Floor Maintenance with Norton Bear-Tex Super 54

Non-woven nylon pads are used for many applications in the cleaning, sanding and maintenance of flooring substrates. These flooring substrates consist of hardwood, marble, VCT and ceramic tile. For each flooring type the non-woven pads have a different function which leads to so many types of pads offered. The Norton Bear-Tex Super 54 line of floor pads are specifically designed for the surface preparation and finishing of these flooring types.

The first distinction to be made regarding the Super 54 line is if the pad will be used on surface preparation or surface finishing. The difference between the two is that one is used before the final coat of finish or coating is applied and the other is used after. For example, in hardwood floor sanding a non-woven pad can be used for the final sanding or blending of the wood before finish is applied, this is surface preparation. Then after all of the coats of finish are applied another non-woven pad is used to the final shine or look to the floor, this is surface finish.

Another distinction to be made is the speed of the maintainer or buffer machine being used. For general stripping, scrubbing and polishing a slow speed (175 – 350 rpm) machine is used. For ultra high speed polishing and burnishing (to bring to gloss) a machine running at high speed (1500 – 3000 rpm) is used.

There are 6 major categories for the use of the Super 54 pads: stripping, scrubbing, spray buffing, buffing/polishing, light burnishing & heavy burnishing. Each category uses a few of the specific Super 54 pads in varying degrees to achieve its purpose.

In stripping you are using the non-woven pad to remove material. This material may be layers of wax on tile floors or adhesive left when carpet or linoleum is removed. In any case you will need a pad that quickly and easily removes the material. For the stripping application a low rpm machine is used. The pads used for this application are the High Productivity Black Stripping pad and the Black Super Strip pad . The High Productivity Black Stripping pad is an extremely aggressive pad that is openly porous for the most difficult stripping jobs. The Black Super Strip is an aggressive, durable and consistent pad used in all wet stripping (in conjunction with chemical strippers) applications.

The scrubbing application of non-woven pads is when a floor needs to be cleaned of various marks and scratches. These pads are also used with a low speed machine. The two pads generally used for this application are the Green Super Scrub and the Blue Super Clean. The Green Super Scrub is used for heavy-duty scrubbing or light stripping jobs. The Blue Super Clean pad is for general duty scrubbing or cleaning jobs prior to re-coating.

Spray buffing is done when a like new finish is desired on a regular basis. This is done mainly in supermarkets, hospitals and commercial buildings where a consistently clean look is desired. This application can be used on either a low or high-speed machine depending on what type of finish you desire. The pads that are used in the spray buffing application are the Red Buffer , Champagne Polish & Burnish and the Ultra Grizzly pads . The Red Buffer pad is designed for a high gloss finish on spray buffing applications or for light cleaning. The Champagne Polish & Burnish pad is our softest pad that will give you the highest gloss. Finally the Ultra Grizzly pad is a special blend of synthetic and natural fibers designed to quickly remove scratches and marks and leaves the floors glistening.

Buffing and Polishing is used on dry floors to pick up the sheen or gloss of the floor. The pads used for Buffing & Polishing are the Champagne Polish & Burnish (described above) and the White Super Gloss. The White Super Gloss pad is for all polishing or burnishing applications where a high gloss is desired.

Light burnishing is restoring the coating on the floor to a moderate gloss level. This procedure is done with a high-speed machine (1500 – 2000 rpm). The pads used in this application are the Champagne Polish & Burnish(described above) and the Thermal Burnish pad. The Thermal Burnish pad uses a unique rubberized binder formulation, which gives this pad outstanding, results on softer finishes.

Heavy burnishing is restoring the coating on the floor to a high gloss finish. This procedure is also done with a high-speed machine (1500 – 3000 rpm). The pads used for heavy burnishing are the Aqua Ultra High-Speed pad , Pink “Top-Shine” Burnish pad and the Ultra Grizzly pad (described above). The Aqua Ultra High-Speed pad is designed to produce a “wet” look shine on soft to medium hardness finishes. It is found to work especially well on metal-free finishes. The Pink “Top-Shine” Burnish pad is a multi-purpose burnishing pad for use with ultra high speed machines to revive gloss on dull floors in a single pass. The Pink pad works best when floors have a good base coat of finish. This pad is designed for HARD FINISHES ONLY. Substitute the Pink pad for animal hair pads in health care facilities.