The Very Best Hardwood Floor Polishes
Hardwood floors are a beautiful luxury to have in your homes. They add a pleasant touch of class and sass to your interior environment. But, to maintain the natural luster and vanish that gives your wooden floor its appeal, you need to understand all the things it takes to properly maintain a hardwood floor. Typically, in most situations, this would mean learning the proper way to clean, treat and wax these floors. But it goes beyond that, you also need to polish your hardwood floors so that they do not get damaged and lose their desired glossy finish. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of the best hardwood floor polishes in 2021. This careful selection of premium hardwood floor polishes will help keep your floor looking fresh as the day you moved in.
Floor cleaners vs. floor restorers
- Floor cleaners contain detergents and cleaning agents that remove dirt, grime and debris. Some floor cleaners disinfect floors as well. However, very few wood floor cleaners leave floors with a glossy shine.
- Hardwood floor restorers are used after you’ve deep-cleaned your floors. They fill in and blend imperfections in damaged or worn-out areas. Restorers also coat floors with a glossy, protective layer to restore their natural luster.
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned your floors, wait 24 hours before applying the hardwood floor restorer.
How do I use a hardwood floor restorer?
While application instructions for hardwood floor restorers are similar, it’s best to read the instructions thoroughly before application.
Here are a few tips that can help you achieve a successful application:
- Follow the grain of the wood when you apply the floor restorer, otherwise you can end up with a streaky, uneven application.
- Apply the same amount of restorer to each part of the floor. In addition, apply the same pressure to the mop or rag with each stroke.
- After you’ve covered the entire floor with the restorer, avoid foot traffic as much as possible for the next several hours while it dries and sets.
Quantity
For the most part, hardwood floor restorers are available in 16-, 32-, 64-, and 128-ounce bottles. If you’re wondering how large a bottle you should buy, here’s how much floor each amount covers:
- 16-ounce bottles are suitable for areas approximately 260 square feet.
- 32-ounce bottles cover roughly twice that area, or about 525 square feet.
- 64-ounce bottles cover approximately 1,000 square feet.
- 128-ounce bottles are adequate for around 2,000 square feet.
How often do I need to apply hardwood floor restorers?
A. Some people apply a restorer once a season, while others apply it once or twice a year. However, if you’re applying restorer more often to conceal major imperfections, it might be time to consider refinishing your floors.
Compare The Best Hardwood Floor Polish In 2021
- Weiman Hardwood Floor Polish – Best Overall
Weiman Hardwood floor polish and restorer imparts your floors with the beautiful high-gloss finish that it deserves. This product is a “ready to use” product formulated to get rid of greasy messes, dirt, and grime on all hardwood floor finishes. The Weiman Hardwood floor polish and restorer will make your hardwood floors look and feel brand new. It revitalizes your cleaning experience and takes your floors up several notches in quality, appearance, and function. This floor polish is also quite versatile and can be used on any finished hardwood surface, rejuvenating a shine with no sticky residue.
- Bona Hardwood Floor Polish – Runner Up
Bona Hardwood Floor Polish helps you give your floor the care it deserves. Its protective formula renews hardwood floors by filling in micro-scratches and scuffs, shielding against future wear and traffic.
Bona Hardwood Floor Polish keeps your floors revitalized and looking new and adds a durable high gloss shine that is timeless and safe. With this amazing product, you can restore your aging floors to their previous glory and maintain them for a lifetime.
PROS
It’s safe for all kinds of unwaxed, unoiled, polyurethane finished wood floors
Can be used to even out the appearance of the floorCONS
The product will not work well on wooden floors with worn out shape - Quick Shine Hardwood Floor Polish – Honorable Mention
Quick shine Hardwood Polish restores the richness, color, and beauty of your hardwood floors with added durability to withstand heavy foot traffic. It adds a protective layer filling in micro-scratches and evening out the appearance of your hardwood floors.
Quick shine hardwood polish is fortified with pure, natural, plant-based carnauba and is free from aluminum, ammonia, formaldehyde, fragrance, paraben, phthalate, and gluten. It provides the “WOW” glow that your floors need with the health and safety of your family in mind.
PROS
This hardwood polish is fragrance-free
It’s EPA approved, a safer choice for polish for a renewed finish and lasting polish
It’s free from aluminum, ammonia, gluten, paraben, and phthalateCONS
The polish doesn’t survive the test of time well - Rejuvenate Hardwood Floor Polish – Also Consider
(try this one)
Rejuvenate Professional wood floor polish fills in scratches, restores glossy shine, and protects hardwood flooring. Its amazing features bond to the existing finish on your hardwood floors to resist stains and spills with no waxy build-up.
Rejuvenate professional wood floor restorer is perfect for all residential and commercial hardwood floor restoration and polishing projects. Its methods of application are quite easy and require little fuss, so you do not have to stress to get the best quality your floors deserve.
PROS
Perfect for all commercial and residential hardwood floor restorations
One bottle covers up to 525 sq. ft
You can buy it in a pack of two
It dries quicklyCONS
It will not remove any scratches or scruffs - Restore-A-Floor Hardwood Floor Polish
Restore-A-Floor Wood Floor Polish is a specially formulated floor finish and polish that works on all hard floors. This product effectively fills in scratches and rejuvenates dull spots, sealing old and new floors to a clear, brilliant, shiny, and polished finish.
Restore-A-Floor wood floor polish is easy to apply and renews aging floors very efficiently. Before you begin pricing expensive new floors or paneling give Restore-A-Floor a try and see the restoring miracles that countless others experience each and every day with this remarkable product.
PROS
Effectively fills in scratches and rejuvenates the floor
Easy to apply with just a mop or foam – eliminates the need for a polishing machineCONS
It comes in a small bottle – you may have to buy 2-3 of these - Howard Products Hardwood Floor Polish
Howard Products FW0016 Wood Polish is an ideal way of enhancing the depth of grain while providing added protection and luster to wooden floors, furniture, antiques, and cabinets. This product helps introduce conditioning oils that ‘feed’ the wood while providing a protective coating of beeswax and carnauba wax (don’t use - wax build-up) .
Howard Products FW0016 Wood Polish can be used on finished or unfinished wood to help preserve and keep the wood from drying out, fading, or even cracking. It should be used ???
PROS
Can be used on floors as well as antiques, tables, cabinets, doors, and more
Can completely rejuvenate your floor to a soft lusterCONS
It has to be used in a well-ventilated area and is flammable
PROS
It comes loaded with a cherry, pine scent
It’s multipurpose and can be used on any hardwood surfaceCONS
It’s a bit thin