Hi galeatchison,
Burnishing is accomplished by using a more aggressive or rougher pad on a floor machine.Typically,the rougher pad developes heat due to friction which removes heavy scratches from the floor finish.Actually,many finishes return to near liquid during the process, which alters, not removes the scratches.
A polishing pad is soft and is used to bring out gloss as opposed to scratch removal.The heat developed during polishing is much less and the surface of the finish is therefore acted upon less aggressively.In short,burnishing will not give a high gloss and polishing will not remove scratches.

Thank you very much for your help. I have just started a new job and am needing to learn how to take care of the floors. I kept reading in the order catalog about burnishing and polishing and didn't know what burnishing was. Now I'll know what pads to order for the job. Thanks again, Gale

[This message has been edited by galeatchison (edited October 17, 2001).]

Hi again,
Best of luck with your new job.You'll find alot to learn regarding floor care,especially when things don't go right.Drop back in if you have a question.