What you need to know when figuring out the cost of commercial floor cleaning services and stripping and waxing services

You may have performed a google, bing or yahoo search about:

How Much Does it Cost for Stripping and Waxing My Commercial Floors?  Follow this link for more pricing and in depth details about floor cleaning and stripping and waxing commercial floors. Follow the link below for a commercial and residential cleaning services price list.

What are the costs and  prices of floor stripping and waxing services?

There are different floor cleaning services that a professional company may offer; in this article, we will only cover:  Floor scrubbing and recoating, floor stripping and floor waxing (refinishing). We will give you a general guideline of floor cleaning prices.  Sometimes depending on a lot of factors, your quotes may vary from cleaning company to cleaning company.  For example, if one cleaning company uses premium wax your price will go up.  Using less quality products wax prices may go down.  Some companies use sealer (recommended in some cases), some do not.  Some companies use 3-4 coats of wax, some use 4-6 coats of wax.  Some companies use guestimates and others use professional measuring tools.  These factors and others could raise or lower your costs.  Choosing the right commercial floor cleaning company is the right way to go.

Now getting right into the commercial floor cleaning prices and how much floor cleaning and stripping and waxing services will cost you.

A general guideline, a professional floor cleaning company will charge a standard price between .30 and .40 cents per square feet.  A scrub and recoat could average between .20 -.30 cents per square feet. 

What is the difference between scrubbing and recoating, stripping, and waxing commercial floors?

They are two different floor cleaning services.  A scrub and recoat is mainly needed when there is good wax still on the floor and a little scrubbing the floor is all that’s needed along with a few coats of wax.  When you floors have not been maintained or little to no wax, you’ll more than likely need them stripped and waxed.  There is a big difference between in prices, costs, procedures and a difference between who cleans your floors.  Always use a professional floor cleaning company to survey and evaluate whether your floors need a scrub and recoat or a full strip and wax cleaning.

When the floor cleaners strip the floors, the wax is stripped to the bare floor and then you have to apply sealer (depending on wax and method) 4-6 coats of wax to it. When scrubbing, you remove only the top 1-2 coats of wax from the floor and apply 1-2 coats of floor finish to the floor. Stripping and waxing usually takes at least twice as much time as scrubbing and recoating, so when you receive a much lower price make sure to find out if this price is for stripping and waxing or just scrubbing and recoating.  The main factors that will bring the price lower or higher are: 1. Ease of the job. How easy or hard will the job be?  Are there many obstacles or few?  Are there items that need to be removed from floors and placed back?  Is there water sources easily accessible? Are the floor surfaces clear of furnishings?  Are there desks and furnishings in every space?  How old are the floors?  How much wax or build up is on the floors?   Are the floors new or have lots of wear and tear?  Are they clean?  Have regular routine maintenance been performed on your floors?  Is your floors less than 5000 square feet or more than 5000 square feet?  As you can see, there are many factors that go in to play when evaluating your next floor stripping and waxing job.  All of these factors could reduce or increase your costs by as much as .10 or .20 cents per square feet.  As stated above the competitive price range for professional floor, cleaning services is .30 - .40 cents per square feet for most strip and wax jobs with an average amount of difficulty. 2.  Floor cleaning company.  Some floor cleaning companies will charge as low as .20 cents just to win the bid, especially during their slow periods.  Other companies are not professional floor cleaning companies and want to supplement their income.  Professional floor cleaning companies usually do not bid low, because of the costs of quality equipment, supplies and experienced floor cleaners.  After overhead costs there still has to be room for a fair profit. 3.  Floor products.  Floor cleaning chemicals and supplies, could cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars for industrial accounts, which add to the cost of providing strip and wax services.  Using quality floor cleaning products may cost more up front, but will last many more months and provide a brilliant shine on your floors; Therefore, reducing your costs by hundreds of dollars per year. Check out products by Betco, Spartan and Sealed Air (Diversey). 

