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Wax on the floor

Jasmap

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I'm looking for ways to keep wax off of the garage floor when I wax. I tend to get wax everywhere and the wife says the floor is too slippery after I'm done waxing. I try to clean the wax off the floor but as you guys know a light layer of wax will stay on the concrete floor. I can lay down a plastic sheet but that can tear from moving the bench I would think. I've tried a big moving blanket and that was almost just as messy. When I tried to pick up the blanket wax shavings got on the floor still.

What can I do to avoid wax on the floor?
 

Pat AKA mustski

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I have to wax in my kitchen because we have no garage at the cabin. I use a couple of old bedsheets. When I am done, I just roll them up and shake them outside.
 

Fuller

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I have the same problem in that the Montana house I'm renting doesn't have a garage. How do you get wax off the kitchen countertop, floor and ceiling after using the roto brush?

Just kidding, I have to scrape and brush on the back deck in -20 degree weather. All my wax is solidified very quickly.

My garage back home in FL is covered in wax - I just don't care anymore which is amusing considering the business I used to be in.
 

Pat AKA mustski

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I have the same problem in that the Montana house I'm renting doesn't have a garage. How do you get wax off the kitchen countertop, floor and ceiling after using the roto brush?

Just kidding, I have to scrape and brush on the back deck in -20 degree weather. All my wax is solidified very quickly.

My garage back home in FL is covered in wax - I just don't care anymore which is amusing considering the business I used to be in.
Ah. I'm old school. No roto brush.
 

CalG

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Surfers wax boards to make them less slippery
My shop floor (oak) near the tuning bench, is covered in ski wax, and it is not slippery.

Just what is your wife talking about?
 
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Jasmap

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Surfers wax boards to make them less slippery
My shop floor (oak) near the tuning bench, is covered in ski wax, and it is not slippery.

Just what is your wife talking about?

It must be concrete, concrete treatment, or type of waxes I use then because it is actually slippery when the wax is on it.
 

Dwight

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Use less wax? :huh:

I vacuum up my shavings and I get very little wax drippings on the floor, which scrapes us easily, but my floor is a wood laminate.

I use the crayon method.
 

Magi

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Use less wax? :huh:

I vacuum up my shavings and I get very little wax drippings on the floor, which scrapes us easily, but my floor is a wood laminate.

I use the crayon method.

This'd be my recommendation.

You could also put down rubber mat/carpeting in that area, if waxing with a crayoning/fibertex method won't meet your needs.
 

Fuller

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I was hesitant to try it but when it was a bit warmer I didn't scrape at all. I used a universal temp wax and 95% of it was gone after the first run. I switched to CH4 after it got cold but I'm not sure I would get a good result if I didn't scrape and brush. Waxing for -10 degrees is a challenge, I hate not having the glide I usually do.
 

JMD

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I live in a condo without a garage. I wax in my hallway using a rubber treadmill mat under the bench. My bench and mat fold up for storage. In your garage you could leave the mat under the bench full time. Protects the floor from wax drippings, vacuum up the shavings. Available from Amazon for $25 and up. 36"/80" works nicely.
IMG_0363.JPG
 

Primoz

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I still use same stuff that I was back in my days of being serviceman on WC, and before all the fancy wax trucks came into play, and we were still in garages, wax boxes and other rooms, which needed to be left clean when leaving hotel/race. I have absolutely no idea what's proper word for that in English, so I will try to explain and hope it makes sense. There's relatively easy to get old canvas that truckers use to "cover" their trailers. It's thick(er) sort of plasticized from one side material, and for this sort of use, it's pretty much indestructible. One the other side, it's relatively easy to destroy it on truck, from some cutting it, or to some branch destroying it during drive. And such it's useless for truckers so you normally get it for free, since they don't need to get rid of it themself :) So once you have it, cut it to right size, put "plastic" side up, and you are all good. It's so hard you can use metal scraper to get wax off once done and just brush it away after that.
 
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Jasmap

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Some great ideas to help me. I appreciate the help. Thanks!
 

SkiMore

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I had the same problem on my concrete garage floor. I picked up a commercial floor mat at Home Depot. Rubber on the bottom so it doesn't slip and coarse carpet on top that's easy to vacuum or sweep. They sell in bulk so you can get a piece cut to size. It was about $10 for what I needed.

upload_2019-2-10_11-44-13.jpeg
 

Doug Briggs

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Don't let it get to the floor. I have a tray on the edge of my bench to catch dripping and scraped wax.

20171219_084230_Queen Of The West Road.jpg

The slot in the shelf to go around the clamps

20171219_084250_Queen Of The West Road.jpg

The clamps then hold a piece of wood that bridges the slot and holds the tray to the bench.

20171219_084208_Queen Of The West Road.jpg

Look at all the wax I never had to clean off the floor.

20171219_083642_Queen Of The West Road.jpg
 

Sibhusky

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I had the same problem on my concrete garage floor. I picked up a commercial floor mat at Home Depot. Rubber on the bottom so it doesn't slip and coarse carpet on top that's easy to vacuum or sweep. They sell in bulk so you can get a piece cut to size. It was about $10 for what I needed.

View attachment 65372
That is exactly what I use. Mine is gray, but otherwise the same thing. You need to get the floor pretty wax free before putting it down, but then leave it down. Stays put well, vacuums well. Huge difference in safety.

When I'm scraping I also hold the scraper a bit diagonally the first few scrapes so the wax is "plowed" onto the bench.
 

Cdninak

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I got really tired of cleaning up wax after many years of tuning skis. When we finished our ski cabin last year I decide I wanted a nice work bench/ski tubing area. I made a bench with a recessed compartment to catch filings and shavings. It’s been great to contain cleanup. When needed I shop vac out the trough. The top is hinges so in summer or when needed I can flip it over to have a flat clean worktop.
02071367-2A6B-4BF4-B6A3-B523C5F904DE.jpeg
 

pais alto

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^ That has to be the coolest work bench I’ve ever seen.
 

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