 for the final coat. I will buff it using a ROS after I sand the final coat 320, 800, 1500, 2000, 2500. I use paste wax BTW.
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Question is how well will the cheap ones hold up? Can I do that? If I sand 320 between coats will I be fine as a long as I do long even light strokes?
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Cheers, Velcro

I'm in the middle of refinishing a cabinet and I'm using polyurethane for the first time. It's an oil based if it matters. I finished my 4th coat, let it dry, and sanded it very lightly with 320 grit. This was over a dark brown stain.
The problem is that the sanding turned it gray. This happened between poly coats also but the next coat made it go away.
Now I'm trying to buff it with synthetic wool over my orbital sander and I'm not seeing any change in the gray lines. Do I just need to go longer? Do I need to do something else? Help!

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I have been basically telling people to buy a Miata on the Internet and IRL since about 1999. That was the first time I got to drive one on the track and was hooked on small cars as a teaching tool. MIATA really is the ANSWER. I have gotten at least ~25 people to buy them. Some of them have become serious drivers in there own right most areusing it as a teaching tool or a project car to learn the basics. I have never taken my own advice and that had to change. I always thought that I was a better driver then the Miata and that I could use more tire or power effectively and that I had grown beyond the Miata. How wrong I was in thinking that.
I have owned literally almost every car ever made but yet never a Miata of my own. I have driven other peoples playboy cup cars and NB/NC v8 swapped cars but never a prepped NA. Had a bit of a come to Moses though a month or so back where I realized I was fast but not as smooth as I could be on the track. More importantly I was not having fun. 3/10ths in the ACR on the street is completely not fun, 7/10th's on the track when learning a layout or a new suspension change is not exactly fun as well. I can drive a NA Miata 8/10ths in the hills and it is a freaking blast. I bet I can drive this thing 9/10th on the track and honestly beyond that and its so freaking cheap to repair that even if I tap a wall. these things are like Lego sets, and craiglist is full of OEM parts and aftermarket stuff for pennies compared to my other cars.
Finally found the perfect NA to use at the track. Bought it without even driving the thing. Got dropped off Thursday. Already have a set of re71r's on the way and looking at a few safety upgrades to make it a little better fit for me. Picking between the ACR and the Miata is going to be interesting. Streets of Willow is going to be fun in this thing. I have been fiddling with the car in the last few days since I got it and because of its size you can fix almost anything with basics hand tools. Single stage paint means that I can buff it out and make it look pretty for 3 hours of work. 99% sure this is a factory 94 R code car.
Decided I am not going to go nuts and turbo it or put shocks that cost more then the car on it. I am going to buy sticky tires, put a 75% track / 25% street alignment on it and drive the freaking piss out of it.
So far I love the thing and I stand by my recommendation. If you want to learn to drive, if you want to autocross, if you want to go to the track, if you want to have serious fun without the risk of Jail. Buy a Miata.
Mod list so far.
Suspension And Chassis: * Spec Miata Coilover Suspension with different front springs 450 lbs front, 325 lbs rear and additional rear tender springs. * Fat Cat Motorsports modified NB top mounts * Stitch Welding around door openings for stiffness * Largest Racing Beat Hollow Front Sway Bar * 949 Racing end-links * Heavy Duty Sway Bar Mount Brackets * NB shock tower brace * Stainless frame rail stiffeners * Boss Frog Frog Arms for stiffness * All suspension bushings replaced with polyurethane * Polyurethane steering rack bushings * Polyurethane differential mounts * Polyurethane steering rack bushings * Mazdaspeed Engine Mounts * No power steering
Wheels And Tires: * Enkei RPF1 15x7 wheels (very light) wheels with Bridgestone 205-50r15 RE11A tires * Team Dynamics Spec Miata 15x7 wheels with spent track tires.
Safety: * Boss Frog Double Hoop Roll Bar * Custom Door Bars welded in with reinforcement brackets by Blackbird Fabworx * Sparco Racing seats on sparco Sliders * 2 5-point cam-lock harnesses
Brakes: * Flyin Miata brake bias distribution valve * Steel braided brake lines * Porterfield brake disks * New hi-temp brake fluid
Drivetrain and Cooling: * Fidanza Flywheel * Heavy Duty Clutch * Torsen Limited Slip Differential LSD * NB (improved synchros) 5-speed with matching starter * Flyin Miata crossflow radiator * MonsterFlow cold air intake CAI (the best flowing miata intake) CARB-compliant * Jackson Racing ceramic coated CARB-compliant 4-2-1 header with relocated O2 sensor for more accurate readings * High-flow Goodwin Racing catalytic converter * Goodwin Racing Mid-Pipe * Goodwin Racing Muffler
Body and Interior: * Interior swapped from 1991 * Flyin Miata Ducted Carbon Fiber Headlight Cover for air flow to intake * Custom turn signal air intake * Momo Steering Wheel with spacer.

