How Floor Stripping and Waxing Fits Into VCT Floor Care
Stripping and waxing removes all the old finish and puts down fresh coats, and it is the most aggressive job on a VCT floor. Tile maker Mannington says to strip “only when necessary.” Between strips, daily cleaning, burnishing and a periodic scrub and recoat keep the floor looking good. Hillyard recommends a full strip every three to five years.
TLDR:
- VCT floor care has four levels: daily cleaning, burnishing, scrub and recoat, and a full strip.
- What most people call wax is floor finish, the layer that protects the tile.
- Burnishing restores gloss, but only when enough finish remains on the floor.
- A scrub and recoat removes 1 to 2 dirty coats and adds fresh ones, without a full strip.
- Strip when the finish is yellowed, worn through, heavily soiled or badly scratched.
- New VCT needs 3 to 5 coats of finish before it goes into service.
Vinyl composition tile, or VCT, is common in office hallways, breakrooms and lobbies. It depends on its finish. Once the finish wears through, traffic wears the tile itself.
Some buildings manage that finish with one tool: strip and wax, over and over. The companies that make the tile and the finish recommend a different plan. This guide lays out the four levels of care and when each one is due.
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Advanced Office Care has maintained Baton Rouge commercial floors since 2006. We will look at your VCT, tell you which level of work it needs now, and put a maintenance plan in writing.
“Wax” Is Really Floor Finish
Almost everyone calls it wax. The manufacturers call it floor finish or floor polish, and the difference matters when you read their instructions.
Floor finish is the protective layer on top of the tile, applied in coats. Tile maker Tarkett’s VCT maintenance instructions explain that the factory coating is only there for shipping and installation: “This temporary finish is not meant to be a wear surface.” Coats of floor finish must be added after installation.
Every level of care in this guide is about managing those coats. You clean on top of them, polish them, replace the top few, or remove them all and start over.
Finish also affects safety. The industry test for floor polish slip resistance is ASTM D2047, which says polishes with a static coefficient of friction of at least 0.5 “have been recognized as providing nonhazardous walkways.”
The Four Levels of VCT Floor Care
Each level removes more finish than the one before it, and costs more time and chemicals. The goal is to do as much as possible at the lower levels.
| Level | What it does | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily cleaning | Dust mop, then damp mop or auto scrub with a neutral cleaner | Daily is recommended | Tarkett, Armstrong Flooring |
| Spray buff or burnish | Restores gloss to the existing finish | When gloss drops, with 3 to 5 coats remaining | Armstrong Flooring, Tarkett |
| Scrub and recoat | Removes 1 to 2 dirty coats and adds fresh finish | Start with once a year, more with heavy traffic | Tarkett, Hillyard |
| Strip and refinish | Removes all finish and applies new coats | Only when necessary, about every 3 to 5 years | Mannington, Hillyard |
The interpretation is simple. A floor that gets the first three levels on schedule should rarely need the fourth.
Daily Cleaning Protects the Finish
Grit is what wears finish away, so daily cleaning is the cheapest floor protection a building has. Tarkett says to “clean the flooring at a frequency consistent with the amount and type of traffic and soil conditions,” and adds, “Daily cleaning is recommended.”
The routine is a dust mop to pick up dry soil, followed by a damp mop or an auto scrubber with a neutral cleaner. Armstrong Flooring’s VCT maintenance instructions call for damp mopping “on a regular or daily basis.” Armstrong Flooring and Mannington both recommend walk-off mats at every entrance to keep grit from reaching the tile.
Burnishing: Speed, Finish Type and Risk
Burnishing is how most facilities bring back shine between recoats. It polishes the top of the finish with a fast-spinning pad.
Tarkett separates two methods. Spray buffing uses a slow-speed machine at 175 to 350 RPM. Burnishing uses a high-speed machine at 1500 to 2000 RPM, and Tarkett warns: “BURNISHING NEEDS SPECIAL CARE TO AVOID DAMAGES.”
Burnishing only works when there is finish to polish. Armstrong Flooring says to buff, spray buff or burnish “if there is sufficient base of polish remaining (3 to 5 coats).” Mannington’s VCT maintenance guide says high-speed burnishing needs “at least four coats of polish specifically formulated for burnishing,” and that “careless or improper use of these machines can result in severe and extensive damage to the floor.”
Burnishable vs burnish-free finish
Not every finish is meant to be burnished. Hillyard explains that burnishable finish “provides a high-gloss appearance, but only with regular burnishing.” If a building cannot commit to that, it says “a burnish-free finish might be the best choice,” with a lower-gloss look. Match the finish to the maintenance plan you can actually run.
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Scrub and Recoat: The Step That Delays Stripping
Scrub and recoat sits between burnishing and a full strip. It fixes much of what dulls a floor without taking it down to bare tile.
Tarkett presents it as the alternative to stripping, “to reduce the cost of chemicals and manpower.” The process “will remove 1 to 2 coats of existing floor finish,” then 2 fresh coats go down. Because it takes coats off, Tarkett says “4 to 5 coats of floor finish must have been previously applied.”
Hillyard’s scrub and top coat guidance explains why it works. Soil and grit wear pits and grooves into the top of the finish, and an aggressive scrub can “remove one to two layers of floor finish, along with the embedded dirt and scratches in those layers.”
It also says regular interim maintenance can “delay a complete strip and recoat of the floor for well over a year.” Its starting advice: “add an annual deep scrub and recoating process to your floor maintenance plan and increase the frequency if required.”
