I am looking at a building and want to know the best way to polish/clean steel flooring. It is abour 65’ X 35’. Its in good condition as far as no warping cracks faulty welds or any other structual problems. There is an even mild coating of brownish rust and the surface is also evenly textured maby from the rust but not bad. The texture is kinda like small raised bumps they seem small though and you probally could still roll a marlbe on it straight.
I want to know the best way to clean it up. I want it to be polished and clean looking. Maby even a brushed type look if I use some sort of sander.
Any suggestions? And what type of coating should I put on it. I hope it to be a heavy traffic produce/fresh food market.
Thanks…
Different abrasive level pads are available for rotary floor cleaner/polishers, which you can rent. Scotchbrite red is effective for removal of minor surface rust from polished/grained steel surfaces of vault doors and SD boxes, but you’ll want an liquid anti-oxidant to use with the cleaning pads. A swirled finish will likely be left by red, so you can start with green which is less abrasive. As far as a wearing coating that will let the floor look nice, I’m kinda stuck. Epoxies, urethanes, and lacquers come to mind, but durability and slip-resistance are factors I can’t intelligently comment on.
DWC you are definately one up on me here. I have never seen or heard of steel flooring? I tried a quick google but I still don’t know what the OP is refering to.
Any help? Is he refring to the structural aspects of the sub floor or the actual flooring?
I am refering to the actual flooring. The part your shoes come in contact with.
This is thick solid steel. I think back in the old days of alaska they did things a little different as the building is solid poured concrete as well. I havent even discussed the basement. It looks like a bomb shelter.
Anyway since the foor is rather large and it will be open to retail space I want it to be safe and look great. As of now its industrial plate steel and in need of improvements. I am dreaming of a beautiful brushed look with a thick protective low/non-slip long lasting coating. I am also not sure how to get there.
The only time I’ve seen steel flooring has been in the bottom of truck trailers. I’m borrowing on my time from the bank equipment company when we had to make everything metal look spiffy.
If you want a linear-grained straight line finish, there are no machines I know of to deliver that. If you’re willing to accept bright, rust-free, with rotary marks, then my original suggestion stands. Start with Googling combinations such as “steel floor coatings” “steel floors” and other variants. From there you will find dealers/applicators in your area who can offer accurate pricing for the specific project. Any epoxy or urethane floor coating can have a distributed quartz or silicon carbide traction assistant applied in the process.
I know this thread is a bit outdated, but the floors in the freezers of a local KFC was metal. Whenever my mom would clean them, she’d use nothing but rubbing alcohol mixed with regular water. The floor would sparkle when she got through.
(I used to do maintenance work there, so I saw it a time or two.)