Maintaining VCT in a church

[hogjowl]

I just finished a week of screwing around with a church account that I not only underpriced, but also under inspected. It was a real "learning" experience for me, to say the least. I stripped and refinished this account with three coats of Spartan's I-Shine (on Fon's recommendation).

Now, they want me to maintain it on a quarterly basis.

I only have a 175 rotary. So, what schedule would you suggest and what would you suggest I do at each maintenance appointment? It's a very active church, and this tile will take daily punishment.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Get a burnisher asap.

 

[Jay D]

Active church and Quarterly do not compute. You'll have to machine scrub with a blue pad and recoat on a quarterly basis. Just like stripping but not having to get it all off, just taking a layer of dirt and wax off and recoating. Even with a burnisher it still will be tough. :|

 

[Larry B]

Marty

You have your work cut out for you. Churches = High heels, chair dragging, tons of traffic and no respect for the flooring.

 

[hogjowl]

So tell me what is required. What equipment do I need? What frequency will I need to be there? And, what will I need to do each time I am there?

You guy's don't need to tell me why I can't maintain this job.

Please tell me what I realistically need to do TO maintain it.

 

[Fon Johnson]

Marty, with high traffic and only quarterly maintenance the only viable option for you (utilizing your 175) is to scrub and recoat it each time. You can try to buff it with a red pad and spray buff, but I suspect it won't cut it. I would not waste my time trying to buff it each time. You MIGHT be able to buff it once, but I don't think anyone will be happy. Scrubbing and recoating each time will get pricey. This is where you talk people into regular maintenance. I'll walk you through this over the phone during the holidays if you like.

 

[hogjowl]

Thank you. I will call you.

Or, we can talk when you come buy my van.

 

[floorguy]

get a burnisher like Lee said....

talk them into a weekly buff.....how many chairs tables etc. are out??? or is it a wide open area...

scrub and recoat on the quarters...but with a weekly buff may not need to.

 

[hogjowl]

So, that's all I have to do? Just buy a burnisher?

Do those things run themselves, not need pads and no solution or anything? Just buy one and run it on the floor?

Oh, I don't need help with the chairs and tables, thanks. I already know how to move those things.

 

[Jay D]

If you don't take anyone elses advice, take Fon up on his advise. He knows floors. But if all they want is quarterly then like I and fon said you'll need to scrub and recoat the floor. Similar to stripping it.

 

[floorguy]

duhh youll need pads...

www.bufferpads.com

clyde is a great guy to work with...

and some sort of a netrual cleaner

 

[ron markam]

Marty I pm'ed you.Fon is the man so you can converse with either of us.I will tell you this if priced right you can make some good money.This is an add on service that can be good for you.Diversification is the key.I believe this will become another profit stream for your company.

 

[Fon Johnson]

Marty already knows he needs a burnisher..

 

[harryhides]

I have 15 yrs experience with tile floors and told you not to do it - but of course, YOU know better - Dumb-Ass.

Burnishers cost WAY more than a cheapskate like you will ever spend. Spend your time marketing your V and walk from this one unless they agree to monthly maintenance - after all, YOU are the professional, right ?

Because you are so stubborn, you will fight this advice but one day you will wish you hadn't.
You can thank me then.

 

[Fon Johnson]

What's wrong with making $150 per hour with like 1/10 the investment of cleaning carpet?

 

[harryhides]

What's wrong with making $150 per hour with like 1/10 the investment of cleaning carpet?

Marty will never make $150 per hour with a 175.
Maybe where you are, janitors make $150 per hr but up here they worked for real low pay.

 

[rotovacguy]

Marty already knows he needs a burnisher..

Hey Fon, just out of curiosity, would a dual speed machine work well here, too. Or do you need a separate burnisher?

 

[Fon Johnson]

Telly, you really need a seperate high speed burnisher (actually a Ultra High Speed machine or "UHS) to really pop the shine and turn profit.

The key is to go for small accounts that see enough traffic to require regular maintenance. People sneer at a $75 job, but when you have a plethora of them close together and it only takes 20 or 30 minutes to buff them, it adds up. It is all in how you set it up. You can spend three grand and be well prepared for doing small accounts. Set them up on a weekly buffing, teach them to have things moved and the floor clean prior to your arrival, and you can make some easy money. Easier than carpet cleaning..

 

[ronald pantelas]

Sub it out, add small profit for billing. If its your church do it for free. It makes you feel good to do work for the church. Ron

 

[Jeremy]

May Marty... I can help. 812 754 1447

 

[steve frasier]

I would just do it as Fon says

with the right equipment $150 an hour isn't to hard to acheive especially on a scrub and recoat where you don't have to wait for it to dry

 

[Guest]

I just finished a week of screwing around with a church account that I not only underpriced, but also under inspected. It was a real "learning" experience for me, to say the least. I stripped and refinished this account with three coats of Spartan's I-Shine (on Fon's recommendation).

Now, they want me to maintain it on a quarterly basis.

I only have a 175 rotary. So, what schedule would you suggest and what would you suggest I do at each maintenance appointment? It's a very active church, and this tile will take daily punishment.

Chems will kill ya; switch stripper and wax to proforce(Sams Club); Burnisher as above recommended; 3 ounces of water per gallon of wax to make a deep shine buff out scuffs for maintenance; strip quarterly. I would recommmend a weekly buffing. If job is under 3000 sqft price at $0.30 sqft.= $900 ; weekly maintenance buff $0.08 sqft.=$240

 

[Fon Johnson]

I just finished a week of screwing around with a church account that I not only underpriced, but also under inspected. It was a real "learning" experience for me, to say the least. I stripped and refinished this account with three coats of Spartan's I-Shine (on Fon's recommendation).

