I have a job coming up that is a restaurant. They have VCT in the bathrooms and kitchen that I need to clean.

By the look of the VCT, it doesn't like they have been properly stripped in a very long time if ever.

I need some basic advice on VCT work as I have never really done it before. In the past, someone that was with me always did the VCT while I did the carpet.

I have a regular floor machine but I would prefer to use my 15" cimex (or maybe even my 24"... on bigger jobs).

I need to know what kind of pads to get (I can cut them to fit the cimex). As well as some advice and a how-to on VCT cleaning.


Thanks,
Michael

i'm sure others will post info as well. i recommend also posting this on the "Floor" forum as well....there is a link to it next to the other forum links on this forum.

1 thing i will say, i believe the 15" has a higher RPM so if you use that you might want to make a slop ring so it doesn't slosh the slurry all over the lower part of the walls or other furniture/cabinets.

thanx --- Derek.

Try some of Ricks Lightning Strip pads or regular black pads. Mix up your stripper acording to label directions, mop on heavy, let dwell. Agitate with Cimex/rotary, scrape edges & corners. Recover with Shop vac & a squeegy (or autoscrubber). Rinse & recover twice. Damp mop w/nuetral cleaner, force dry. Lay 4 coats of Spartan I-shine. Burnish coats 1, 2 & 3 once & coat 4 twice. Dust mop after every burnishing. Charge for your time. Be sure to have your PPE & MSDS on hand.

I mix the stripper in the Cimex tank and wet the floor as I agitate with black strip pads. Use doodlebug(edging tool with pad holder on handle)on edges. Agitate again after edging. Remove slurry, rinse, and refinish.

Only sounds easy, sometimes there are problems.

CleaningSuperman
alter ego: George Barnett
Owner: G & G Services
http://www.CleaningSuperman.com

I have Rick's gray pads. Will these work or should I buy some black pads and cut them to fit? What pads do I burnish with?

Would it be ok to recover with my portable extractor? Or will the stripper hurt it?

How long do I have to wait after I put a finish on to burnish it?

Thanks for the help!
Michael

To recover with your portable you'll need to Green Glide (1-866-get-teflon)your wand or you'll scratch tiles. Black pads to strip, natural hair or white to burnish. Do you have a burnisher?

PS-I usually just run water through the tank. Just to keep the floor wet. If the slurry dries you are in for a long night & nice back ache.

I now know why we gave up VCT biz 15 yrs. ago. CCing is easy compared to that.

The Lightning strip pads are available for the 19" Cimex, however you could trim them down to fit your 15" Cimex with scissors.

How To Strip a Floor:

1) Dust mop the floor.
2) Mix the stripper according to label directions.
3) Apply plenty of stripper solution to the floor. Only wet out the amount of floor you can service without the floor drying up (start with a 10'x10' area and then adjust upward as you see how you're doing).
4) Fill the Cimex tank with plain water, and attach the Lightning pads to the machine.
5) Scrub the floor slowly making a few passes over each section. Dispense a little extra water from the tank as you scrub in order to keep the floor wet.
6) Scrape, doodlebug, or edge with a mop, along the baseboards and edges where the machine can't scrub.
7) Wet vac the floor before it dries.
8) Immediately rinse each section of the floor with a mop and mop bucket to eliminate any remains from your wet vac.
9) After the floor is dry, begin to apply your floor finish. Use a "finish" mop head. Squirt the detergent directly onto the floor and spread it evenly with the finish mop. Work backwards as you apply the finish overlapping your mop passes. You will need to lay down 4-6 medium coats of finish.
10) Optional: You can high speed burnish the floor to bring up a higher gloss shine after the finish has dried and cured.
11) Make certain that you clean up all of your equipment after the job because strip jobs will really gunk up your equipment in a BIG way.

That covers the basics. Stripping floors is an art and these simplified instructions only cover the steps involved. Gaining the ability to do strip jobs like a pro is like anything else - it's a skill that needs to be mastered.



Rick Gelinas
encapman

Or you could be a hack like me. I mix a little pinesol in my cimex and scrub the floor with lightning strip pads. This will usually take the top few layers of finish off and really clean the floor nicely. Then my helper follows me with my sx12 or greenglided wand and rinses the floor. Give the floor 1 good clean water mop for good luck and let dry. I then put down about 3-4 coats of Butchers Above and leave with a very happy client. Of course if the floor must be stripped then refer to Rick G's post other wise if it is in decent shape I always do it this way.

i hear ya Tracy. a strip & recoat will often do. but i'm with Rambo.

i'm still in need of the green myself. but VCT is nothing but hard work and if i can make it without that, all the better for me.

thanx --- D.

The only thing I can add is that if you are going to vacuum with your extractor, just use a floor tool instead of a wand. If you are doing restrooms and a kitchen, there may be floor drains and you can squeegee the solution down the drain. It's a nasty job, so, charge well.