Maintaining the flooring of your commercial building is key to high-quality presentation and long-term protection. Although many see floor cleaning as merely moping and vacuuming, there are many other factors to take into consideration and terminology is one.
Periodically we run into a situation where we initially are in danger of not providing the floor service that a client requests. Over time we have discovered that in nearly every case, the terminology is the problem. Although we may all use the same term, each of us might have a distinctly different definition which can lead to confusion but more importantly, unmet floor cleaning expectations.

Communication is the Key

At Compass Cleaning Solutions, we believe communication on every level is critical and no more so than on something as technical as commercial floor and carpet cleaning. For that reason, I thought it might be beneficial for those who are looking to have a hard floor or carpet cleaning for their business done to have some clear definitions laid out.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning

Carpets act like filters that trap bacteria, dander, and allergens. Having your commercial carpets cleaned regularly by a professional carpet cleaning company can improve the filtration qualities of your carpet and add to the life expectancy as well.

Carpet Cleaning Methods

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• Extraction
  Extraction is the most common process for cleaning carpets. Hot Water Extraction (HWE) or steam cleaning involves hot water and carpet cleaning agents. The hot water and cleaning solutions are pushed into your carpet pile at high pressure to loosen up the dirt and grime.
  The extraction of the water and cleaning solution is then removed by a high-power vacuum, removing all of the dirt and stains.
  
• Ionized Water
  Technology has brought us things like Ionized water which not only kills virtually anything it comes into contact with but ultimately leaves no residue because it is, after all, it’s just water.
  
• Dry Cleaning
  Dry cleaning uses similar technology as ionization to charge dirt particles which then cling together. Vacuuming then removes the particles.
  Dry chemical compounds or cleaning solvents are applied to the carpet. The chemicals will break down what soils they can find. A further benefit of this type of cleaning is the ability to lift the carpet pile which prevents fiber breakdown.
  

Compass Cleaning Solutions has a four-step process for cleaning carpets: pre-spray, agitate and rinse and extract. The powerful extraction system allows the carpet to dry within a few short hours.

Commercial Floor Cleaning Services

Getting on a regular floor care plan with a qualified company who knows how to refinish your floors and use the correct finish for the particular application, can save you thousands of dollars and provide you a very lovely floor finish that will 'reflect' well on your company.
Learning floor cleaning terminology will help make sure that proper maintenance is performed, leaving the integrity of your flooring in tip-top shape. Besides that, you can rest assured that you and your janitorial services company are on the same page.

• Office Floor Cleaning
  Cleaning is the process of either using a dry dust mop, preferably a microfiber mop or a damp mop. Again we suggest a Microfiber flat mop to remove dirt, dust or food and drink from the floor. Microfiber mops have been proven to remove 99$ of bacteria.
  Regular cleaning helps reduce damage and extend the life of your floor finish. The higher the frequency of cleaning, the longer the floor finish will last.
  

One note, we recommend using only neutral floor cleaners and disinfectants for cleaning floors. Avoid using bleach based cleansers. These type of cleansers will remove the luster from any floor finish, leaving a white milky surface on the floor.

• Hard Surface Floor Stripping
  Stripping is the process of removing a topical finish such as old wax entirely from a hard floor surface such as Vinyl Composition Tile (VCT), Concrete or other types of resilient flooring.
  A solvent called a stripper is applied to the floor, followed by a low-speed scrubbing machine that is used in conjunction with a black scrubbing pad to remove all of the topical finish.
  Stripping is the first part to refinishing your flooring.
  We do not recommend this process unless the floor finish has been completely worn off or so severely damaged that repair is not possible without removing the entire finish.
  
