Scrub and Recoat Instead of Strip and Wax

What is Meant By “Scrub and Recoat”? Scrubbing floor finish is just what the term implies; it is a mildly aggressive process of mechanically scrubbing the existing floor finish. The chemicals are not harsh or hazardous to work with. This procedure remov…

What is Meant By “Scrub and Recoat”?

Scrubbing floor finish is just what the term implies; it is a mildly aggressive process of mechanically scrubbing the existing floor finish. The chemicals are not harsh or hazardous to work with. This procedure removes deeply embedded soils from the floor and prepares it for added layers of floor finish. This is done when there is very little if any floor finish left on the floor or there is no other reason to completely strip the floor’s finish.

When Do You Recommend Stripping Floors?

Strip jobs take more time (and money) versus a “Scrub and Recoat”. If floors have little or no build up on the edges or corners, we’ll generally do a Scrub & Recoat rather than a strip job. When floors are stripped, they must be neutralized and sealed before any floor finish is applied.

Why Does Our Maintenance Guy Say That Floors Should Always Be Stripped?

In most instance, we have no idea. This thought process is similar to when maintenance people think that their wood floors need to be screened (sanded) every time. This is also an old-school, outdated approach to floor maintenance that is very costly and makes no sense.

As you can see from above, there is a tremendous amount of labor and product involved in a Strip and Wax job versus a Scrub and Recoat. Stripper chemicals are harsh and can actually ruin baseboard, trim and adjacent furniture or carpet.

How Does the Procedure of a Scrub and Recoat Differ From a “Strip and Wax”?

In Many Ways, the Process is Similar:

We generally place wet floor or caution signs in appropriate areas;
mix our Scrubbing or Stripping solution in a mop bucket with water;
soak the floor with solution and buff at low speed, scrubbing and/or stripping the floor;
then we pick up the scrubbed (dirty) solution from the floor with a wet/dry vacuum;
mop with plain water and a clean mop head while checking for spots that may have been missed;

Here’s the Difference

WHEN FLOORS ARE STRIPPED (or it’s a new floor), WE NEED TO NEUTRALIZE THE FLOOR THEN APPLY A FLOOR SEALER. This is at least two extra steps and is more labor intensive, not to mention the extra products needed for a Strip and Wax job.

WHEN FLOORS ARE SCRUBBED, we do not need to neutralize and seal the floor. We can immediately apply floor finish.

Personal Protection

In either instance, we generally wear protective equipment, such as gloves and stripping boots. Many floor strippers are extremely slippery when applied onto the floor.

What We Need From You When You Hire Us to Do Your Floors

We ask you to “post” your building so all patrons and employees know that they will not have access to our work area for several hours.

We also ask that you remove items from our work area and do not drag heavy objects across the floor (before and especially after we’re done).

We’ll need access to a water source near our work area to fill mop buckets and a standard 110VAC outlets (20 amps) for our low speed floor machine(s) and wet/dry vacuum(s) and 110VAC air movers to plug into.

We’ll need to know where circuit breaker panels are located. We’ll need you to acknowledge that any equipment that may be affected by a blown circuit breaker caused by our equipment, should be shut down prior to our arrival and that we are not liable for any damages or inconvenience caused by the blown circuit breaker.

We also require that your alarm system be disabled while we’re working so we can haul equipment in and out.

Somebody from your company must be available by cell phone to call when we’re finished or have any building questions.

After We’re Done

You may walk on the floor the next day, but the floor finish will be soft for at least 72 hours. Do not drag heavy objects across the floor for at least one week. You may pick up and set items down where they belong, but DO NOT DRAG THEM. The floor finishing products that we use will have a very slight acrylic odor. You do not need to be concerned about harmful VOCs or people feeling nauseous from the floor finishing products we use. This odor is so slight, we recoat gyms in fitness centers while patrons do their workouts in the next room with no complaints.

Clean Up

We clean up after ourselves. Any fans left on premises (to aid in air movement) will be picked up as soon as possible after the professional floor cleaning services are done.