DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
ICS 87.060.30  
 
© EA C 2023                                                                                                                         Second  Edition 2023 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Floor Polish — Specification ⎯ Part 2: water emulsion buffable type  
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
ii © EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice  
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 DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword  
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
The Community has established an East African Standards Committee  (EASC)  mandated to develop and 
issue East African Standards  (EAS) . The Committee is composed of representatives of the National 
Standards Bodies in Partner States, together with the representatives from the public and private sector 
organizations  in the community .  
East African Standards are developed through  Technical Committees that are representative of key 
stakeholders including government, academia, consumer groups, private sector and other interested parties. 
Draft East African Standards are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the 
Partner States. The comments received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in 
accordance with the Principles and procedures for development of East African Standards . 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
The committee responsible for this document is Technical Committee EASC/TC 070, Paints, varnishes and 
related products.  
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be subject of patent 
rights. EAC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (EAS 290 -3:2002 ), which has been technically 
revised.  
EAS 290 consists of the following parts, under the general title Polishes — Specification:  
Part 1: Floor polish solvent type (liquid and paste)  
Part 2: Floor polish water emulsion buffable type  
 
 DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  1 
 Floor Polish — Specification ⎯ Part 2: water emulsion buffable type  
1 Scope   
This Draft East African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for buffable water 
based (emulsion) floor polish  
This standard does not cover water emulsion floor polish buffab le type used on wooded, cork or magnesite 
floors unless these are properly sealed.  
This standard does not cover floor polish solvent type (liquid and paste) covered by EAS 290 -1 
2 Normative references   
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes 
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, 
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
ISO 4618 , Paints and varnishes — Terms and definitions  
3 Terms and definitions   
For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions given in ISO 4618 and the following apply.  
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:  
—    ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp  
buffing type floor polish  
a floor polish that requires buffing to maintain or enhance appearance, or both  
4  Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1   The floor polish shall be a free -flowing, stable aqueous emulsion.  
4.1.2   It shall not have any objectionable odour, nor shall it develop an offensive odour during storage in the 
temperature range between 15 and 40°C for one year in the original unopened container.  
4.1.3   The floor polish shall not cause damage to the surfaces for which it is applied  
4.1.4   When applied as directed and allowed to dry for 24 h the floor polish shall show no separation from 
the surface and no more than slight whitening after, buffing.  
4.2 Specific requirements  
The floor polish shall comply with the specific requirements in Table 1 when tested in accordance with the test 
methods specified therein.  DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
2 © EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  
 Table 1 — Specific requirements for buffable water emulsion floor polish  
SN Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i Gloss, at 60°, min* 32 ISO 2813  
ii Sediment, %, max.  0.2 ASTM D1290  
iii Non-volatile content, % by mass, min. 12.0 ISO 3251  
iv pH, max.  10 ISO 19396  
V Drying Time, max 20 ISO 9117  
vi Adhesion  No cracking or peeling  Annex A  
vii Resistance to water spotting  To pass the test  Annex C  
viii Slip Resistance, max  0.5 ASTM E303  
ix Discoloration and Yellowing  To pass the test  Annex B  
x Ash of non -volatile matter, % m/m, 
max.  1.5 IS 8541  
*Buffability — After 4 h drying and subsequent buffing with a soft cloth, the gloss increase shall not 
be less than 10 units  
 
4.3  Heat stability  
The emulsion shall show no visible change (gelling) except for this particular polish the test duration shall be 
of 7 days and the emulsion, after heat aging shall meet the requirements for gloss  
4.4  Tackiness  
A film of the floor was, applied as directed, shall pass the tackiness test 2 h after application  
5  Sampling  
Sampling shall be done in accordance with ISO 15528  
6  Packaging  
6.1. The floor polish shall be packaged in corrosion resistant containers, strong enough to withstand normal 
usage, transportation and all kinds of contamination .  
6.2  The containers shall be fitted with caps tha t allow the product to b e used easily e.g closed and opened.  
7 Labelling  
Each package shall be legibly and indelibly labelled either in English, Kiswahili or French or a combination, 
with the following information  
a)  manufacturers name, physical address and/ or registered trademark ;  
b)  net weight of material when packed ;  
c)  name of product as  “water-emulsion floor polish ”; 
d)  description of the floor surface for which the polish is to be ap plied  DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  3 
 e)  batch identification ;  
f)  any cautionary notice, e.g. storage conditions, surface not to be polished ;  
g)  date of manufacture ;  
h)  country of origin ; 
i) best before date ; and  
j) instructions for use and safety . 
  DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
4 © EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(normative)  
 
Test method for adhesion  
A.1  Liquid polish  
Adhesion — Apply a film of the floor wax, using black vinyl asbestos tile for the substrate, and allow it to age 
for 24 h at 23 ± 2°C and 50± 5% R>H.  
 Bend the film slowly over a 50 mm mandrel through an arc of 180°C.  
A.2 Results  
There shall b e no cracking or peeling  
 
 
 
 DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex B 
(normative)  
 
Test method for discoloration and yellowing  
Discoloration ― Compare a series of drops, at least three, of the test wax on a white vinyl tile with a similar 
series of drops of the standard reference sample after one hour drying time.  
Results  
The floor polish shall not differ from the standard reference sample  
 DEAS 290 -2: 2023  
6 © EAC 2023  – All rights reserved  
 Bibliography  
EAS 290 -3:2002, Polishes — Specification ⎯ Part 3: Floor polish water emulsion buffable type  
 DEAS 290 -2: 2023    
 
© EAC 2023 – All rights reserved