• Scrubbing a Commercial Floor
  Scrubbing is similar to stripping in that some finish is removed (top layers only) and a low-speed machine is used to remove the finish.
  The big difference between scrubbing and stripping is that a cleaning solution is used instead of a solvent stripper, removing only the top layer of finish.
  An alternative to a wet scrub is to use an orbital machine to effectively 'sand' the top coats down preparing the floor for refinish. In most cases this is a faster process and tends to leave a smoother surface to apply a re-coat.
  
• Hard Surface Floor Burnishing
  Burnishing is a process used to polish a clean floor without scrubbing or adding a fresh finish. The process requires a high-speed burnisher or a propane burnishing machine. The process effectively heats the finish and then quickly cools to remove scratches and scuffs.
  Burnishing is typically an interim measure between scrubbing to maintain a shine. Under some circumstances, burnishing will also harden the floor finish enabling it to wear longer.
  
• What does Buffing a Floor entail?
  Buffing is similar to burnishing in that the process helps to maintain a shine. In this case, a liquid finish product, known as spray buff, is applied to the floor followed by a high-speed buffer that then polishes the floor.
  A thorough cleaning should be performed on the hard floor before buffing as is the case in all finishing processes.
  
• Retail Floor Finishing
  While the term 'wax' is still used extensively in the commercial cleaning industry in reality, virtually all floor finishes today are synthetic compounds comprised of acrylic polymers or polyurethane and zinc and or ceramic particles.
  Typically polymer molecules are bonded via zinc particles to create a single solid layer of finish. In some cases where static can be an issue such as an electronic and semiconductor chip manufacturing, non-metallic bonding agents is used to achieving the same effect.
  Historically the floor finishing process required sealers to be added to the raw floor to allow for adhesion to the finish, but today the properties of floor finishes cause this to be unnecessary. Technology has made it possible to put down fewer coats of finish but still retain a high level of polymer' solids' on the floor and still achieve sufficient floor protection.
  Some finishes are designed to perform better with interim burnishing while others do not require the same maintenance. A professional floor cleaning company can help determine what best fits your application.
  What does all of this mean to the consumer?
  The floor finish can be laid down more quickly, which costs less while still getting the same or better results. The floor location and amount of foot traffic can often help determine what type of finish should be applied.
  

Floors are one of the most expensive assets in an office, and regular maintenance goes a long way to saving you money and the expense of premature replacement.

Commercial Floor Cleaners

At Compass Cleaning Solutions, we offer experience in maintaining several types of commercial flooring in offices, retail environments, and industrial spaces.
From stone to wood, vinyl, concrete, and more, whatever your flooring needs are, we can help you maintain both your flooring and your image.
Contact the Floor Cleaning Professionals at Compass Cleaning Solutions to learn more about maintaining your office hard flooring today at (602)606-7900 or toll-free (877)221-1213.

Hey everyone, I've received a lot of great support from this /reddit so I have been able to narrow down my choices for best way to buff in between coats. I will be using a water based polyurethane on a large beech tabletop. I've already ruled out using my random orbital sander between coats, but I'm not sure which other option is best. My choices are:

1. scotch-brite pads
   
2. plain old sandpaper backed by sanding block
   
3. superfine sanding sponge
   

Which one would you recommend?

Hey everyone, hope you are doing well:)
I’m a complete novice when it comes to finishing tabletops, but I’ve received a lot of helpful advice around here that has made this process a little less scary for me. People have been super helpful and taken the time to help me out. To be honest, I messed up my previous project, so I’m trying to sure I don’t mess up again.
I plan to purchase a solid beech tabletop from Ikea (Ikea Gerton) to be used exclusively as a desk. I’m looking for a durable, smooth, uniform satin finish with a subtle yet beautiful sheen.
Based on a lot of feedback, I’ve come up with the following:

1. Begin by using a random orbital sander to strip the Ikea finish off and get it prepped for the initial coats.
   
2. Apply lots of thin coats of an oil based polyurethane, specifically Varathane Professional Clear Finish in Gloss (http://varathane.ca/oil-based/professional-clear-finish/Y90061) . I will sand lightly with very fine grits between coats. I will avoid back brushing and go end-to-end following the grain. Will repeat 6-7 times.
   
