Best Way to Rinse VCT??

[jstucky]

Did a scrub and re-coat tonight that I stripped and 4 coated about 3-4 months ago. It's place of mostly volunteers that do cleaning so not maintained greatest. I'm starting maintenance contracts for VCT at High volume dining are at homeless shelter and dining area at a Horse Ranch owned by Quakerdale.

I know it can't be perfect unless you strip fully but after mopping and scrubbing would it be beneficial to rinse with Dirt dragon type machine or Powerflite or something small enough for areas under 1000 sq ft??? I know it's not a perfect science but I'm not comfortable with re-coating if I know there is still even a tiny bit of dirt embedded in the wax.

STUPID question? If you are JUST scrubbing and not stripping is it safe to scrub then light rinse with low heat low pressure with a spinner????


Remember there is no such thing as a stupid question??

Or am I trying to hard? Do they just need to maintain better and/or have scrubbed and re-coated more often??? I.E monthly or quarterly??

Thanks!!!

 

[floorguy]

for ME....the 2 main dif between a scrub and a strip is this

1...chems...1 is meant to completely break it down for removal....the other is made to soften the finish or help break down the dirt and oils...(like a prespray)

2...Detail work.....we doodle scrub the edges, but there is no scraping to speak of....just dont apply finish WALL TO WALL...

other then that its about the same...

flood the floor
scrub it in
rinse with an autoscrubber (shop vac if real small...and i mean REAL small)
mop 1 more time
apply wax...

I never ever ever use my spinner for VCT floors....for 1 I have the equipment for it...2.....it foams and has all sorts of other nasty shit in it...

with that said...i land this travertine job....and well...cant use the big boys in there...

anyway does that make sense??

 

[jstucky]

Yup I'm with ya. These floors are older and one has it's gaps not perfect. They are 350-400 sq ft each one. Almost too small for auto scrubber unless it was Powerflite floor scrubber or Dirt dragon similar to it.

I'm just trying to get more dirt out that is embedded in wax. I know it might not be possible without FULLY stripping. Hmm...well thanks for advice so far!!!

 

[dealtimeman]

Problem with a spinner is you are more than likely going to force water down under the tile and possibly damage the tile or have to wait longer for the floor to dry.

 

[steve frasier]

if you use prep pads to do scrubbing you will never have to strip again

 

[Lee Stockwell]

x2 3M SPP

 

[floorguy]

ohhh your gonna go dry on this

 

[juniorc82]

Remember on a scrub and recoat your scrubbing with a less abrassive pad because the goal is to only remove the top layers. In small to medium sized areas I just suck the slop up with an old porty fitted with a squeegee wand then do one or even 2 freshwater mops before the finish is applied. I do have a couple autoscrubbers for the larger areas. Dude one thing that will sace your azz doing vct is getting your self a floor squeege. This way you can pull the slop out from the edges and move it where you need it especialy when you strip this is helpfull. Now stripping on the other hand we will do our final rinse with water with white vinegar to neutralize the alkilinity of the stripper. As far as the dirt dragon and powerflite contraption save your money and just get a wet vac and floor squeege and you will be fine. Btw I have did my final rinse a couple times with the spinner and truck mount and it worked great especialy after a stripper. It really helped rinse up streaks and splatter left behind from the emulsified wax. I would recommend the spinner for a last rinse but noit for the initial extraction of the stripper and wax slop

 

[steve frasier]

you scrub with the prep pad and water, you don't do it dry

you can strip those small areas and with a good floor finish you will never see the difference after propane buffing

keep doing things the hard way

 

[floorguy]

sooo lets see this prep pad????

I use black pads on scrubs....

there is still a time that it needs strip....the edges get it...and no i dont wax all the way...but these places have small isles....

also that pic.....is a hardware store this owner just picked up....

problem is he only strips his stores...MAYBE once a year usually 18 months to 2 yrs....then it has to be stripped...which is a piece of cake...cuz hey i got it all off the 1st time...

i am not arguing that taking care of your own stuff is easy....

but when its new accts like the one above.....you gots to get nasty...

 

[Lee Stockwell]

3M's SPP is a special pad that is like magic for ripping off and leveling without chemicals.