VCT question

[Walrus Gumboot]

We have some really big VCT jobs coming up that a 175 isn't going to work on. Never used an auto scrubber, so my question is will it strip as good as a 175?
Hopefully some of you have experience with this and can give some insights. Thanks!

 

[Mikey P]

Auto scubbers are for cleaning, not full stripping.

You can't heal, hover or work corners and edges like you can with a 175.

But you can run a SPP and hack it out, and only WE will notice the lack of clarity, and perfection.

 

[Clean Rug Doug]

We have some really big VCT jobs coming up that a 175 isn't going to work on. Never used an auto scrubber, so my question is will it strip as good as a 175?
Hopefully some of you have experience with this and can give some insights. Thanks!

I have a 17" autoscrubber I use on bigger areas. It works good. Scrub with the vac off and the squeegee up first. Just go at half of a walking pace. Slow down when needed. I always go along the edges and in corners with a brush whether I use a the autoscrubber or a 175. Also helps to run a squeegee around the edge to bring the slurry way from the wall when vacuuming it up.

I have to fill my tank with clean water (13 gallons) for the head pressure to be there. If I just put in a few gallons the pad doesn't have as much weight pressing it down.

I still use a 175 for smaller jobs and bring it on the larger ones to get into the rooms where an autoscrubber isn't practical.

 

[Mikey P]

I have a 17" autoscrubber I use on bigger areas. It works good. Scrub with the vac off and the squeegee up first. Just go at half of a walking pace. Slow down when needed. I always go along the edges and in corners with a brush whether I use a the autoscrubber or a 175. Also helps to run a squeegee around the edge to bring the slurry way from the wall when vacuuming it up.

I have to fill my tank with clean water (13 gallons) for the head pressure to be there. If I just put in a few gallons the pad doesn't have as much weight pressing it down.

I still use a 175 for smaller jobs and bring it on the larger ones to get into the rooms where an autoscrubber isn't practical.

What kind of brush?


Do you find that most dont notice that the whole floor didint get stipped?

 

[Clean Rug Doug]

What kind of brush?


Do you find that most dont notice that the whole floor didint get stipped?

I get the brush at HD. Yellow bristle grout brush that screws onto a pole. Works better for me than doodlebug pads. Rinse and reuse.

The whole floor gets stripped. I have a guy that has gone too fast in the past. Some residual left that you can see when it dries. Made him do it again and he goes slower now. He also liked to move the 175 too fast so I had to watch that, too.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

A good emulsifier, in stripping vct works the same as carpet cleaning. Allow the chemical to work with dwell time and it will do its job.
An auto scrubber with a strip, down pressure mold will do the job well. If you think there’s layers of finish than normal, you can use hi-pro pads that are more aggressive. I deal with high low areas that might not strip evenly with an spp on a square scrub afterwards. Yes an auto scrubber will do the job.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

What’s big?

 

[Walrus Gumboot]

What’s big?

Bigger than any we've ever done, which is probably 6000 sqft. I'll know the sqft next week.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I also will use a 175 and an auto scrubber both on a floor that size. I throw everything I have at em.

 

[Willy P]

Take your time and charge large. Somebody will try the 25 cent recoat and burnish to be the cheapest. Stripping properly takes a lot of time when you do the edges, around the toilets, and don't destroy base boards, clean up the cove base, and all the little finicky stuff - PROPERELY. Few are willing to pay for it.

 

[Mikey P]

I'm nauseous just thinking about all the buytl stench.

 

[Willy P]

I'm nauseous just thinking about all the buytl stench.

It was the piss stains that got me. Nothing like leaning over a toilet while you get the skack around the terlet.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

I'm nauseous just thinking about all the buytl stench.

It’s the 21st century, most strippers today are butyl free. But many are ammoniated though.

 

[rubber city stripper]

We have some really big VCT jobs coming up that a 175 isn't going to work on. Never used an auto scrubber, so my question is will it strip as good as a 175?
Hopefully some of you have experience with this and can give some insights. Thanks!

a company i used to work for would use a pair of advance sc901s to strip really large surfaces, and have a guy work the edges with a swing arm and doodle bug while the autoscrubbers did the bulk of the work off the perimeter. it can be done... ran 3m black pads and bare bones stripper most of the time, saw a few times using other stuff i cant remember but it didnt wirk as well, wouldnt recommend it, so the product name isnt important. however, those machines needed maintanence usually following the strip job, so you should expect more wear and tear than usual. if you have limited manpower and the job is $$ worth it, its a viable option, but it does come with a trade-off.

 

[Willy P]

Almost any buffoon can slap finish on a floor. Stripping a floor is another story.

 

[rubber city stripper]

spp is very nice. stripped a room with one this weekend w/o silvent, just water and a lo speed.

A good emulsifier, in stripping vct works the same as carpet cleaning. Allow the chemical to work with dwell time and it will do its job.
An auto scrubber with a strip, down pressure mold will do the job well. If you think there’s layers of finish than normal, you can use hi-pro pads that are more aggressive. I deal with high low areas that might not strip evenly with an spp on a square scrub afterwards. Yes an auto scrubber will do the job.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Now, you’re cooking. You will have nay sayers that say you can’t strip a floor with spp’s. If you have mop and glow type finish
or layers and layers, that’s true. But, for the most part, you can with a normal finished floor. I use both round and square scrub type
which will usually do it.

