If your hardwood floor's original finish/sealer is an oil based polyurethane. Polyurethane is used to seal gym floors. Heavy wax buildup can be easily removed using Trewax Concentrate Instant Wax Remover. It is not sold in stores and must be purchased online. It is not made for use on wood floors, but it was the only thing I could find that said, "wax remover". I only tried it because I was told by a professional that it would not damage my original polyurethane finish. I was told that it takes a much stronger stripper like lacquer thinner to effect the polyurethane. I mixed 1/2 remover with 1/2 water and let sit for 3 to 5 min. then rinsed with a wet cloth. The orange glo wax buildup was gone. Some areas required a light scrubbing. I have a very large kitchen and I thought to speed up the process, I could mix with a little less water, so I mixed it a little stronger and I was amazed at how well it removed several years of old wax. Not once did it do anything to my original finish. I highly recommend this product,. It is the only thing that has worked for me. I have used everything under the sun over the last 2 years trying to remove the orange glo wax. . Trewax Concentrate Instant Wax Remover comes in a gallon and is only $18.99.

The reason Nature's Miracle says not to use any other method of cleaning is because they know you will use another method before buying it. Now they have an excuse as to why their product doesn't work. Nature's miracle is junk. My wife and I are current replacing flooring in our house. We adopted a 3 year old cat that was left behind after the owner moved. We found out why she was left behind. She pisses and poops everywhere. She had some kind of pancreatic issue and was on steroids her whole life. She died at the young age of 12. We loved her so we endured the daily treasures left behind. I would destroy another house full of flooring for that cat. It's a small price to pay for that unconditional love. This is Pita (acronym for pain in the arse)

Thanks for the recommendation. I contacted the manufacturer of the stain (Sikkens) and they recommended cleaning the deck with regular Spic and Span. This weekend I cleaned one of the decks (the cleanest) with a scrub brush & the spic-n-span and I have to say that it did a decent job at removing the dirt & the 'dirt haze' that we are having. I have yet to try the really dirty deck. I'm going to clean that one & see how the deck fairs under regular use( as opposed to muddy contractor feet) over the winter. Next spring I'll re-evaluate whether I should use another coat of the Sikkens or switch to another product. I still love the mahogony, but I think the dark color may prove to be difficult to keep looking clean (out in the country). Thanks for the help!

The 1.3 R value is HUGE on a floor. Imagine your concrete slab as a HUGE refrigerator. And imagine it is left with the door open and running full throttle 24/7 for DECADES. That's what a slab is. We call it a heat sink. Because heat SINKS into it (never to come back out). What you want to do is COMPARE the COST of the DriCore R and the TOTAL RENOVATION cost of the in-floor radiant heating. The 'extra' $1300 for the DriCore is ONLY what you pay for. Leave the heating in the home as it is. I'm not kidding. Us the DriCore to UPGRADE the insulation in the home. And continue using the heating system you have. Now compare the cost of the HYDRONIC heating system purchase and installation with the DriCore R. I'm going to guess there is a HUGE difference. If you do NOT install SOMETHING insulating over that slab, you are going to heat the refrigerator and the EARTH below it. You are going to make some worms VERY happy....nice and toasty. You must have some form of heat break. Gluing plywood to an old slab isn't going to get this done. And this is precisely why the cost of RETROFITTING a hydronic system over a slab is one of the MOST EXPENSIVE upgrades you can do. The cost to do this properly (which means removing an inch of concrete, adding an insulation barrier like cork and then adding the tubing and then pouring new concrete) is exceptionally expensive. Trying to figure out a DIY level hydronic heat retro-fit over concrete slab is very tough. You have already stated you will be adding 2" of flooring height. But where is the HEAT BREAK? The cost of heating a heat sink (your concrete) is VERY HIGH. You will not see any savings. It might even become more expensive. Who has 'sold you' on the retrofit hydronic heat over concrete slab??? I'm in Canada and have had people in Northern Saskatchewan (1 hour drive south of the Territories). They routinely reach -40 C (same as -40 F). The basement never reached 16 C (60 F) in the winter time. They added 6mm cork (1/4") over the basement slab then added 11mm cork flooring over that. The basement was the warmest space in their house. It sat at a comfortable 22 C (72 F) without any change in their lifestyle (setting on their thermostat sat at the same place all the time). I saved them $25,000 because they were going to do the hydronic heat (properly). Not bad for a day's work (talking on the phone with them = 4 hours). All they needed was a regular heat source and some INSULATION over the slab. The 6mm cork underlay = the same as the insulating foam in the DriCore R (1.3 increase). The 11mm cork floating floor = same again (another 1.3). A regular heat source PLUS insulation over cement = warm spaces PLUS reduced heating costs. Nothing else needs to be added. No expensive retro fit (which needs to have the concrete jacked out and the insulation added then the tubes sunk in cement). This is the POWER of insulating a HEAT SINK. It's like turning off the refrigerator AND throwing down some carpet. Remove the chilly iceberg and you will automatically save money. It's your call.