Anyone used an industrial-type floor cleaner ?

[BettySpaghetti]

You know those big machines they use in schools, shops etc for hard floors? Has anyone used one?

If so can you get different grades/types of attachments for the bottom.

DP has laid a reclaimed wooden floor throughout our hall downstairs and we don't want to sand it as we already have a lot of quite light wooden stripped floors.

The reclaimed wood hes laid is a lovely, darker colour but filthy.

We were wondering whether those machines would take off years of grime and give the finish we want or do they literally just polish?

I know its not a very thrilling topic.........

last desperate bump....please....

Scrubbing brush? Or is it a big hall? I had an ok result with a scrubbing brush and a lot of elbow-grease on our kitchen floor while we save up for new flooring.

YES ME

yes you can get ALL SORTS of different buffers for the circular thingies

We got one that cleaned our 60 year-old lino floor

It came up ok

Did some with the circular thing and some by hand

We went into our local industrial cleaning store - actually I asked the school caretaker for advice about where to go! They were extremely helpful

They are FAST though! Make sure you don't just turn it on carelessly or you will go flying across the room at 90mph and break your skirting board

thanks both! I know its not a riveting topicc

It is a big hallway (and the utility room has same flooring too) otherwise a bit of sweat and tears with a scrubbing brush would probably do it. It would be hard,hard work though hence looking for easy options.

MP -do you remember if some of the buffers
available were mildly abrasive ones? I don't want it sanded but in places theres x years worth of dirt.

lol at the fast machine -I think that might be an excuse to delegate to DP

Yes we have used one..we have a Teraccotta Floor. They come with all sorts of heads from thick wire ones for Industrial Cleaning through to soft ones for light buffing. We hired ours, any tool hire shop will do it, for £30 a day. You can buy them on e-bay, but a good model from new is about £250. I would advise you to ring the hire shop and tell them what you want it for. They'll advise you which heads you need to use and whether it'll do the job.
They are bloody hard to use and steer around though!

my dp is an industrial cleaner and said that if you hire or buy one then it should come with differant textured pads,make sure there isplenty of water on the floor,scrub with the black pad to get the dirt off...then mop it....then buff it up with the red pad to bring the shine up.the pads will not scratch it at all just make sure you keep moving the machine as your cleaning....do not leave it in the same place for a long amount of time.hope this helps

Thanks.

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