 

[rubber city stripper]

[ill be keeping a box on hand from now on. i was very impressed. wirk the couple extra bucks fir sure
QUOTE="Kenny Hayes, post: 4866939, member: 59104"]
Now, you’re cooking. You will have nay sayers that say you can’t strip a floor with spp’s. If you have mop and glow type finish
or layers and layers, that’s true. But, for the most part, you can with a normal finished floor. I use both round and square scrub type
which will usually do it.
[/QUOTE]

 

[scotty747]

I'll be wrapping up about 10,000 sq. ft. job today all with a 175.00. Classrooms. The coach had his boys move all the piano's back to the band room and scratched the hell out of the floor.

 

[rubber city stripper]

i usually find most dont notice when i go in after another company and start stripping, only to find 8-10+ coats making my life hell... and am now committed to going all the way to bare tile b/c anything less looks like cottage chesse as soon as u put a coat down. do i get any $ for pointing out the client's been getting played? of course not! but i hope it leads to returning business in the future, and that's priceless!

What kind of brush?


Do you find that most dont notice that the whole floor didint get stipped?
[/QUOTE]

 

[Kenny Hayes]

That’s the same thing as believing you’re gonna get all the dirt out of carpet at one time. Can you get the majority, yes. Will you get it all, no. The best method for those type of floors is to do what I do and take it down a little at a time, but make it look very good each time. Even with propane strip machines, you won’t always get it all. In most cases you can’t charge enough to justify the time. No need to be a hero, but still be a hero.

 

[rubber city stripper]

That’s the same thing as believing you’re gonna get all the dirt out of carpet at one time. Can you get the majority, yes. Will you get it all, no. The best method for those type of floors is to do what I do and take it down a little at a time, but make it look very good each time. Even with propane strip machines, you won’t always get it all. In most cases you can’t charge enough to justify the time. No need to be a hero, but still be a hero.

so i guess what i need to know then is how can i take it down a little at a time and stop with an even surface that i can wax and look smooth? usually if i leave anything at all it sticks out like a sore thumb and the environmental services gestapo starts sending pics to the bosses. ive been stuck stripping for 10-12+hrs to avoid getting a rude wakeup call the next day. i need to keep the regular job until i get enough of my own gigs to pay the bills and go rogue(soon i hope!), so failure isnt an option. i have 13", 17" and 20" low speed machines, theres a high speed buffer somewhere in the company but i cant ever seem to get my hands on it... ive got black, green, red, white and spp 3m pads... no rectangle orbital, no propane ( hospitals and medical facilities frown on it), and 3 decent stripping agents but no $300 juggernaut :-(. can i do anything with that or do i need to get some new kit? most of my loose cash is spent on stuff i thought was going to be provided but every time i request basic stuff it goes unanswered. i can afford some fancy pads, or a single gallon of high end stripper, or maybe rent something for a day if i can getvitvfor under $100, but thats about it. if you have some advice i am all ears!!!

 

[rubber city stripper]

what are some good emulsifiers? asking for a friend...

A good emulsifier, in stripping vct works the same as carpet cleaning. Allow the chemical to work with dwell time and it will do its job.
An auto scrubber with a strip, down pressure mold will do the job well. If you think there’s layers of finish than normal, you can use hi-pro pads that are more aggressive. I deal with high low areas that might not strip evenly with an spp on a square scrub afterwards. Yes an auto scrubber will do the job.

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Have you used the spp’s? If so, how do you use them? What is your procedure?

 

[rubber city stripper]

i run them on a "20 low speed with water, and if i have to pull out some bigger guns, ill resort to a diluted stripper,(havent crossed that bridge yet) but im under the impression that they're supposed to get it done w/o solvents- and so far they have. i only have a couple a friend gave me, and i used 2 on some side jobs, got 2 more in the trunk, but im trying to save them fir my side jobs. the boss at the regular gig doesnt order them. i just agitate patiently and methodically, when it looks clean i crawl around and feel for any raised relief from old wax, and either wash with neutral or repeat the scrub til its smooth. i let the neutral air dry completely then slap a coat down on a small area of a few sq ft. if it looks legit ill finish the coat. thats my basic routine. depends on the floor type, time since last work, amount of old finish, and what i have available at the time, but it's generally something like that. QUOTE="Kenny Hayes, post: 4867478, member: 59104"]
Have you used the spp’s? If so, how do you use them? What is your procedure?
[/QUOTE]

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Good deal, I flood the floor but through the tank just like a top scrub and like a strip. Since you don’t have a square scrub type machine, I would go over any spot with a dry pad that might still look shiney. I use a square type machine for this application.

 

[Nomad74]

I've been helping my lovely wife setup her classroom for the new school year that's about to start. The VCT cleaning in her classroom is horrible. There is dirt and hair in the wax. There are giant slosh mop marks everywhere. It looks like they applied the wax with mud mixed into it. I know they stripped the floor, or at least tried, because I found pieces of the pads.

I offered to strip the floor and redo it for her, but thankfully she declined.

 

[rubber city stripper]

what a bummer- silver lining is that kids dont pay attention to that stuff? youre a real gentleman for offering to redo the floor!

I've been helping my lovely wife setup her classroom for the new school year that's about to start. The VCT cleaning in her classroom is horrible. There is dirt and hair in the wax. There are giant slosh mop marks everywhere. It looks like they applied the was with mud mixed into it. I know they stripped the floor, or at least tried, because I found pieces of the pads.

I offered to strip the floor and redo it for her, but thankfully she declined.