Strip and Wax: How Commercial Floor Refinishing Works

When a tiled commercial floor goes from dull and scuffed to a uniform, mirror-like shine, that’s a strip and wax. It’s the most labor-intensive part of floor care — and the most misunderstood, because “wax” isn’t really wax and the gloss you see day to day is maintained by something else entirely. Here’s the full cycle and how the pieces fit together.

The strip-and-wax cycle, step by step

1. 1Strip — a stripping solution dissolves the old finish, which is then scrubbed and removed.
2. 2Neutralize & rinse — the floor is rinsed and pH-neutralized so new finish bonds properly.
3. 3Apply finish — several thin coats of floor finish are applied, each allowed to dry.
4. 4Cure — the finish is left to harden before traffic and burnishing resume.

Strip-and-wax vs. the maintenance that keeps it shining

The gloss you see between refinishes comes from burnishing and buffing, not from re-waxing. Buffing uses a lower-speed machine to clean and smooth the finish; burnishing uses a high-speed machine to bring up a high shine. Neither replaces a strip and wax — they extend the life of the finish that’s already down, so you strip less often.

How often you actually need it

Frequency tracks traffic. High-traffic floors are typically stripped and refinished one to four times a year with regular burnishing in between; lower-traffic areas may need a full strip only annually. The goal is to refinish before the finish wears through to the tile — once traffic grinds through to bare VCT, recovery takes more labor and material than staying on a schedule would have.