Cost Guides
What VCT Strip and Wax Costs in Jackson, and How We Estimate It
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VCT strip and wax cost in Jackson depends on the size of the floor, how much old finish has to come off, how many new coats go down, the edge work and when the area can be closed. We do not post prices. We look at the floor and prepare an estimate for your building.
Vinyl composition tile (VCT) is common in schools, clinics and offices. What you see is the finish, not the tile. The tile underneath is usually fine.
That is why a VCT price works differently from a carpet price. The question is not how dirty the floor is. It is how much old finish is sitting on it, and what state that finish is in. A floor that was stripped recently and kept up since needs far less work than a floor that has been recoated for ten years without a strip.
There are two services, and they get mixed up. A scrub and recoat takes off the top layer of finish and lays fresh coats over what remains. It is faster and fits when the base is sound. A full strip takes every coat down to bare tile, and then the floor is rebuilt in coats, with dry time between each one.
We do not post prices for this work. Each floor is priced individually, because the buildup is different in every building. Below is what goes into the price.
David Laton started HydroClean in Jackson in 2010 and is IICRC certified. We clean, maintain and protect all types of flooring in both residential and commercial applications. Commercial work follows the same process as a home, plus the logistics: timing, keys and alarm codes.
Strip or Scrub and Recoat: The Fork in Every VCT Job
Every VCT job starts with one question: what is sitting under the finish?
Choosing between a scrub and recoat and a full strip is the biggest fork in a VCT price. It depends on the finish underneath. If the finish is sound, clear and even, taking off the top and building it back makes sense. If the base is yellowed, cracked, powdery or built up too thick, fresh coats on top only cover the problem.
Buildup happens slowly and is easy to miss. Every recoat adds material. Finish that never comes off traps soil and discolors. Look at the edges of the room. If they look darker and thicker than the middle, the floor has been recoated far more often than it has been stripped.
A good cycle is a full strip now and then, with scrub and recoat visits in between. If a building has drifted a long way from that, the first strip is the biggest job and the ones after it are easier. Keep that in mind when you look at a first estimate. It is not what upkeep will cost each time.
What Affects the Price of a VCT Job
The size of the floor says little on its own. These things decide how long an area takes and what materials it uses.
Total Floor Size
The starting point for machine time, materials and labor. Corridors, classrooms, break rooms and back rooms are usually estimated together, so the setup happens once.
Old Finish Buildup
The one nobody predicts. Removing two coats is a different job from removing ten years of layers. Heavy buildup means more stripper, longer dwell and more work to get it all up.
Strip Versus Scrub and Recoat
A scrub and recoat refreshes the top layer. A full strip removes everything down to bare tile and rebuilds from nothing. They are different amounts of labor and material.
Number of Finish Coats
Each coat goes down separately and dries before the next. More coats means more material and more time. Ask how many coats your estimate includes.
Edge, Corner and Detail Work
Machines do the open floor. Edges, door frames, baseboards and corners are hand work. A building with many small rooms carries far more of it than an open floor plan.
Furniture and Fixtures
Desks, shelving and equipment are either moved or worked around. Who moves them is worth settling before the job, because it changes the labor.
Timing and Access
Finish needs dry time with nobody walking on it. We plan the timing with you around when the area can be closed, and we sort out keys and alarm codes ahead of the job.
One Time or Regular Upkeep
A one-time restoration is a bigger job than a regular visit. A floor that is kept up on a schedule stays in better shape, so each visit is smaller.
Why Dry Time Decides the Timing
Dry time shapes every strip and wax job. Finish goes down in coats, and each coat has to dry before the next. More people or bigger machines cannot rush it. Anyone who walks on the floor while a coat is drying spoils that coat.
So the floor has to be closed to traffic while we work and while it dries. That is why timing matters to the price. A building we can have for one clear stretch can be done in one run. A building that can only be closed for a few hours at a time has to be done in sections over several visits, with more setup each time.
Doing a floor in sections needs a plan. You may see a line between areas finished on different days until the whole floor is done. We work the order out with you ahead of time.
Travel is built into the price. A very small area falls under our flat-rate service minimum.
From Your First Call to a Finished Floor
You Call or Send an Estimate Request
Tell us which rooms and corridors are included and roughly how large they are. For anything beyond one room, a floor plan helps.
We Collect the Details
We ask when the floor was last stripped. Not recoated, stripped. We also ask how it looks: yellowing, gray traffic lanes, dark thick edges or lifting at the corners.
