Floor Wax or Polish
Floor Wax or Polish
Instead of sprinkling floor wax in the
powder form on dancing floors, which
is a crude but simple way of treating
floors prior to dancing, floor wax or pol-
ish in liquid form should be preferred
as this makes a more satisfactory re-
sult. The base of these polishes is usu-
ally beeswax which is either emulsion-
ized with an alkaline solution or is dis-
solved in oil of turpentine.
The floor to be treated should be
thoroughly cleaned and thoroughly dry.
If not perfectly smooth, it should be
made so by sandpapering or scraping
followed by sandpapering. If there is
any old paint, varnish or polish on the
floor it should be removed with lye,
then thoroughly washing and drying the
floor.
In using the polish it should be ap-
plied in a thin coat, allowed to dry thor-
oughly, then rubbed hard with brushes
or cloths until a suitable gloss is ob-
tained.
The following preparations have been
highly recommended as floor polishes :
Dieterich's formula
Yellow wax av.oz. 8
Potassium carbonate av.oz. 1
Oil of turpentine fl.oz. 1
Water fl.oz. 32
Heat the wax and water to boiling;
add the potassium carbonate; boil an-
other minute or until the wax is emul-
sified ; remove the vessel from the fire ;
add the oil, and stir until cold.
If the floor is well preserved, 16 fluid-
ounces more of water may be added.
A brown color may be produced by add-
ing sienna or umber, and a very dark
brown, by the further addition of lamp-
black.
Hager's formula
Yellow wax av.oz. 8
Potassium carbonate av.oz. 4
Water fl.oz. 52
Heat the wax in an iron vessel with
40 fluid ounces of water until the wax
is melted, then add the potassium car-
bonate dissolved in the remainder of the
water and boil together until solution
is effected.
If it be desired to color the polish,
add 1/2 to 1 a v. ounce of annatto pre-
viously dissolved in a little alcohol.
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