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| Thursday, July 29, 2010 |
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| [Wednesday, July 20, 2005] |
| What is the most efficient team set up for stripping and
refinishing VCT in multiple areas of a building? We always seem to have too many on a team and too much standing around waiting for floors to dry, etc.
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| Hard & Resilient Floor Care - Michael Gilbert |
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Answer: # 1
Without knowing the exact size of your rooms, I would recommend a 3-man crew. If you are trying to strip and finish over 15,000 sq. ft. per day, then you will probably want a 4-man crew. Let’s start with a verbal Gannt chart for 3 men using a swing buffer or autoscrubber.
Preparation: Two people begin moving furniture, dust mopping, scraping chewing gum etc., while the floor supervisor prepares equipment and chemical.
Person # 1 lays stripper 20 min ahead of the buffer or autoscrubber. Dip a mop in the stripper bucket and place it in the wringer. Do not press out the mop, but place it on the floor and paint out no more than 400 square feet. To avoid falls, do not initially walk on the stripper covered area.
Person # 2 starts on dry floor and runs the machine/autoscrubber over the coated area so others can now walk on the solution. If the strip solution starts to dry, add water thru a shower feed tank on the buffer or autoscrubber. Double passes are almost always required for a deep strip.
Supervision note: Person # 2 should be the most experienced tech, so he can give orders (politely, of course). Person # 2 needs to supervise stripper application 20 min ahead, remind workers to change dirty mop bucket water, detail edges a second time (if needed), and possibly trade off job assignments whenever necessary. Person # 2 must observe the progress/pace of the other two and make constant adjustments. The object is to NEVER allow the autoscrubber or buffer to stop. All activity must center around this operation.
Person # 3 runs the doodlebug and razor scraper (5" Unger is best) around edges and door jambs (to perform detail work), then runs a foam rubber squeegee around edges to pull stripper out from edges for easy pick up by the autoscrubber.
Machine note: For a heavy autoscrub strip, the first pass is with the squeegee up and the last pass is with water added as needed and the squeegee down. Edges and doorways should always be squeegeed prior to autoscrubber pick up.
Person # 1 begins the mop rinse after the strip solution has been picked up. Press out the mop lightly to leave the floor wet for additional soaking around edges.
Person # 3 follows with a drier mop rinse (mop should always be wet enough to not leave dry streaks).
Mopping note: The timing for the two rinses is not as critical as the timing for all the previous operations. Everything up to this point must be adjusted to time out exactly. The rinse must also include a detailed inspection and additional razor scrapping of build up. Prior to dumping a soiled mop bucket, wash the mop in a mop sink and press it out into the bucket. Repeat twice, empty the bucket and refill. A 4’ length of garden hose installed on the mop sink will make this easier.
Inspection note: If the floor coloration is not uniform (look at it with a magnifying glass so to speak) after applying the first rinse; stop and re-strip. The way the floor appears immediately after the first rinse is the way it will appear after 4 coats of finish. Once dried stripper or build up is sealed in, the job is botched. The only remedy is to restrip.
Floor finish note: Finish application should be performed only by a craftsman/technician. Half-dried lap marks caused by a finish mop are not easy to correct. A skilled technician knows how to apply uniform coats and avoid streaks. Starting the finish process creates another challenge, as now person # 1 or # 3 is pulled off the production in order to apply finish.
After the finish has skinned over (dried naturally for 10 minutes) you may set in place an air handler on rolling wheels (brute dolly or furniture mover). Never blow wrinkles into the finish or debris onto the floor. Organize a cycle loop to apply up to 4 coats with blow drying (often a two man job). Drying tip: reduce humidity and increase air flow.
Prior to the first coat, keep a clean mop handy to wipe up stripper run-off from under equipment, furniture, etc. The finish person must also have razor scrapper for detail work and a towel to wipe it clean.
After stripping is done, the equipment is cleaned and stored while the finish application is being completed. The finish mop can be kept in a trash bag for easy transport. If possible, replace furniture the next day (no dragging allowed).
Gary Clipperton
National Pro Clean Corp. (719) 598-5112
www.nationalproclean.com
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| ICAN representative |
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