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Scrub and Recoat vs Full Strip and Refinish
Burnishing has stopped reviving the gloss on your VCT. Next comes either a recoat on top of the old finish or a strip down to bare tile, and the floor itself usually tells you which.
Two ways to renew a tired resilient floor
Vinyl composition tile gets its shine from the coats of finish on top, not from the tile. Every shoe, cart wheel and chair caster grinds at that finish, and nightly dust mopping and damp mopping only slow the wear. For a while, burnishing brings the gloss back. Eventually it stops working, and the floor needs new finish.
At that point there are two treatments. A scrub and recoat works on the finish you already have and builds on top of it. A full strip and refinish takes everything off and starts again from bare tile. They are often mixed up, quoted under loose names, or chosen out of habit, yet they solve different problems. Picking the wrong one either wastes a project or leaves a floor looking tired a few weeks later.
If you are not sure which floors you have, our floor identification guide walks you through telling them apart. Everything below applies to VCT and other resilient floors that carry an applied finish.
How often should VCT floors in a busy building be stripped and waxed?
Only when the finish has failed. A strip is due once recoats stop holding their gloss, the finish has yellowed or clouded, or bare tile shows in the traffic lanes; until then, a scrub and recoat renews the floor for less. Keep recoats on schedule and full strips come round far less often, with busy entrances and corridors due well before quiet rooms.
How the two treatments compare
Start with the ‘Floor it suits’ row. If your floor matches the right-hand description there, a recoat will not get you where you want to be, whatever else the table says.
| Question | Recoat over the old finish | Strip to bare tile |
|---|---|---|
| The work itself | Top of the finish scrubbed, then fresh coats laid on | Every old layer removed to bare tile, then new coats |
| Floor it suits | Dull or scuffed, with the base finish still sound | Finish worn through, yellowed, clouded or patchy |
| Soil under the finish | Stays where it is, beneath the new coats | Comes out with the old layers |
| Time out of use | A shorter visit and less drying time | A longer project, large floors split over several nights |
| Look afterwards | Gloss revived on the existing base | Even color and shine wall to wall |
| Weight on the quote | A lighter line, priced from area and condition | The largest floor care line |
| How often | Between strips, whenever traffic lanes go dull | On a planned cycle, with recoats between |
Can’t tell from the table? The walkthrough settles it: we look at the finish in your busiest lane and quote the treatment that fits.
What a scrub and recoat involves
First comes a thorough cleaning, followed by a pass with an abrasive scrubbing pad. That pass removes embedded soil, scuffs and the topmost worn layer of finish without cutting down to the tile. With the slurry rinsed away and the surface dry, thin coats of new finish bond to the healthy layers still in place. On a floor recoated on time, that base can carry several rounds before the next strip.
The result is a renewed gloss without the time and labor of a full strip. It suits floors whose finish is dull and scratched at the surface but still intact and evenly colored underneath. Loom offers scrubbing and recoating as part of our commercial floor care, alongside burnishing between visits.
The one thing a recoat cannot do is undo what is already sealed into the finish. Any discoloration or trapped dirt in the lower layers stays there, now under a fresh topcoat. That is why recoating a floor that is past its point only buys a short reprieve.
Signs a full strip is due
A floor has outgrown recoating when the problems sit below the surface. Look for these signs on a walk through the busiest areas:
- Burnishing and recoating no longer bring the shine back for more than a short stretch
- The finish has turned yellow or cloudy, especially near windows and entrances
- Dark traffic lanes stay visible after the floor has been scrubbed
- Grey edges along walls and under fixed furniture where old coats have built up
- Bare tile showing through in spots
A strip removes every layer, along with the soil between them, then lays fresh coats on a clean surface. Our floor stripping and waxing page walks through how that project is booked and run.
Downtime and how the work is booked
Both treatments need the room empty and the floor left alone until the new finish has dried or cured. A recoat is the lighter job and gives rooms back sooner. A strip takes longer, and large areas are worked section by section over several nights so part of the building stays in use.
Either one can be booked for nights or a weekend. Before the visit, clear movable items from the rooms being treated and tell us which spaces must reopen first, so those are finished earliest. The material, the current finish and the area treated set the price, and each treatment shows as its own line on the quote rather than inside your recurring service.
Using both on one calendar
The two treatments work best together. A full strip resets the floor; recoats between strips keep the new finish thick enough that traffic wears the top coat instead of the tile. Burnishing on a regular rhythm holds the shine between recoats. Run that way, strips come round on a planned cycle, with recoats between, rather than whenever the floor finally looks bad.
Entrances, corridors and areas in front of counters wear fastest, so they often need a recoat while quieter rooms can wait. Walk-off mats at the doors and steady dust mopping keep grit from grinding at the finish and stretch the time before the next project. When you are ready for a look at your floors, request a quote and we will assess the material and finish on site.
A few useful answers
Common questions
How do I know whether my floor needs a recoat or a full strip?
Check the busiest lane. A dull, scuffed finish that is still even in color takes a recoat, while yellowing, trapped dirt or bare tile calls for a full strip. Our walkthrough looks at the finish and quotes the treatment that fits.
How is burnishing different from a recoat?
Burnishing only polishes: a high-speed pad buffs the existing finish without adding any. A recoat puts new finish down once scrubbing has cleared the worn top.
Will a recoat get rid of yellowing?
No. That amber cast is baked into the lower coats, so fresh finish over it simply traps the color. Stripping to bare tile is what removes it.
Does Loom offer both treatments?
Yes. Loom provides scrubbing and recoating, burnishing, and full stripping and waxing for compatible resilient and VCT floors, each quoted as its own project.
Can the work happen without closing the building?
Yes. Both treatments can be booked for nights or weekends, and large floors are handled section by section so part of the space stays open.
Do these treatments apply to luxury vinyl?
Usually not. Most luxury vinyl relies on a factory wear layer rather than applied finish, so its care follows the manufacturer’s sheet. Recoating and stripping are for VCT and other floors that carry an applied finish.
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