Zep hardwood floor cleaner RUINED our brand new wood floors which cost us $9000! We used the product for the first time a few weeks ago and it left a gray haze over our floors. I cannot get the haze off. I have tried Windex. I even used my steamer and steamed the floors 4 times to no avail. I called the company who installed them, and was told that we would have to move all of our furniture out of our lower level of our home AGAIN and move out for 2 days again while they re-buff and re-apply polyurethane, at a cost of $750!
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First off I would contact Zep by phone to complain that the product ruined your floor. The customer service department could do anything from refunding the price of the cleaner or maybe even help with the repair. They may even be able to tell you a product to fix. Just make sure you stand up to them without being rude. If that doesn't work you could try Murphy's Oil Soap. I have heard its a great hardwood floor cleaner.
Ye gods!!! Murphy Oil Soap left a very hazy and sticky finish on my solid hardwoods!!! I would NEVER USE ANYTHING BUT VINEGAR AND WATER on hardwoods!
Murphy's oil is the last thing you want to use on hardwood floors.
Im a flooring contractor and would recommend lighting your floors on fire before using Murphy's oil soap.
I bought this product and applied one time over Laminate wood flooring and it swelled up at the seams!
This is the worst product for laminate flooring!! I am so upset that I have to remove all my furniture and replace flooring because this manufacture thinks its OK to apply to laminate flooring!!
You could try Holloway House floor finish on an inconspicuous spot. It is a wax but it may take the haze away. It's worth a try, would be a cheap fix if it works.
I would contact ZEP and start out gracious and if they refuse to do less than restore your floor to it's original beauty free of charge then contact the consumer advocates at your local TV station. A consumer advocate attorney might not be a bad idea. Tell them what you are doing and tell them also that everyone you see will hear about it if they don't make things right with you. Nine grand is a lot of money to let go down the toilet and you really don't t have to take this.
If it needs replacing, contact your homeowner's insurance.
Before that, contact the president of the Zep company.
Hi -- It sounds like you have damaged the polyurethane finish. If this is the case, no other cleaner is going to work. You MUST contact the Zep company to see what they say. If you have used the product incorrectly or it was not suitable for that type of floor finish, you may just have to suck up the $750 to refinish the floor. I don't know what this Zep is, but if it has just formed a film on your floor, the company should be able to tell you what to do to remove it.
Louise, Nipawin
I have used Zep for a long time on light Ash hardwood floors with spaces between the boards in some places. After 12 years, they still shine like almost new. We have only a thin coat of polyurethane, and it never cause the haze. But someone i hired to clean did it with a bucket of water and vinegar and a bit of dish soap. Left a film! So I did some spot cleaning with Zep, and it cleared up some. I think with enough cleanings with Zep, it will clear up. I don't see how Zep could destroy your polyurethane finish. My hunch is you still have the film on top of the finish and would not have to have your floors redone.
what zep product did you use? Was it to clean the floor or wax the floor? Sounds like maybe it is a wax film and they should have a solution to remove the film. Hope they can help you.
Home Depot told me yesterday that since I stained the floors and put a light coat of wax on it causing white streaks I needed to use Zep floor wax remover. Thinking they knew what they were talking about I used it on half the spare bedroom floor and it not only removed the wax but the stain as well. I have reapplied the stain but now I feel as though my floor is ruined. If the stain does not fix this then I do not know what to do.
Did you try calling the zep company
I sympathize with what you are going thru! My wife and I are battling the same problem with our hardwood floors. We have contacted the manufacturer weekly for eight months. They recommended many products including Bruce hardwood floor cleaner, Murphy's Oil Soap, and Zep floor cleaner. We have also tried vinegar and buffing the floor with a hand buffer. However, none of these efforts have been successful in removing the gray haze.
We have very dark almost chocolate brown floors from Thomasville and because of this haze every mark, smudge, and footprint jumps off the floor. We have contacted our homeowners insurance and was told this was not covered. We contacted the installer and was told it is not an installation problem and the manufacturer does not feel it is a manufacturing problem.
We are at a complete loss. We would like to know if you had any success with the re-buff and reapply of polyurethane. We wish you luck in solving your floor problem and if we come across any products that help we will pass along.
jjackel - Wood floors should not be a night-mare like this. Thanks for your response and sorry you are feeling my same pain. ;( Are my floors completely fixed? no. Are they much better? yes. I received help from Home Depot (where I purchased the Zep from) they offered to file a claim if what they gave me didn't work. They gave me Bruce Fresh Finish urethane touch-up low gloss cleaner. It really helped. Since then, I use Bona Kemi- or some bottles labeled Bona X wood floor cleaner. They don't look like they did when they were first installed, but I just had to surrender and know they are much better, and life is much too short to let this bad experience stress me out any more. Please let me know if you try these & I'll cross my fingers for your family too! ;) Also, if you watch HGTV next Thurs night at 9:00 central.. the new Rate My Space show, you may see my wood floors. ;) I'm one of the Inspiration rooms for that show. ;)) Mary
I have a similar problem with my engineered wood hardwood floors. Like your floors, they are very expensive and surprisingly fragile. Any cleanser leaves marks and a dull haze. I found that if you spot clean with window cleaner, believe it or not I have Zep window cleaner, with a soft cloth or strong paper towels and just rub, the haze comes off in that spot. It is a lot of work to do on a large floor, but can be done little by little until the haze is gone. I would then just use a damp soft mop with hot water, because it evaporates very quickly. I read on amazon.com about the product called rejuvanate floor renewer. It is getting very good reviews from people who had a problem similar to yours. I'm thinking to try it myself, but I am going to start by applying it to a hidden test area in a corner. Maybe a 3ft by 3ft area just to see if it really looks good as reported by others. I wish you good luck in the furture with your floors.
