Electric Floor Buffers and Floor Burnishers

Stop right now and take a look at the floors around you. Are they dull or scuffed up?

If they’re not looking their best, then you need to do whatever it takes to restore the luster of their original finish. That’s where electric buffers come into play.

However, to find the best machine for your operations, you must have a clear understanding of their different applications. Fortunately, at Performance Systems Janitorial, we have the expertise and collaborative spirit to help you find the perfect solution for you.

So, What is a Floor Burnisher?

A floor burnisher is designed to dramatically enhance the shine on a finished piece of flooring. These machine rub a pad against the floor until they have a high-gloss shine.

Since they’re electrically powered, and usually offer a fairly generous pad width, they can cover a substantial amount of flooring in a relatively short period of time. This is true even when managed by only a single operator.

Even better, electric floor buffers & burnishers don’t generate exhaust and therefore can be used in tighter enclosed areas where you wouldn’t be able to use other sources of power. This also makes them ideal for those who want to ensure that they’re only using clean sources of energy.

What Does a Floor Buffer Do?

A floor buffer is moved, side-to-side, over a floor in order to buff off the finish, which is usually a thin coat of polymer wax. You can also use one to strip the material off of a floor that needs to have its wax reapplied as well.

Buffing your floor on a regular basis will help to ensure that it maintains a great finish. You would use a floor scrubber to initially sanitize the floor before using a burnisher later on to really give the surface a great shine.

What is the Difference Between a Floor Buffer and a Floor Burnisher?

Pad pressure is one of the biggest differences between a floor buffer and a burnisher.

Both of these machines contribute to the shiny look that a polished floor boasts.

However, a floor buffer offers much more pressure to each pad than a burnisher ever would.

You might want to think of the difference in terms of function.

Most burnishers polish a floor at a much higher speed than other pieces of equipment, so they’re generally used after you’ve already cleaned the floors. They’re normally run after you’ve given a coarse polishing with a floor buffer.

Burnishing machines operate at a speed sometimes in excess of 2,000 RPM. This enables them to give them a more fine finish after they were initially run over by a coarser device.

Buffers are designed to clean, scrub, or buff out a floor.

They operate at a comparatively low speed and work in a side-to-side sort of lateral direction. Burnishers, on the other hand, are high speed devices that drive straight forward and restore the glitzy look that installed flooring usually has when you first have it put down.

Many organizations in the jan-san space will actually invest in one of each. They’ll buff the floor out first before later running it over with a burnisher to put a capstone shine on it.

A completely burnished floor has a very professional look and it might even resist the collection of other bits of dirt or debris later on.

Can You Strip a Floor with a Burnisher?

No, you can’t actually strip a floor with a floor burnisher. In fact, while floor burnishers can do many amazing things, they’re not actually designed for stripping jobs.

They’re made to put a glossy shine onto an existing finished floor. Even 2000 RPM burnishers lack the kind of pad pressure that you’d need to remove a finish.

They’re not designed to work with floor stripping chemicals, either.

You’ll want to invest in a dedicated floor stripping machine if you must take the finish off of an existing floor. These machines generate a much greater amount of pressure, which is important when you’re trying to remove the finish on a flooring tile.

These devices make it easy to keep the floors looking great, and they work well with other pieces of floor cleaning equipment. You could sweep a floor clean, or even scrub it, before using an electric buffer to finish it off.

Best Uses for Electric Floor Buffers

Using scrubbers and buffers alongside one another to completely clean and finish off areas of flooring is so common that some people will actually want to purchase them together. That’s why you’ll see Pioneer Eclipse 420 series buffers sold alongside Tennant T5 scrubber devices.

Janitorial and custodial specialists can use the scrubber to clean the floors, which will then get finished with the included buffer. Our refurbished equipment comes outfitted with new batteries, so you won’t have to worry about it going out prematurely.

These Tennant B7 27″ buffers are outfitted with similar equipment, which provides up to three hours of constant buffing usage. That’s good news for individuals who have to take on more than one room at a time.

Electric floor burnishers minimize effort on your operators.

In many cases, that should be more than enough to finish off even the largest of rooms. That being said, some users might be looking for a device that offers some additional features.

The NSS 27″ buffer may be ideal for them, providing that same flip-up head style that’s revolutionizing the floor buffer industry. This alone makes it easier to change the buffing pads while also ensuring that it isn’t going to take up too much storage space.

It also includes a dust skirt as well as a vacuum bag. This makes it one of the better options for those who need something that provides a greater degree of dust control than you’d normally find.

Employing Electric Floor Buffers in Your Place of Business

Those who work in an environment with polished floors, as well as those who provide janitorial services for outside organizations, can benefit from electric floor buffers. They can restore the overall look and feel of a polished floor while helping to eliminate all of the calling cards that are left in nearly all areas with higher traffic.

Our team has made sure to put together a collection of electric floor burnishers to serve any industrial or commercial need. To find the perfect solution for your operations, reach out to our team today.