Floor Pads

A floor pad is an abrasive, and the colour code exists so nobody has to guess how aggressive it is. Getting it wrong is expensive in both directions — too soft and the floor does not come up, too aggressive and you have taken the finish off in front of the customer.

The other variable is what the pad is made of. Melamine and microfibre pads clean by mechanical structure rather than by cutting, which changes what they will do to a sealed or timber surface.

The range covers FiberPlus pads in 8 inch beige (box of 15) and 17 inch beige/cream (box of 5), with FiberPlus MAX in grey in the same two sizes; 40 cm pads in white super polish, tan polishing and brown dry strip; the 3M maroon SPP 40 cm for timber denibbing; Actichem System 7 disc pads in 400 mm (16 inch) and 425 mm (17 inch); and Cyclo pad driver plates in sets of two.

How to choose

Lighter colour, lighter cut. White and beige polish, tan buffs, brown strips. If you are unsure, start with the least aggressive pad that could work and step up — you cannot step back down once the finish is gone.

Denibbing is not stripping. The 3M maroon SPP is for knocking back raised grain between coats on timber. Using a strip pad for that job takes the coating off with the nib.

Match the pad to the drive plate diameter. A 17 inch pad on a 16 inch plate flexes at the edge and wears unevenly. Cyclo takes its own driver plates.

Boxed pads are the honest way to buy. Pads are consumed faster than most operators budget for. The 15-packs and 5-packs exist because running out mid-contract is the real cost.

Test on timber before you commit. Sealed timber varies enormously by age and product. An inconspicuous area costs two minutes.

Carpet bonnets are in Carpet Bonnets, encapsulation chemistry in Encapsulation & Bonnet Cleaning, timber floor products in Timber Floor, and orbital machine spares in Orbot.