[Bryan22]

Hello everyone, newbie here looking for some help.
I have pine flooring with a wax finish. Before the holidays I rented a buffer and used some old wax I had in the garage to "refinish" the floor. First I cleaned the floors then I applied a fairly thin layer of wax (duraseal wax). Next I buffed the floor using the buffer. I was going through about 2 white pads in each room due to wax buildup on the pad. Afterwards the floors looked pretty good but were a pretty low sheen.
Since "refinishing" the floor we have noticed that the wax is smudging wherever somebody walks across the floor in shoes. If you stand in one spot and twist your foot wearing tennis shoes it smears the wax. Obviously this has our floors looking horrible.
My wife says I should just call a professional but the DIY'er in me doesn't want to give up. Do you think the wax I used had gone bad? It had been in my garage for a few years but I didn't think it would go bad. If so, what should I do to remove it. Otherwise, did I just not buff it enough?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[ddawg16]

Wax will scuff....

When I was in the military, we waxed our floors.....and when walking down the hallway, you always walked to the side as close to the wall as you could so as to no scuff the floor.....that is the way it was.....

If you want low maint....you will most likely have to sand down the floors, stain and put down a poly coating.

There should be some experts along shortly with better info.

 

[joecaption]

#1 Unless you have heart pine floors, pine is a very soft wood.
Never heard of waxing any type of wood floors, only poly.

 

[Bryan22]

Yes, they are heart pine.
ddawg, I REALLY wish we had gone with poly for many reasons. The guy that helped me with our floor installation said a wax finish would be easier to maintain. I don't have a lot of experience with poly finished floors but I do know this wax finish hasn't been very easy.
I am thinking that the wax had gone bad and will not harden due to its age??? I guess I will have to find a way to get this wax off and use new wax to rebuff.

 

[oh'mike]

There are many different kinds of wax----some soft --some hard---You have the wrong wax---

Wax finished floor are high maintenance--I haven't seen that used since the 1960s ---

For ease of maintenance---call a floor finisher and get that sanded and finished with a modern coating----

Wait a few years for the wax to collect dirt and then you will really hate it----then it's hands and knees time----solvent and steel wool to strip the wax and replace---