Cleanfax, MayJune 2018

VCT facts VCT is a composition of polyvinyl chloride plasticizers and limestone ller e prominence of VCT in the market had to do primarily with its durability and a ordable costs For decades this product has been used extensively in commercial retail healthcare and educational environments VCT is prevalent everywhere and there is still a signi cant amount sold and installed today LVT may be the largest selling resilient ooring on the market today but there are billions if not trillions of square feet of existing VCT in use every day VCT is still the workhorse of the resilient industry and is very much alive Its versatility in the built environment is unparalleled by all other ooring materials VCT maintenance ere are several factors purchasers consider when choosing ooring material of which maintenance is an important one It may not be as highly regarded considering its aesthetic appeal or initial cost but it must be considered in the overall price and ownership of the floor Because floor maintenance of VCT is accomplished using floor polishes it is often considered a high cost maintenance system which may not be entirely accurate e cost of maintaining a sacri cial lm versus maintaining the actual ooring material becomes highly apparent when low maintenance results in abrasion of the oor surface instead of the oor nish is can ultimately end up as visually unacceptable or prompt replacement of the oor altogether Polishes are an integral aspect of maintaining VCT and technicians that know how to maintain polish can keep a VCT oor looking great for years Acrylic sealers and nishes are the most popular polishes used BEFORE AFTER to maintain VCT Used in conjunction with a good oor maintenance program of daily routine periodic and restorative service procedures VCT ooring can be awless for decades ere are many schools hospitals and large retail stores that can attest to that fact One of the most astonishing facts about VCT is that no matter how much abuse the oor is subjected to if the tiles themselves are not damaged or broken they can almost always be restored to an acceptable condition or better For the oor maintenance technician there is no better story than the one about how a pleased customer was astonished to nd that his oor was not ruined Like any fl oor covering VCT suffers from abuse and lack of proper maintenance but responds well to restoration efforts Photos courtesy of Bill Luallen but completely restored to like new condition by the ooring professional he hired e argument regarding high maintenance costs of VCT may be a valid point however you can e ectively maintain VCT and in some cases bring it back from the dead Stan Hulin has over four decades of hard fl oor maintenance services training education sales and marketing and management experience with companies such as ABM DuPont and milliCare He is president and CEO of Future Floor Technology Inc and the League of Hard Flooring Professionals He can be reached at sqhulin@ futurefl oortech com MAY JUN 2018 cleanfax com 13