Floor Pad Color Guide: Which Pad for Which Job

Floor pads come in a rainbow of colors, and each color signals how aggressive the pad is. Use the wrong one and you either fail to clean the floor or you damage the finish. Once you know the color code, choosing the right pad takes a second.

How the Color Code Works

The general rule is simple: lighter pads are gentler and run at lower speeds, darker pads are more aggressive. The exception is at the very top end, where natural and very light pads are used for high speed polishing. Pad speed must match your machine, so check whether you are running a low speed floor machine or a high speed burnisher.

The Common Pads

• White: the gentlest pad, for polishing and light buffing on finished floors
• Red: light cleaning and spray buffing, safe for routine scrubbing of coated floors
• Blue: medium scrubbing to remove soil and scuffs before recoating
• Green: heavy duty scrubbing and light stripping of built-up dirt
• Brown and black: aggressive wax stripping, the most abrasive pads
• Tan, beige and natural hair: high speed burnishing for gloss

Matching Pad to Task

1. Daily scrub of a coated floor: red pad on an auto scrubber
2. Removing scuffs before a fresh coat: blue pad
3. Deep scrub of heavy soil: green pad
4. Stripping old wax and finish: black or brown pad with stripper
5. Restoring gloss: white or natural pad on a high speed burnisher

Pad Care Tips

Flip pads over halfway through a job to use both sides, and rinse them out after use so dried soil does not harden into the fibers. Replace pads once they are worn thin or clogged, since a spent pad cleans poorly and can leave swirl marks.

A Quick Reference

When in doubt, start with the least aggressive pad that does the job and step up only if needed. That protects your finish and your floor. Keep a range of pads on hand to match your floor machines and scrubbers, and pad selection becomes second nature.