Do not rejuninate your floors. Wax build up. Look fantastic till you use your floor again. Very susceptible to scratches. You will have to basically hand scrape it off.
Do NOT use rejuvenate! Horrible
We have tried it all...mineral spirits, vinegar, windex, simple green, greased lightning, Bruce's Stripper. At least your company will come out and attempt to fix it. The Georgia Flooring Outlet says it is our problem!
I haven't used Zep, but I did use Orange Glo, the results sound the same as your's. Despondent over my brand new floors, I Googled Orange Glo, hundreds of horror stories like mine. I tried everything that was suggested, no luck. I called a local floor refinisher, of course, he told me the floor needs to be refinished. I called the company who built our house. They said to try denatured alcohol (milder than paint thinner). It is working, though I'll need a knee refinisher when I'm done. Hope this helps someone. Patti
Hardwood floor care requires first knowledge of the specs on your flooring in order to insure proper maintenance...If you are not sure about your floors specifications, contact the manufacturer and be sure. Care of modern prefinished flooring is much different from older products. Many of the modern factory prefinished floors use aluminum oxide/polyurethane finishing process which requires specific care. Using wax or oil soap products is a mistake! Refinishing requires some specific preparation to insure adhesion. See the following link for more info:
www.hardwoodinstaller.com/
I just had my laminate flooring (looks like hardwood) installed and it has the same film on it. Home Depot came and looked at it and the manufacturer's answer was to use Zep cleaner on it. Now I'm afraid to. Has anyone had the Zep failure with laminate flooring?
Is everyone correct in saying they are dealing with engineered wood? These horror stories sound like laminate flooring to me that I have experienced for the past 10 years. I simply buff my floors after they dry and the haze disappears.
There is a reason why Zep products say Industrial/Commerdial. Don't bother contacting the Zep people, because 1) they're not likely to cover usage on improper material; which is why the bottle says test on hard to see area first; and 2) I wouldn't bother covering improper application if it were my products because, honestly, it's your fault for not following the directions and using the right stuff. sorry.
That said, your best bet is to rent a full size propane buffer to buff the haze out with the white pad. You have to have a normal service size one to get the finish hot enough to buff the haze off; but once again, test in an inconspicuous area first, and take it easy at first to make sure the buffer doesn't lift the panels up off of the floor. Best of luck.
I used Zep refinishing for hard wood floors for a customer.I think I ruined their floors!!!! I can see where I missed areas!!! How do I remove??? Should I have it done professionally??? They are to slick#!! Help
Alcohol isopropyl 70 works, I tested, it takes time, but Zep is cleaned off
Dont use anything from zep..all of their products suck..even their glass cleaner is really bad..not sure how they r even in buisness
Almost all bad experiences with things like this is due to user error, sad but true. No one knows just how the application was made or how it was applied so to blame the product is faulty exercise.
Hey I use the Zep Hardwood Floor and Laminate Floor cleaner all the time on Hardwoods and on Laminate(even Polyurethane Floors) and have yet to have a problem, it hasn't streaked or anything. Some of the floors I do have just been painted for 4 to 5 days later haven't had a problem. I can't said the about the others. I LOVE MY ZEP Hardwood and Laminate Cleaner
Dear DALLAS! I feel so bad for you guys! WE have a 110 year old Victorian, complete with original dark oak floors. A CONTRACTOR told us to replace the floors with brand new ones, laminate at that! I looked at HIM for a second, then burst out laughing! My floors have DEEP scratches, dents, dings, every flaw there is! I sweep, AND THEN put a warm, deep glow with MOP,N,GLOW! GOES WITH our antiques and history of the house. Nothing in our house is perfect, but I think it,s ALL beautiful! Hope someone can help you. I know you feel violated, because THAT is YOUR home. Good luck, chin up! Lisa
I have been struggling with keeping my oak floors that I refinished and used polyurethane for the final finish and have tried many products all of which have dulled or caused my floors to have a haze. I too tried all kinds of products to try and remove the product used and found the only thing that worked for me was a commercial floor stripper that I think I purchased at Lowe's or Home Depot. It wasn't an easy process and had to almost use the product full strength and basically strip the floor just as if it had a million coats of old fashioned floor finish on it. It took almost a full gallon of the stripper in order to clean one floor. I have yet to find any product including Zep that brings back the finish to my floors.
I bought Zep to use on laminate flooring since I could no longer find Min-wax floor cleaner within fifty miles of where I live. I normally use a PVA sponge mop either with water or the Min-wax & my floors are clean. When I get a slight scratch using Min-wax to clean my floors several times takes the scratch away. Having a new dryer installed I had minor scratching & needed something so I tried Zep. First it left streaks on my floors & did not clean well, so I figured I would throw it when I saw it was good for hardwood furniture. I tested as they recommend, no problems so I used it...my dining room table & chairs looked great, so I tried on a coffee table my late husband made, it worked great & looked great. Looks can be deceiving as well as the testing. I wanted my house to smell cleaner, so I got out Pledge Orange scented...the 1st swipe & my paper towel was black..I thought "Wow, my stuff must be dirty"..after several swipes on the handmade coffee table, I realized it was taking the finish off. Now my table is ruined...it has a special meaning since my husband made it. I know this is supposed to answer a question, but I was hoping someone could help with my problem. My dining room table still looks okay but it is out of a different wood & finish.
Use plain dish soap/warm water. Do NOT use products with alcohol in them on any wood, laminate ect. Not even vinager. Both, act like nail polish remover.
I was told to use ZEP to remove build up on my engineered floors. After reading comments here, I am scared to use it. What is the BEST thing to use to remove years of build up of Rejuvenate wax/shine on engineered floors?
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