Polishing Floors

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30964, 21 January 1966, Page 2

Polishing Floors

[By STELLA BRUCE] To seal or not to seal—that is the question that our floors would very much like answered. So many of us belong to the school which looks upon any slightly unpolished surface as a challenge. Yet contemporary trends dictate that we spend as little time as possible on our knees. There are some simple rules about sealing the polish into floor surfaces. Do not try to seal a non-porous surface. You will simply make trouble for yourself. The object of a seal is to sink shine into the depths of the material. Non-porous kitchen tiles, for instance, should not be sealed but treated with a water-based emulsion polish. Use it after cleaning the surface with steel wool and mild detergent. Linoleum, on the other hand, being a live material, can be sealed. Clean the surface, and apply two or three coats of seal with two or three hours between. Wood floors can be cleaned and treated with seal. If you want a lasting effect use a hard-drying plastic coating which will remain intact for several months before it needs replacing. Laminated plastics must not be given a wax polish surface or, indeed, any polish at all. The same applies to ceramic tiles, which have their own built-in polish. You hear many complaints about the labour-saving sealing compounds, particularly from older housewives. But most of these complaints stem from using one coat and expecting perfection. At least three are normally needed.— Provincial Press Features.