We Look at the Floor and Prepare the Estimate
For some jobs we can give a phone estimate, with the final price set on inspection. For others we come and look at the floor first. With strip and wax, the buildup decides the work.
You Approve It and We Schedule
We settle the timing, who moves the furniture, and who holds the keys and alarm codes.
The Old Finish Comes Off
On a full strip, stripper goes down, the floor is agitated by machine and the old finish is picked up. Edges and corners are done by hand. The floor is rinsed so no stripper is left to attack the new finish.
New Coats Go Down
Finish is laid in even coats, and each coat dries before the next one goes on.
You Look at the Work
You or your representative gets a chance to look at the floor before we leave. If something is not right and it is within our ability, we make it right before we leave.
What a Strip and Wax Job Covers
- A look at the floor and the old finish before the estimate is prepared
- An honest recommendation between a full strip and a scrub and recoat
- Removal of old finish with stripper and machine agitation
- Hand work at edges, corners and door frames
- A rinse so no stripper is left under the new finish
- New finish laid in even coats, with dry time between each
- Timing, keys and alarm codes arranged with you ahead of the job
- A chance to look at the work before we leave
What to Expect on VCT
We would rather set an honest expectation than make a promise we cannot keep.
- Strip and wax cannot repair the tile. Cracked, curling, missing or patched tiles will still be there under a fresh finish.
- Staining that has gone into the tile itself may remain after the strip. Removing the finish can make it easier to see.
- Dry time is fixed, and more people cannot shorten it. Traffic on a drying floor damages the coat that was just laid.
- A first strip after years of recoating is a bigger job than the upkeep visits after it.
- If the floor is done in sections, you may see a line between areas done on different days until the whole floor is finished.
Strip and Wax Questions
How much does VCT strip and wax cost in Jackson TN?
It depends on the size of the floor, how much old finish has to come off, how many coats go back down and how much edge work there is. We do not post prices. We look at the floor and prepare an estimate for your building.
What is the difference between a strip and a scrub and recoat?
A scrub and recoat takes off the top layer of finish, then lays fresh coats over the sound finish underneath. A full strip removes every coat down to bare tile and rebuilds the floor from nothing. A recoat is faster, but it only works when the base is still in good shape.
How do I know whether my floor needs a full strip?
Look at the edges and corners, not the middle. If the finish near the walls looks darker, thicker or is lifting, and the open floor has yellowed or gone cloudy, the floor carries too many layers.
Why can't you give a price from the square footage?
Because the size of the floor is only part of the job. The time goes into the old coats that have to come off, the edge work, the new coats and the dry time between them. Two floors the same size can be very different amounts of work.
Does the building have to be closed while you work?
The area being done does. Finish needs dry time between coats, and anyone who walks on a drying coat damages it. Tell us when the area can be closed, and we plan the timing with you.
Will stripping fix my damaged tiles?
No. Stripping removes finish, not damage. Cracked, curling, loose or missing tiles will still be there under the new coats, and a fresh gloss often makes them easier to see. It is better to replace damaged tiles before the floor is refinished.
How often should VCT be stripped?
It depends on the traffic, the upkeep between visits and how many coats are down. A busy school corridor and a quiet back office will not share a schedule. What matters most is having a rhythm, with scrub and recoat visits between strips.
Do you strip and wax luxury vinyl plank?
No. Luxury vinyl plank is a different floor, and it does not get stripped and waxed. We clean it almost the same way we clean hardwood, often with gentler cleaners.
Request a Strip and Wax Estimate
Tell us the areas, when the floor was last stripped and when it can be closed. Request an estimate or call (731) 437-0006.
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Commercial Floor Care Reading
VCT is usually one floor among several in a building. These pages cover the rest.
Commercial Floor Care Programs
How commercial jobs are quoted and scheduled, across more than one surface.
VCT Strip and Wax
Full removal of old finish and a floor rebuilt in coats.
Request an Estimate
Send the full detail of a larger job and we will prepare an estimate.
What Affects the Price
The things that make one job bigger than another, across every surface we clean.
Equipment and Methods
The machines and materials behind our hard floor work.
Quality Inspection
Looking at the work before we leave, and what happens when something is not right.
Commercial Floor Care in Jackson
Facility managers, property managers, and school and clinic administrators in Jackson and West Tennessee: tell us the areas, when the floor was last stripped and when it can be closed. We will look at the floor and prepare an estimate.
Call (731) 437-0006 and ask for David Laton. Locally owned and family-operated since 2010, and IICRC certified.