3. After the final coat, let it cure for 4 weeks.
   
4. Use a method of ‘rub out finish’ to buff it to the desired shine. I.e. like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9LOtYFMb-A
   

Some comments/questions:

1. I’ve heard great things about waterlox, but it seems impossible to find anywhere where I live (Canada). Is this worth any consideration?
   
2. Would you change anything? Is there something I’m going to do that is a bad idea? Or perhaps something I should be wary of?
   
3. Are there any other oil based polyurethane you can recommend? Also I’ve been told to use ‘gloss’ finishes due to the fact that I can buff it down to the desired finish, whereas I can’t add shine to a satin finish.
   

If you have any comments/suggestions/concerns please let me know. I really value your input. Thanks a lot. =)
EDIT:
I've made the following changes based on some feedback:

• Apply ~3 coats of Gloss Finish, and a final coat of Satin Finish
• Avoid 'rubbing out' the finish as it is not necessary with a final satin coat
• Perhaps switch to a poly spray?

Hey everyone, hope you are doing well:)
I’m a complete novice when it comes to finishing tabletops, but I’ve received a lot of helpful advice around here that has made this process a little less scary for me. People have been super helpful and taken the time to help me out. To be honest, I messed up my previous project, so I’m trying to sure I don’t mess up again.
I plan to purchase a solid beech tabletop from Ikea (Ikea Gerton) to be used exclusively as a desk. I’m looking for a durable, smooth, uniform satin finish with a subtle yet beautiful sheen.
Based on a lot of feedback, I’ve come up with the following:

1. Begin by using a random orbital sander to strip the Ikea finish off and get it prepped for the initial coats.
   
2. Apply lots of thin coats of an oil based polyurethane, specifically Varathane Professional Clear Finish in Gloss (http://varathane.ca/oil-based/professional-clear-finish/Y90061) . I will sand lightly with very fine grits between coats. I will avoid back brushing and go end-to-end following the grain. Will repeat 6-7 times.
   
3. After the final coat, let it cure for 4 weeks.
   
4. Use a method of ‘rub out finish’ to buff it to the desired shine. I.e. like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9LOtYFMb-A
   

Some comments/questions:

1. I’ve heard great things about waterlox, but it seems impossible to find anywhere where I live (Canada). Is this worth any consideration?
   
2. Would you change anything? Is there something I’m going to do that is a bad idea? Or perhaps something I should be wary of?
   
3. Are there any other oil based polyurethane you can recommend? Also I’ve been told to use ‘gloss’ finishes due to the fact that I can buff it down to the desired finish, whereas I can’t add shine to a satin finish.
   

If you have any comments/suggestions/concerns please let me know. I really value your input. Thanks a lot. =)
EDIT:
I've made the following changes based on some feedback:

Apply ~3 coats of Gloss Finish, and a final coat of Satin Finish Avoid 'rubbing out' the finish as it is not necessary with a final satin coat Perhaps switch to a poly spray? 

Hey everyone, I've received a lot of great support from this /reddit so I have been able to narrow down my choices for best way to buff in between coats. I will be using a water based polyurethane on a large beech tabletop. I've already ruled out using my random orbital sander between coats, but I'm not sure which other option is best. My choices are:

1. scotch-brite pads
2. plain old sandpaper backed by sanding block
3. superfine sanding sponge

Which one would you recommend?

Hi,
I am trying to make a small countertop for myself using hard maple and I am having trouble with runs in the finishing. From my sanded countertop I applied pre-stain conditioner followed by my stain. I've now tried using Bullseye De-waxed shellac as a barrier coat between my stain and polyurethane. However, I just can't seem to get the runs out of the shellac for a smooth finish no matter how careful I brush. I've tried using synthetic steel wool to buff out the finish, and while it does a good job of removing the gloss, it doesn't really remove the runs in the finish before it starts taking up the stain. I've also tried using denatured alcohol, but it has similar effect to the steel wool and gums up the finish in the process. What am I doing wrong?