Now, they want me to maintain it on a quarterly basis.

I only have a 175 rotary. So, what schedule would you suggest and what would you suggest I do at each maintenance appointment? It's a very active church, and this tile will take daily punishment.

Chems will kill ya; switch stripper and wax to proforce(Sams Club); Burnisher as above recommended; 3 ounces of water per gallon of wax to make a deep shine buff out scuffs for maintenance; strip quarterly. I would recommmend a weekly buffing. If job is under 3000 sqft price at $0.30 sqft.= $900 ; weekly maintenance buff $0.08 sqft.=$240

I'll refrain from the "you must be smokin' crack" comment but..

If you can burnish proforce without it swirling, you truly are a master. That stuff walks off like melted butter off a teflon pan and swirls like the vortex to hell when you try to buff it. You're doing good too to get those rates for buffing. Around here that is close to what a lot of guys charge for a scrub and recoat. I usually try to go for an hourly figure.

 

[floorguy]

I just finished a week of screwing around with a church account that I not only underpriced, but also under inspected. It was a real "learning" experience for me, to say the least. I stripped and refinished this account with three coats of Spartan's I-Shine (on Fon's recommendation).

Now, they want me to maintain it on a quarterly basis.

I only have a 175 rotary. So, what schedule would you suggest and what would you suggest I do at each maintenance appointment? It's a very active church, and this tile will take daily punishment.

Chems will kill ya; switch stripper and wax to proforce(Sams Club); Burnisher as above recommended; 3 ounces of water per gallon of wax to make a deep shine buff out scuffs for maintenance; strip quarterly. I would recommmend a weekly buffing. If job is under 3000 sqft price at $0.30 sqft.= $900 ; weekly maintenance buff $0.08 sqft.=$240

I'll refrain from the "you must be smokin' crack" comment but..

If you can burnish proforce without it swirling, you truly are a master. That stuff walks off like melted butter off a teflon pan and swirls like the vortex to hell when you try to buff it. You're doing good too to get those rates for buffing. Around here that is close to what a lot of guys charge for a scrub and recoat. I usually try to go for an hourly figure.

Ok i wont hold back.....

YOUR SMOKIN CRACK!!!!!!

Chems are what saves you...you get the right floor finish and stripper, along with a good neutral cleaner...it will save on time and more chems....

Strip it quarterly??? why...are they a medical place??? or even a preschool/daycare type place, that should be done that often for health/germ issues

if you buff it the way you should, it should stay REALLY nice for at least 6-9 mths...i have a few i did, that they were ready to be done at the yr mark....and these are heavy use retail places, buffed once a week....

proforce :roll: quarterly strip :roll: diluting down the finish :roll: $.08 a ft to buff :roll:

 

[steve frasier]

he must now be drinking the secret sauce

 

[Greenie]

At what point is it practical to buy a second hand walk behind autoscrubber, and keep it at the church?
Would an elec. 1200rpm burnisher "cut the mustard" or does Porky need a propane unit?

I've always heard buy the best "wax" and stay on top of it, don't strip unless you have to.

Sounds like Marty needs a handfull pf churches to make this enterprise a go, popping in for $75 once a week doesn't sound like somethin' I would want to bother with, without a few more jobs on the same schedule.

 

[floorguy]

it could cut the mustard, but would be slow in doing.....Propane bumps the speed 3 or 4 fold..with twice the shine..

 

[Larry B]

How many ACEN times can people post to get a burnisher. First 5 wasnt good enough?

 

[Fon Johnson]

At what point is it practical to buy a second hand walk behind autoscrubber, and keep it at the church?
Would an elec. 1200rpm burnisher "cut the mustard" or does Porky need a propane unit?

I've always heard buy the best "wax" and stay on top of it, don't strip unless you have to.

Sounds like Marty needs a handfull pf churches to make this enterprise a go, popping in for $75 once a week doesn't sound like somethin' I would want to bother with, without a few more jobs on the same schedule.

Greenie, magic starts to happen at about 1500 rpm and the right pad on the right finish. Marty could do quite well with a UHS electric machine. As for the $75 figure.. That does not apply to Marty's church, but rather to those little jobs. I can pull in the parking lot, buff, load up, and pull out of the parking lot with $75 in my pocket in about the time it takes to set up the tm, unload, pre-spray, and load up (putting aside the time and effort to actually clean the carpet.)

You are right about buying the right "wax" and not stripping to often. This floor in the picture had not been stripped in about 3 years at the time it was taken..

I'll get a new picture this week. It has been 4 or 5 years now since the same floor was stripped. I need to check the records.

I don't want to promot hackery, but you can do this with a $400 pawn shop machine, a bottle of spray buff, and a cheap hatchback. Profit is much better than cc compared to a loaded truck with tm. Even better margins than encrapping.

 

[ron markam]

Wow!! I did not know people strip and refinish sooo much.With the right finish i.e I-shine and the proper maintenance he can go a year or more.The best pads I have used on I-shine is tan natural hair ,and aqua burnishing pads.Scrub and recoat as soon as possible and put down three more coats and you will be good to go.I have some i-shine down in a medical facility that has been down over a year with only scrub and recoats.If it is done right on the front end the money will flow like a river on the back end. Peace!!