 4.  Size of the job.  The size of the job makes a difference in the overall cost of cleaning your floors. Usually, a larger floor-cleaning job would cost less and the price per sq ft. would be less; for small area, the prices are usually higher. Minimum charges could range from $150- $250 for any floor cleaning service.

There are other reasons your prices for floor cleaning could go up, however, the four points mentioned above covers most.  What floor cleaning scenarios have you have been, in that raised or lowered the price?

Article provided by A Quality Assured Building Services a professional Janitorial and Floor Cleaning Company that focuses on serving the Houston, Texas market and providing high quality cleaning everyday.

How Much Does it Cost for Stripping and Waxing My Commercial Floors?

In this article, you will find out prices and how much it cost for stripping and waxing, commercial floor cleaning services.  You’ll also find out details why the floor cleaning costs vary.

First, here is a strip and wax, cleaning job using Spartan Chemical Company’s products.

Here are some floor finish remover products by Spartan Chemical Company, you can also use brands by Hillyard and Johnson to name a few good choices for all of your stripping and waxing and floor maintenance needs.   

Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover

Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover is a low odor remover specifically formulated to strip Green Solutions Floor Seal & Finish. Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover is fast acting and pleasant to use. Green Solutions Floor Finish Remover is fragrance free and has low VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels. Use in facilities and confined areas with confidence. An ideal choice for healthcare facilities, retail establishments, schools, administrative type offices and public buildings. No need to schedule floor stripping during "off hours" due to extremely offensive odors.

Floor Finish Strippers and Wax Strippers

Step Down Low Odor Finish Liquidator is an effective floor finish remover designed to quickly penetrate and eliminate heavy finish build-up. The low odor formulation is ideal for use in facilities with confined areas and where strong finish remover odors are problematic. Unlike most traditional floor finish removers, Step Down produces little to no foam for easy pick up and less rinse time.

Laminate Lights EnduraSTRIP

EnduraSTRIP is a powerful water-based compound for quickly and efficiently removing traditional floor finishes. This product typically will accomplish in one application what many finish removers do in two or three, saving hours of labor.

Shineline Emulsifier Plus

High performance speed stripper. Quickly removes heavy build-ups and burnished floor finish. Enhances time and labor saving benefits. Use with ultra high speed floor care systems. May be used with hot or cool water. Mop on. Agitate. Remove remaining solution easily with a mop, wet vac or automatic scrubber. Lightly scented, Shineline Emulsifier Plus is formulated to eliminate strong solvent odors which are particularly offensive to hospital and nursing home patients and personnel. Shineline Emulsifier Plus contains a light fragrance...is pleasant to use. Biodegradable. Phosphate free.

How Much Does it Cost for Stripping and Waxing My Commercial Floors?

 I need my floors stripped and waxed. How much would it cost for these floor-cleaning services?  These questions are frequently asked.  Depending on the type of floors and conditions of your floors, prices could average between 30 and 50 cents per square feet.

Before you guess what price your stripping and waxing quote should be you should first take a look at these variables to help you determine your prices and final costs:

1) Size of the job. Usually, the bigger the cleaning job, the smaller the price per sq ft. If you need a commercial cleaning company to strip and wax the floor in the large building, you can expect lower prices per sq. ft. However if you are looking to strip and wax relatively small area, the prices are usually higher. In addition, commercial cleaning companies have minimum prices, which are in the range of $ 150 - $ 250. Therefore, even if you need to have a floor cleaned only in one small restroom, you may be charged $ 150 - $ 250 for one small cleaning job. Make sure to find out what is the minimum charge before hiring commercial cleaning company.

2) Travel distance. It is preferred to hire local companies if you want to save on stripping and waxing services. Commercial cleaning companies that are further away may count the travel time and fuel expenses into the final price.

3) Preparation time. Preparation for the job takes a lot of time and when estimating the price, commercial cleaning companies consider how much time they need in order to prepare for the job. If the floor that needs to be cleaned is on the first floor it takes less time to bring the equipment there than bringing the equipment to the 9th or 19th floor. In addition, if the cleaners have to strip and wax the hallway that has carpet on the sides, they need to tape off the carpeted area to make sure that no floor cleaning solution ends up on the carpet. This requires additional time and brings the price of floor cleaning services up.

