Polishing VCT by hand (apartment)

[VCT OCD]

Hello everyone, I have read a few threads and searched around yet despite hours of looking.. I have still fallen short.

I have VCT here in my apartment and am polishing on all four! I have a rectangle shaped sponge as my applicator. Is it normal to have rough spots and tiny bubbles at the edges of a pass? I hope that I am doing this correctly and I don't have the option of clearing an entire room. I work on the floor in sections and bring the Polish right to the edge of a row of vct which is met when I work the next section. Not sure if I can overlap but thought it would build up too much.

Product is a retail brand Rejuvenate. My other choice would have been Zep if I knew better. Product has never been frozen and I purchased it this month from the retail outlet. I presoak and wring out my sponge and wash it after each coat. My floor is washed, rinsed and wiped down. I allow to dry and wipe down again with microfiber cloth. Than I apply each coat with one hour dry time (bottle says ten minutes) and when I am finished all the coats, I will let cure for forty eight hours. I do not own a buffer or burnisher.

As my user name might suggest.. OCD I am :-)

Thank you everyone in advanced.

 

[FredC]

As my user name might suggest.. OCD I am :-)

not very ocd....otherwise you would have hired someone who knows wtf they are doing instead

 

[VCT OCD]

not very ocd....otherwise you would have hired someone who knows wtf they are doing instead

As a rental, this is something I don't mind doing and the place has forty year old vct which is an eye sore. Ripping everything out and starting over is not allowed here. I would like to make sure what I am doing is normal and part of the results of applying polish. I understand if I could burnish than the Polish would be improved? I have experience working with retail spaces many years ago. This is just not the same for me.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I would like to make sure what I am doing is normal

no it's not

is this place your home?
(you're the tenant?)

or are you the owner or property manager?

..LT.A.

 

[Cleanworks]

You need to strip it first, then rinse with a neutral pH cleaner, then apply sealer/finish. Otherwise, you're polishing a turd.

 

[VCT OCD]

is this place your home?
(you're the tenant?)

I am the tenant. They have made approval of scrubbing and polishing the vct but not to strip it due to previous tenant experiences. If I was the owner, I would replace the vct as it has become dented, deep scratches and rippled. Also if allowed, I would bring back to bare and start fresh.

What is it that I am not doing per the norm? I thought a sponge would be fine for applicator as apposed to the preferable microfiber flat mop given the space I am working with. I move everything over to do part of the room and when it has cured, I move things back the other way to do the rest of the floor.meeting up to the edge of the vct butt to butt if I may say, so to not overlap fresh polish on a finished section. I am open to learning and my past experience is with mops, propane buffers and propane burnishers about fourteen years ago with guidance of course.

 

[Cleanworks]

I am the tenant. They have made approval of scrubbing and polishing the vct but not to strip it due to previous tenant experiences. If I was the owner, I would replace the vct as it has become dented, deep scratches and rippled. Also if allowed, I would bring back to bare and start fresh.

What is it that I am not doing per the norm? I thought a sponge would be fine for applicator as apposed to the preferable microfiber flat mop given the space I am working with. I move everything over to do part of the room and when it has cured, I move things back the other way to do the rest of the floor.meeting up to the edge of the vct butt to butt if I may say, so to not overlap fresh polish on a finished section. I am open to learning and my past experience is with mops, propane buffers and propane burnishers about fourteen years ago with guidance of course.

When you say you presoak and wring out your sponge, that's part of the problem. You should take a dry sponge, dip it in your finish and apply. You don't add water to your finish.

 

[VCT OCD]

Cleanworks,
The Polish I have put on does look amazing from what I have been stuck to work with here. I have only worked a small section and with questionable results.. made my way to the web for help. I will speak with the building owner next week to obtain their thoughts and approval if possible. This rough texture I feel was not previously on the tile and seems to have resulted after the polish. Perhaps I am not familiar with this as in the past, I would go over with the buffer and burnisher... Forgive my lack of experience and knowledge. Thank you ☺

 

[VCT OCD]

When you say you presoak and wring out your sponge, that's part of the problem. You should take a dry sponge, dip it in your finish and apply. You don't add water to your finish.

