How to Remove Wax & Sealer From Vinyl Composite Tiles
It happens to every maintenance worker at some point. After mopping a vinyl composite floor with the right cleaning solution, it just doesn't look right. The floor still looks dirty after your hard labor, and you notice a yellow haze on the floor. These are signs that it's time to strip off the old layers of wax and sealer from the floor. Although this project requires the use of some heavy equipment, achieving professional results are well within reach if you plan on taking your time to do the job right.
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Things You'll Need
- Two mops
- Bucket with wringer
- Five-gallon bucket
- Floor stripping chemical
- Floor buffer machine
- Black stripping pad or grit block
- Wet-vac
- Dust mop
- Spackle knife
Instructions
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Setup
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1
Clear the area to be stripped of furniture and debris. Sweep the floor with a dust mop, removing all loose dirt from the floor.
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2
Mix a batch of stripper solution according to the manufacturer's instructions in a five-gallon pail. Place a mop in the pail and set aside. This is the "slop pail" or "slop mop."
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3
Fill the wringer pail with rinse water. Place a mop in the pail and set aside.
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4
Set up the floor buffing and wet-vac machines at the point in the room where you will finish. Plan on working toward the exit to minimize the amount of foot traffic on the clean floor. Make sure you are using a new, black stripping pad on the floor buffing machine. If stripping a floor will be a regular part of your maintenance routine, you can "go green" by purchasing a reusable grit block for the floor buffing machine. This brush-like attachment will perform like a disposable stripping pad but will last for years.
Stripping the Floor
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5
Spread a liberal amount of floor stripping solution onto the floor with the slop mop. No need to wring out the mop. Simply dip the mop into the slop pail and allow the mop to drip for about 10 seconds into the pail before covering an area with the cleaning solution. Work a small area, about 10 feet by 10 feet, at a time.
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6
Allow the solution to emulsify the old wax and floor sealer. Follow the instructions on the stripper concentrate; a 5- to 10-minute dwell time is average.
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7
Scrub the area with the floor buffing machine, and overlap as much as possible. Use side to side, up and down, and circular patterns to attack the floor from all angles.
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8
Vacuum the scrubbed area immediately. Don't allow the scrubbed solution to dry, or it will need to be stripped again.
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9
Rinse with a well wrung out, clean water mop. Change the rinse water as needed.
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10
Repeat steps one through five until entire space has been stripped. Stubborn areas may need to be slopped, scrubbed, and rinsed several times to remove all the old wax and sealer.
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11
Using a Spackle knife, scrape old wax from corners and tight spaces where the floor machine can't reach. Be careful not to dig into the tile.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Allow the stripping solution to work. Rushing the dwell time may mean redoing an area. Use caution signs and caution tape to keep people out of the work area.
Use caution. The floor will be extremely slippery during the stripping process.