4) Stripping and waxing or scrubbing and recoating? You may receive a lower price from a cleaning contractor, but is he actually going to strip the floor or scrub it? There is a big difference between stripping and waxing, and scrubbing and recoating. When stripping floors, you take all the wax off from the floor to the bare floor and then you have to apply 4-5 coats of wax to it. When scrubbing floors, you remove only the top 1-2 coats of wax from the floor and apply 1-2 coats of floor finish to the floor. Stripping and waxing usually takes at least twice as much time as scrubbing and recoating, so when you receive a much lower price make sure to find out if this price is for stripping and waxing your floors or just scrubbing and recoating them.

5) Moving furniture. If the commercial cleaning company has to move the furniture (tables, chairs, mats etc) before or after the job, the price is usually higher up to 20%. So in order to save money, do all the moving in house.

6) Wax buildup. When there is a lot of old wax on the floor, floor cleaners may have to strip it a few times, therefore additional floor cleaning products and labor have to be used.

7) Stripping and waxing baseboards. Do you want a cleaning company to strip and wax baseboards? If yes, you should know that it is a very time consuming job to do and it is reflected in the price, which becomes higher.

8) Edge work. The more edges in the room, the more time the cleaning company has to spend using doodlebugs and scrapers in order to remove wax edges and corners and prices go up.

9) Number of finish coats. The more coats are put on the floor, the higher the price.

10) Type of floor. Is the floor new or old? It is usually easy to strip the new floor therefore; cleaning prices are lower for stripping new floor. An older floor may have been neglected or may have a lot of wax buildup on it and stripping it will require additional time. The price for stripping an older floor may be higher.

11) Staining of the floor. If there are many stains on the floor like rust, paint or if there are a lot of deep scratches or gum additional time is needed to scrape them off with scrapers. Additional detail cleaning will bring the price up.

12) Fixtures to work around. If there are, many fixtures that are staying in the room (refrigerators, furniture, equipment) during stripping and waxing, the commercial cleaning company will have to spend additional time working around them or moving them and the price may be higher.

13) Type of products used during stripping and waxing. Some cleaning companies may charge you less for floor stripping and waxing services, but it may be only because they use cheap products. But cheap products have a lot of downsides, cheap floor finishes tend to become yellow and wear off much faster. Another company may charge you a little more, but they may be using better products that maintain the appearance of your floor and last longer. So for example, you can pay one company $ 500 for the job, but because of their cheap products, you will have to re-wax in 4 months. Another company may charge you $ 550, but because of good products, you may not have to re-wax for 6 month instead of 4. Using the second company will be more cost efficient for you in the long run. Always find out what floor finishes are used for the job. Spartan, Hillyard and Johnson floor finishes are some great choices for floor finishes, depending on your needs and preferences.

14) Location of janitor closet. During the stripping and waxing job, commercial cleaning companies need to travel from their working area to the janitor closet very often in order to get water, empty wet vacuum etc. Where is the janitor closet located? If it is far from the working area, floor cleaners will spend a lot of time just moving back and forth and the prices may be higher.

15) Number of electric outlets in the floor. If there are a lot of electric outlets in the floor, floor cleaners will need to tape them so the stripping solution/water doesn't get there. It requires additional time and brings the prices up.

16) One time cleaning or service contract. If you are using the cleaning company for just a one-time job, you may expect higher prices. However, if you have a maintenance contract (like buffing the floor once per month of scrubbing/recoating services once a quarter) with a cleaning company you can ask for a discount. In addition, you can expect a discount if you are using a company that already provides commercial cleaning services to your building (example - regular janitorial services 3/5 days per week).

Whether you are shopping around for the best floor cleaning products or planning to do the job yourself, this information should prove to be most valuable as you come closer to your floors being stripped and waxed.  Look for a quality assured company when selecting the right commercial floor cleaning company.