. Oh! I have read a few sites which suggest a presoak for mops and applied that to the sponge. When I do go for the finish, I am just wetting the bottom with a slight wring to reduce any dripping and I work this lightly onto the floor over four tiles each time (when it requires another dip). Using a twenty percent pass over the previous stroke to ensure coverage.

 

[Small town janitorial]

Vct isn't designed for polish. Not even sure where to start here. Like anyone will tell you, it should be stripped, then waxed. Its a commercial product that shouldn't ever be put in residential areas. Your situation is unfortunate.

 

[VCT OCD]

I will proceed without presoaking the sponge when the time comes to continue. I am going to halt and see what becomes of the owners. This is a fourteen story, one hundred and fifty four unit apartment building from the late seventies.

 

[VCT OCD]

Vct isn't designed for polish. Not even sure where to start here. Like anyone will tell you, it should be stripped, then waxed. Its a commercial product that shouldn't ever be put in residential areas. Your situation is unfortunate.

Yes, it is very unfortunate indeed. The sight of it in my living space does not feel very home like. You mention that it should be waxed? That would be to work in a wax paste right? Again, I am going to be seeking approval of the owners to strip everything. (Even if I need to put things into storage). The newer apartment buildings around here which go for triple the rent, have vinyl plank flooring.

 

[Small town janitorial]

Modern vct waxes are nothing like paste. They are a thick liquid that you apply on the whole floor uniformly. Using a paste like you are makes stripping them miserable and it wont last very long. Use youtube and start learning.

 

[steve_64]

Go buy a couple boxes of LVT snap together floating tile. You can pull it all up when you leave to get your deposit back.

 

[Small town janitorial]

That was my thought. Vct isn't for OCD people. Even at it's best it's annoying and inconsistent.

 

[VCT OCD]

Go buy a couple boxes of LVT snap together floating tile. You can pull it all up when you leave to get your deposit back.

I never even thought about doing that. What a fantastic bit of information! I just read a little on it and that there is a wear layer. I don't know if that is something I can maintain? Or once it has worn through, to replace after.. I will have to see what they have locally and if there is a trim available before it meets the walls (without cutting the LVT flush to the wall, I could give it that small transition to VCT along the edges). I'm going to toy with the thought on edges which meet the walls. :-D I am inspired to do this right now.. which it's now midnight here ha ha.

 

[steve_64]

I never even thought about doing that. What a fantastic bit of information! I just read a little on it and that there is a wear layer. I don't know if that is something I can maintain? Or once it has worn through, to replace after.. I will have to see what they have locally and if there is a trim available before it meets the walls (without cutting the LVT flush to the wall, I could give it that small transition to VCT along the edges). I'm going to toy with the thought on edges which meet the walls. :-D I am inspired to do this right now.. which it's now midnight here ha ha.

You owe us before and after pictures.

 

[Andy]

the bubbles are because you are applying the finish to heavy, ditch the sponge. You can buy a Bona floor care kit from a hardware store with different flat mop heads. Pour a little puddle on the floor and spread with the flat mop. Depending on how many coats you are planning to apply, offset the marriage line with each successive coat so that you don't get a build up on the line.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

There’s nothing about this is normal! I can’t watch

 

[Old Coastie]

John
If you cleaned and rinsed the floor to your satisfaction then you are doing right to rinse and wring the sponge after each coat. It will pick up small bits and drop them wherever it bothers you the most.
Here’s what I would do:
1. Abandon the sponge and use a pole-mounted applicator, $10 at Lowes. Pick boogers out of it after each coat, wrap it in a damp towel and only clean when you are done for the day.
Abandon that product and get a gallon of “Wet-Look ZEP.” It is fine and forgiving.

1. Pour a little at a time and spread it evenly, quickly. Do NOT fix mistakes after five minutes. Let it dry between coats and get them later.
2. It will melt into itself. If you see any trace of overlapping strokes later, shrug your shoulders and have a coffee. In three days it will dry to a thin, hard film that is nearly perfect.
3. Ignore small bubbles. They will pop and it will be fine. Go for even, thin coats, not thick luscious layers.
4. Get over the OCD bullsh*t. Life already sux without you borrowing trouble, hahaha!
5. Good luck.