
VCT or vinyl composite tile is one of the most popular and widely used flooring systems today. This the type of flooring you commonly find in hospital hallways, offices, and other commercial building with large foot traffic. However, VCT tiles must not be confused with solid vinyl tiles. This is because VCTs use composite fillers made from organic materials. This is one of the reasons why VCT is much more affordable than your typical solid vinyl tiles.
Maintaining Your VCT Floor
There are several things you need to understand with VCT floor care. First of all, large scale VCT floor care must be done by professional floor care specialists because they the right equipment for the maintenance procedure. This includes stripping, waxing, buffing, floor polishing, and scrubbing. Professional floor care specialists have developed their own procedures to make sure client will enjoy high quality floor service which can guarantee any floor space to look like brand new once the floor care maintenance is over. Floor companies follow their own procedures however, below are some of the key steps you may want to learn about caring for your VCT floor.
- The first step for VCT floor care is stripping and waxing where you basically get rid of floor’s current layer of finish before you can add a fresh layer. The process of stripping can be quite challenging particularly for those with actual experience in performing this job. Using a mop, you need to apply a stripping agent all over the floor and allow it to sit for several minutes. Once the agent is dry, use a low speed buffing device equipped with an abrasive pad and gradually put it on the surface of the floor to remove the wax. Remember to use a vacuum to remove all the dust particles produce by the buffing process.
- Once the entire floor is stripped and dried properly, you can now start to apply a new layer of wax or finish depending on what you prefer. Apply several coats but do not forget to allow it to dry in between layers. Depending on the type of finish you want to achieve, you can apply several more layers of finish until you achieve the level of finish you want. You may need at least six or seven coatings if you want to achieve a strong shine.
- Leave the floor to dry for a couple of days before you begin the buffing process. Use a high speed buffer to achieve the strong shine you want. After buffing, all you need to is to apply a good polish and perform a final scrubbing and you are done.
More often than not, a VCT floor may require stripping and waxing at least once a year but this of course will depend on the volume of foot traffic the floor receives in a year. If it is in the hallway, you may need to strip and wax it about twice a year to maintain the shiny look of your VCT floor.
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