When a Floor Actually Needs Stripping
A full strip removes every coat of finish down to the tile. It is the right call when the finish itself has failed, not just gotten dull.
The manufacturers describe the signs. Hillyard says, “If floors show yellowing, embedded dirt, or irreparable damage, it is time to strip and recoat.” Tarkett points to a gloss level that “appears worn or uneven due to traffic.” Armstrong Flooring and Mannington both say badly soiled or scratched floors may be stripped.
How often that happens depends on the lower levels of care. Hillyard recommends a full strip “every three to five years.” Mannington’s rule is shorter: “Strip floors only when necessary.” Its guide adds that a good maintenance program “will greatly reduce the need for stripping.”
For more on the other ways VCT fails, from yellowing to curling tiles, see our guide to VCT floor failure points.
New VCT: Initial Maintenance Before the Floor Goes Into Service
A new VCT floor is the one time the rules run backward. It needs finish before it takes traffic, and it needs time before it takes water.
Tarkett says initial cleaning “must not be performed until 72 hours after installation.” Armstrong Flooring is stricter: “Do not wet wash, machine scrub, or strip the floor for at least five days after installation,” because excess moisture can interfere with the adhesive.
Both call for a full finish build before the floor goes into service. Tarkett says, “Three to five coats of a recommended floor finish must be applied prior to placing the floor into service.” Armstrong also warns that aggressive strippers are “not recommended on tile floors less than two years old because they may affect the adhesive bond.”
Stripping Safely: Chemistry, Slip Risk and Rinsing
Floor stripper can be a corrosive chemical, and a floor under stripper is extremely slippery. Both risks need a plan.
The OSHA and NIOSH guide to cleaning chemicals warns that “cleaning products that contain corrosive chemicals can cause severe burns if splashed on the skin or in the eyes.” It also says that when cleaning chemicals are hazardous, training “must be provided BEFORE the worker begins using the cleaner.”
Slip risk comes with the process. The 3M Speed Stripper technical data sheet says plainly, “Floors become very slippery when stripper softens finish,” and calls for a flood rinse with clean water after stripping. Mannington says to “restrict traffic when cleaning, waxing, or stripping due to the possibility of slipping.”
In practice, that means stripping after hours, closing the area with signs, and rinsing thoroughly. 3M’s sheet says to check the dry floor for residue before refinishing.
A VCT Maintenance Calendar for a Baton Rouge Office
A written schedule keeps floors from drifting into a strip every year. A workable starting point for an office looks like this:
- Daily: dust mop, then damp mop or auto scrub with a neutral cleaner. Keep entrance mats clean.
- As gloss drops: spray buff or burnish, more often in lobbies and main hallways, only with enough finish remaining.
- About once a year: deep scrub and recoat, more often in heavy-traffic areas.
- Every few years, or when the finish fails: full strip and 3 to 5 fresh coats of finish.
Adjust from there. A quiet back office may go longer between recoats. A busy entrance may need them more often. The point is to decide on purpose instead of stripping by default.
Common Questions About Floor Stripping and Waxing
These are the questions facility managers ask most about keeping VCT and other resilient floors in shape. Each answer points back to tile or finish manufacturer guidance.
How often should commercial floors be stripped and waxed?
Less often than many buildings do it. Mannington says to strip floors only when necessary, and Hillyard recommends a full strip every three to five years. In between, burnishing and a periodic scrub and recoat keep the finish looking good. Heavy traffic or a failing finish can move a strip sooner.
Can you wax a floor without stripping it?
Yes. A scrub and recoat removes the top 1 to 2 dirty coats of finish and adds fresh ones without stripping to bare tile. Tarkett says the floor needs 4 to 5 coats already in place for this to work. Hillyard suggests starting with a deep scrub and recoat once a year.
What is the difference between buffing and burnishing?
Speed. Tarkett’s instructions use a slow-speed machine at 175 to 350 RPM for spray buffing, and a high-speed machine at 1500 to 2000 RPM for burnishing. Burnishing produces a higher gloss but needs a finish made for it and enough coats on the floor. Careless burnishing can damage the floor.
How many coats of floor finish does VCT need?
Tile makers call for 3 to 5 coats on new VCT before it goes into service. For high-speed burnishing, Mannington calls for at least four coats of a finish formulated for burnishing. Because a scrub and recoat removes 1 to 2 coats, Tarkett says 4 to 5 coats should be in place first.
How long after installation can new VCT be waxed?
Check the tile maker’s instructions. Tarkett says initial cleaning must wait 72 hours after installation. Armstrong Flooring says not to wet wash, machine scrub or strip the floor for at least five days, since excess moisture can interfere with the adhesive. Then 3 to 5 coats of finish go down.
What are the signs a floor needs to be stripped?
Hillyard lists yellowing, embedded dirt and irreparable damage as the signs it is time to strip and recoat. Tarkett points to gloss that looks worn or uneven from traffic, and tile makers say badly soiled or scratched floors may be stripped. Dullness alone usually calls for burnishing or a recoat first.
About Advanced Office Care
Advanced Office Care is a family-owned commercial cleaning company serving Baton Rouge and surrounding areas since 2006, owned by Clay and Nessa Vavasseur. We clean and maintain offices, medical facilities, schools, churches and industrial buildings across East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, West Baton Rouge, Iberville and St. Tammany Parishes.
Learn more about our vinyl tile cleaning and maintenance and our floor maintenance in Baton Rouge. Questions first? Call (225) 751-7388.
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