Padco Floor Finish Applicators are design to be used with waterborne finishes and most other low viscosity floor coatings. They are not recommended for use with shellac or other coatings which contain alcohol, xylol, acetone, or ketone. To ensure a successful coating job, always read and follow the floor finish manufacturer’s instructions for the type of finish you are using.

Padco applicators are weighted to control the mil thickness of the coating. Heavyweight applicators apply thinner layer of finish. Lightweight applicators apply a heavier coating.

Proper floor preparation is essential to a good finish. Be sure the floor has been properly sanded, screened, and tacked. The floor must be free of dust and lint before you begin.

In addition to the Padco Professional Floor Coater, you will need one Floor Coater Refill (Fig. 1), one extension pole (Fig. 2), and a helper (Fig. 3), to pour the finish material.

Assembly

Thoroughly rinse and dry the refill prior to first use in order to remove any loose fibers. Slide the refill onto the head of the tool (Fig. 4). The refill is slit on one side to accommodate the handle flange. The refill should fit snuggly on the head.

Attach your extension pole by inserting it into the handle and twisting until it is securely screwed in place (Fig. 5). The locknut which attaches the handle to the flange is preset at the factory with enough tension to keep the head of the tool at whatever angle you set it at. If you need to adjust the tension on the nut, place a wrench on the bolt and use another wrench to turn the nut.

Set the head of the tool at an angle of approximately 45 to 80 degrees (Fig. 6).

This is easily done by placing the head of the tool on the floor with the handle pointing up, and pushing the handle to the left or right (Fig. 7).

This angle allows the tool to pull the finish along in a snowplow fashion.

Cut in the Edges First

For edging into corners and around walls, we recommend using a Padco Floor Trim Pad, which is available in 6″ or 10″ widths. The Floor Trim pad will easily allow you to edge right up to the baseboards, and is very convenient for applying finish to smaller areas like closets and stair treads. You can either use a paint tray or apply a small amount of finish on the floor to cut in the room first.

Using the Tool

Starting at the side of the room opposite your planned exit, pour a line of finish material approximately 4″ wide the full length of the floor, about 6″ - 8″ from the wall. Begin your run by gently placing the Floor Coater at one end of the line of finish and walking it the full length of the floor. Walk at a steady comfortable pace, without stopping until you reach the end of the run. (Fig. 8).

At the end of the run, turn the tool so the head is parallel with the line of finish material (Fig. 9). Gently squeeze out excess material from the applicator by pressing down on the tool. Don’t squeeze too hard or you may introduce bubbles into the finish. Starting at the wall, make a short stroke back over your turn and gently lift the tool off (Fig. 10). This will erase your turn mark. The key to avoiding tool marks in your finish is to gently set the tool down and gently lift it up.

Begin your next run by going back in the opposite direction working with the line of finish material that was snowplowed to the side on your first pass. Your helper should be walking ahead of you, adding more finish to the thin spots in the line. You should always try to maintain a 4″ wide line of finish. In this manner, simply go back and forth over the floor until the entire area is covered (Fig 11).

Clean up

After use with waterborne coatings, remove the Floor Coater Refill from the tool and rinse in room temperature water. Squeeze excess finish and water from the pad and rinse thoroughly. If you are going to use the refill again, it is suggested that you dry the refill standing up, so no flat spots appear on the applicator.

For solvent based coatings, use cleaning solvent recommended by the manufacturer. Thoroughly wash tool in detergent and water to remove remaining solvent. Rinse well. Do not allow refill to soak in solvent.

Be sure to check out the other flooring videos we have on this site for a visual guide to applying floor finishes. And of course, you can purchase Padco Floor finish applicators from us here. Good Luck!