Many businesses are about to enter either the busy season or the “lull” season, depending on what type of service or product you offer. While retail and restaurants seem to be booming right now, other types of businesses are finally about to catch a well-earned breather. Schools are soon going on break. Many churches have a slimmed-down class and meeting schedule that often coincides with the academic calendar. Organizations such as engineering firms and dental offices will probably see a decrease in busyness over Christmas and New Year’s–think about it, who really wants to schedule a major project or get a root canal over the holidays?

As you think through the typical rhythms of “rest and hustle” in your school, church, medical facility, office, manufacturing facility, or financial institution, it’s not a bad idea to mark on the calendar when those seasons of rest often occur. If your facilities have vinyl composition tile (VCT) flooring, these seasons of “rest” can be the perfect time to have your floors stripped and waxed. 

The typical care routine of VCT flooring is relatively simple. This hardy flooring type is a popular choice for its durability and versatility. VCT floors can be swept, vacuumed, and/or mopped on a daily basis. Scuffs, black marks (like the ones frequently left behind by men’s dress shoes), and even minor abrasions can often be removed with the help of a buffing pad, floor machine, and spray-on shine enhancer. 

In order to give your VCT floors a long, beautiful life, there is an additional critical step that should not be skipped. VCT floors need to be waxed. Your VCT floors (if they were installed correctly) were probably waxed soon after installation. The job of this wax is to provide a barrier between your shoes and the tiles. Think of it like putting a bit of furniture polish on great-grandma’s coffee table or some Turtle Wax on your car. Eventually, through time and abrasion, even the best protective coating will begin to wear thin. That’s what it’s made for–to take the beating instead of the surface you are trying to protect!

You may be able to look at the floor and notice some areas that do not have the crisp sheen they once had (even after buffing). This is a sign that your floors are overdue to be stripped and waxed.

The reason we started by talking about making note of those “hustle and rest” times in your facility is because this process of stripping and waxing is a bit more involved than your everyday mop-and-buff process. The old wax must be chemically stripped from the floor. This prevents unsightly buildup over the years. Next, several coats of new wax are applied in thin layers with a cure time between each layer (depending on the type of wax, this cure time could be up to 24 hours). During this time, you do not want foot traffic or furniture on the surface because it could damage the wax job. By the time the process is finished, your floors will look as good as new!
Sonlight Cleaning Services is a full-service commercial cleaning company that can walk with you through every step of your Monday-through-Friday cleaning routine as well as those annual or bi-annual jobs like VCT care. We take the “hustle” out of your job as a large facility manager–nobody likes juggling a dozen different companies when one will do it all for you! Give Sonlight a call today and one of our client care specialists will help you put together a comprehensive annual facility care plan so that the only surprises will be on the faces of people who ask you, “Wow, did we get new floors?” To which you can say, “No, but they sure look that way!”