Wax for VCT???

[ablebaker]

Just finished laying my Armstrong VCT and now want to put a couple of coats of wax on it before moving all my equipment on to it. Wondered if anyone had any particular recommendations for wax. I plan to sweep it, swab it, and the put the wax on with a sponge mop. Don't have a buffer so it needs to shine without buffing.
Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[bazzateer]

This may be a stupid question but why does it need to shine?

 

[foss]

Just finished laying my Armstrong VCT and now want to put a couple of coats of wax on it before moving all my equipment on to it. Wondered if anyone had any particular recommendations for wax. I plan to sweep it, swab it, and the put the wax on with a sponge mop. Don't have a buffer so it needs to shine without buffing.
Thanks for your suggestions.

I would get yourself a proper mop,bucket, and pail, put down some sealer and then about 6 coats of floor wax. Just my 2 cents.

 

[BillK]

ab,
We use a Zep product on the office floor at the shop. Cant remember the name though. See if there is a commercial janitorial supply house close by, they can hook you up with the right stuff.

 

[Jefflitzy]

FYI

If you do not seal / wax the tiles they will shrink after a while and get gaps between them

As well wait at least 5 Days after putting them down if possible to let the glue cure properly and dry

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Zep products carried at HomeDepot.

 

[SteveB]

About a week after my VCT was laid I applied a sealer and then mopped on 3 coats of Armstrong S-480 polish. That was 4 years ago. I usually give it a good cleaning and apply 2 coats of S-480 in the spring and fall.
This past spring I stripped off all the build -up with a rented machine from Home Depot and then repeated the polish process.

http://www.best-price.com/product/s-480-commercial-acrylic-floor-polish-gallon/786568695/1/

I have never used a buffer and still get a real good shine.

 

[rwhite692]

This is good info...I'm right in the middle of installing my VCT...It is not going to get any kind of regular waxing but I figure I will do the full treatment once, to seal it up real good.

 

[SteveB]

I just read your entire garage project thread. What a great tutorial for anyone attempting such a job or even considering a minor upgrade to their existing garage.

It appears that we used some similar colored tiles although my minor renovation pales in comparison.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/281382/14

I have found the Armstrong VCT to hold up very well, no cracks or lifting. Stripping over 3 years of wax build-up was a day long job. I've learned to not put as many layers of polish down. For the first couple of years I was doing 4-5 treatments annually because I loved that glassy shine. I am learning to live with 2 applications per year.

What a magnificent garage you have plus it compliments your home and property.

 

[mmhouse]

I would use a commercial non-slip wax like what is used in retail environments. I'd look for it at local janitorial supply houses or online.

 

[rwhite692]

Thanks for the compliments, Steve, your garage is really beautiful as well!

 

[rwhite692]

I just finished up laying the VCT this past weekend, and afterwards I damp-mopped it twice, and applied three coats of the Armstrong Excelon floor polish (Lowe's, 18.99/gallon).

It looks like you get about 400 sq/ft per gallon (at three coats of coverage). I waited a couple of hours between each coat. I used the applicator pad (it's like a paint pad) shown resting on the bucket in the last photo. Lowes' had them right next to the polish, so that's what I grabbed...I rinsed the pad out with clean water each time I was done with a coat.

I would say that using an applicator pad is a "must" since just about anything else you could try to use would probably shed and leave fuzzies in the dried floor polish.

I did not use a polishing machine, I'm sure this stuff would buff up to a crazy shine though, and I'm really tempted to do it...a family member does have a pro floor buffer machine...Hmmmm....

I did about one third of the garage and then just need to install the window trim and baseboard. We'll see how well it holds up.

 

[scuba0459]

There are some builds on this site that are a real inspiration to me. I love the way you textured the walls and am really considering this too. It is not common here in Alberta to to texture the walls. But I am really impressed with how your floor turned out. I had decided to do VCT and turned a excel spreadsheet into my floor designer. I have been shopping around for the most floor polisher for the least amount of money but now I see that I really don't need one.

Your garage looks great.

 

[aqr81]

scuba0459, please tell me more about the use of the Excel spreadsheet for the floor designer. Is there a template for that somewhere? Did you just make uniform cells size and use the color pallet to layout out designs and color patterns. Just curious.

 

[AlphaGarage]

There are also epoxy products designed to coat VCT. Not only do they eliminate the stripping/waxing, they also seal the seams so no moisture can get in, and like quality epoxies they're durables, adding an extra layer of protection to the floor.

 

[rwhite692]

There are some builds on this site that are a real inspiration to me. I love the way you textured the walls and am really considering this too. It is not common here in Alberta to to texture the walls. But I am really impressed with how your floor turned out. I had decided to do VCT and turned a excel spreadsheet into my floor designer. I have been shopping around for the most floor polisher for the least amount of money but now I see that I really don't need one.

Your garage looks great.

Thanks Scuba for the kind words!

 

[rwhite692]

scuba0459, please tell me more about the use of the Excel spreadsheet for the floor designer. Is there a template for that somewhere? Did you just make uniform cells size and use the color pallet to layout out designs and color patterns. Just curious.

That would be a good idea (using Excel)...I went "old school" as I was sitting in the garage with a beer...Graph paper pad and pencil, LOL....