Quick Answer

The gloss comes from the sequence, not from any single pad. The fix is to re-cut the floor from one or two grit stages back and re-burnish cleanly, vacuuming between every stage. Scratch marks after burnishing almost always come from skipped grit stages, contaminated pads, excessive pressure, or pads that have worn past their useful life.

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Key Features to Check

The practical details.

• Pressure: too much down-force digs diamond points into the surface instead of refining it.
• Contamination: a pad that picked up grit stage or fine dust scratch marks the floor as it spins.
• Worn pads: a pad worn unevenly can leave a single deep scratch mark line or swirl.
• Skipped grit stages: jumping from 200 to 800 leaves 200-grit stage scratch marks that show up as the mirror finish develops.

Crews that rush this part rarely get a mirror finish.

A Practical Guide to Diagnose the Cause

Key points for the polishing sequence.

This stage decides how much reflection the floor finally shows.

Fix Scratches: Step-by-Step

What matters most in this stage.

• Industrial vacuum the floor and inspect the pad face for embedded debris.
• Re-burnish through the sequence, cleaning between each grit stage.
• Keep the equipment level and let the equipment weight do the work.
• Stage back to the grit stage that removes the visible scratch marks (in most cases one or two grit stages coarser).

Miss this step and the gloss will not come up evenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I scratches be removed without re-polishing the whole floor?

A: The practical answer is, You require to re-burnish the affected area from the coarser grit stage; spot-burnishing the final grit stage alone will not strip deeper scratch marks.

Q: How frequently should I clean my polishing pads?

A: For most jobs, Clean the pad face and industrial vacuum the floor before every grit stage change — contamination is the number one cause of new scratch marks.

Q: Do wet pads less likely to scratch than dry pads?

A: In short, Wet burnishing keeps fine dust in suspension and runs cooler, which reduces scratch mark risk, but skipped grit stages still scratch mark wet or dry.

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Conclusion

The finish is the sum of the stages - stay disciplined and the floor shines. A reliable pad set like the 3'' Diamond Resin Floor burnish pads (JOY-RFP-05) or the 3'' 15mm Thickness Diamond Dry burnish pads (JOY-RFP-06) helps, but the discipline between grit stages matters more.