I just got a nice contract with a company to do there commercial carpet 4x per year, but they want me to strip and wax there vct tile. I have never done this. Is this tough to do? Should I take this or try to contract it to someone else. What do you charge for this service?



Ralph

Stripping VCT is not that difficult. However, it is a nasty, time consuming job and can be difficult depending on how the floor was maintained, how much finish is on the floor, is the area open or cluttered, etc. I do not know where you are located, here in SW Florida I try to get at least $.30 per sq. ft. with a $225.00 minimum. Given the circumstances you stated, I would probably sub it out this time and take the occasion to learn see how its done. Then you can make a more informed decision on the next job.

I have been doing vct maintenance for 25 years and it can be difficult depending on situation. The time it takes depends on how well you are set up but for jobs under 5000 sq.ft. you can count on it taking at least 4 hours. It can be no more dirty than cleaning carpet.

George Barnett
Owner: G & G Services
HydroTech Distributor
http://www.webnow.com/HydroTech

Hey George! your 4 hours? would that be stripp and wax in 4 for 5k

Greg Loe
Chico,Ca
www.gregs-ucs.com

Hey George,
I don't understand how you can say that stripping a VCT floor is no more dirty than cleaning a carpet. What am I missing?

Stripped, refinished, packed up and sitting at home in 4 hours.

It's not a dirty job any longer because:

Autoscrubber $5000, Cimex $2300, mop bucket, doodlebug, squeegee, and proper tools $200.

Know-how. Priceless!

Just like carpet cleaning, floor maintenance has made great strides in the past 20 years.

Read here and it may shed some light on speeding up your vct experience, http://www.cleanernetwork.com/ournetwork/viewforum.php?f=26

George Barnett
Owner: G & G Services
HydroTech Distributor
http://www.webnow.com/HydroTech

Mark and George have a lot of experience.

I have likewise stripped more floors than I care to remember.
Stripping floors is right up there with root canal work IMHO.
Smelly, slimey, filthy, time consuming, frustrating, the list goes on.

Once you learn how to strip floors and get a good system it starts to get easier. But stripping is never as sweet as carpet cleaning. And it's generally not as profitable either.

If subbing out the strip is an option that won't jeopardize losing the carpet account - that would be easier. But keep in mind, bringing in another party opens the door to them stealing your carpet account. The best bet is to learn how to do floor care, in addition to carpet cleaning. That way you can keep all the eggs in your basket.

If you can get good at stripping floors you can actually double up on your profits. It works like this: You start out the job by stripping the floor with a helper. As soon as you finish stripping the floor, you begin the carpet cleaning. Your helper finishes wet vacuuming and rinsing the floor. Then your helper applies 3-4 coats of finish while you clean the carpet. Between coats of finish your helper can bring you buckets of detergent and help you knock out the carpet cleaning. This enables you to pick up extra profit by performing two services simultaneously. Whereas, if the stripping was done separately, the crew would have to sit there watching the coats of finish dry. Performing both services at the same time avoids wasting time.

So in the end, I guess it's up to you to determine how much pain you're comfortable with. Because invariably learning how to strip a floor will produce some pain, at least till you learn what you're doing. Stripping will never be a walk in the park, but it does get a lot easier once you learn what you're doing.

Hope this gives you some insight





Rick Gelinas
encapman

If you have never done it SUB IT OUT. Would you paint the car that you were cleanning the carpet and upholstry? Would you sand and refinish the wood floors that were next to the carpet you were doing. Trust me I have done a few strip jobs in my day. For me they are easy. For you the first several will be a nightmare with no end. You will need to get some traing before you venture into VCT. There are far better markets to get into than VCT. Find a contractor you are comfortable with let him look at it and price it. You then mark his price up and bill the custy and PAY the contractor. I type PAY because I no longer work with small contractors doing sub work for them as several have burned me.

SUB IT OUT,
Pete