If you have heard of any terminology about floor restoring it is probably the term strip and wax. What does this mean ? Well , it means that your old top coat sealant (aka wax) is old , dingy , dull , flaking up and probably has a lot of scratches and scuff marks. When the wax becomes this bad it is necessary that it is removed (stripped) and then reapplied . Hence the name strip and wax.
FLOOR TYPES
Before you go and ask your restoration company if your floor is in need of a strip and wax lets determine what kind of floor you have. It is rare that a residential home needs a strip and wax job as the floors in common homes are not the kind of floors that need this process. Let me give you some examples of floors that DO NOT need stripped and waxed . Here is a small list for you. Ceramic tile , Marble , Travertine , Limestone , Granite , Porcelain , Onyx , Quartzite and Cement tiles to name a few. If you don't know the type of floor you have feel free to send us a picture via email or text and one of our technicians will be glad to help you identify it. Now we shall look at some of the floors that DO need to be stripped and waxed. These types of floors are much more common in commercial businesses such as grocery stores , animal hospitals , dentist offices , etc. There is really only ONE , yes you heard right ONE floor that should be stripped and waxed and that floor is, drum roll please , Vinyl Composite Tile floors commonly known as VCT. You see this flooring everywhere. Next time you go to the doctors office and you are waiting in the exam room look down at the floor. That is VCT 99 percent of the time. So to easily sum it up. If our floor is NOT VCT then it does NOT need to be stripped and waxed. As simple as that.
STRIPPING
If you do own a business that has VCT you will most definitely need to get it stripped and waxed inevitably . Stripping itself is a very messy and dangerous job as it becomes very slippery when the stripper is added. Once the stripper is added it must be agitated with a floor scrubber and an aggressive abrasive stripping pad. The edges and corners cannot be fully reached with the scrubber therefore they must be done manually by hand. If the old Sealant is to strong , and won't come off , probably due to to many coats or the wrong product was applied , you might have to physically scrape off the remaining wax with a handheld scraper or razor. The floor needs thoroughly rinsed with a neutral cleaner and hot water . You don't want any remnants of stripper left .The key is to make sure that every single little piece of wax is completely gone or else it will show up under your new coat of wax. Sounds like a lot of work because it is a lot of work. There is also a huge potential in damaging baseboards , walls , adjacent flooring that isn't VCT and other objects as the stripper splashes a lot and will eat through or discolor just about anything it touches. Especially if it sits there for to long ( just minutes is all it takes). You have to be EXTREMELY careful. We don't recommend you do this on your own unless you have lots of experience. Don't take the chance in ruining anything or hurting yourself. Our number is easy to dial (702) 349-1457.
WAXING
Waxing is the easy part . Or is it ? Easy part -There are many different kinds of wax on the market in 2020 . Which one should you use ? Well I can narrow it down and tell you which ones you shouldn't use . Its easy , anything that you can buy at your local home improvement stores ie Lowes , Home Depot or Harbor Freight. DO NOT use as they are cheaply made and won't last in a high traffic environment. We use only professional grade top coat sealant aka wax. The product that we use holds up against scuffs , scratches , dirt , and high traffic. We lay 3-4 coats down depending on the desired shine and protection. You can use 2 different types of applicators. First one being a finishing string mop and second being a flat mop with a microfiber head on it. We prefer the ladder as it makes it easier to get close to the edges without getting the wax on the walls and also gives you a much more even application without puddling....... Hard part - Applying the wax can be somewhat difficult especially for beginners and even for the seasoned veteran. You need to make sure that there is NO sitting water , dust or any kind of debris left on the floor. Wear booties while waxing so for one you don't leave footprints on your freshly stripped floor and two so that you don't ruin your shoes. Been there done that. Make sure when pouring the wax that you do it as evenly as possible or this will cause puddling or dry spots. If you have long hair I recommend you put it up in a hat because one hair can ruin the look of your finish. Tip- wet your head a little with water before starting. Apply the first coat liberally and try not to miss any spots making sure you get as close to the edges and corners as possible without puddling. Once your first coat is finished you must be patient for it to dry completely before applying the next coat. This goes for all coats. Being patient might be the hardest but most important part. You can easily ruin ALL of your hard work if the existing coat is not fully dry. It will cause horrible streaking and big unsightly spots. You will have to strip it again and start from scratch which is a huge bummer. We have seen this first hand and boy does it suck. Talk about being frustrated.
The Big take away from this post should be DO NOT strip and wax or even just wax your floor unless it is VCT . And please don't try and do it alone . Safe yourself a lot of time and headaches. Simply give us a call or go online and schedule a FREE consultation with one of our qualified Techs . You will be glad that you did.
