[Cloverleaf]

I have stripped and sealed several Amtico floors in domestic situations and think I'm not charging enough, £125
+ materials @ 6 hours.
I have another one to do and was thinking of charging £185
+ mat. How much do or would you charge considering that Mrs Smith may require every 6 months.
Would she be prepared to pay over £400 per year to have her floor maintained even if she does live in 1.5 m home.

[acleanerplace]

hi
£185 plus vat is fne to charge for your time

you supply a service every 6 months
please contact if you need any more help

[Cloverleaf]

Thanks Mike,
Just needed another opinion, Cheers
John

[woodman]

Hi Clover

Just wondered, are you licensed and approved by Amtico to strip and dress their floors.

[Cloverleaf]

Didn't know you needed to be!
Tell me more....

[woodman]

Hi Clover

Yes ,I'm afraid you do have to be approved by Amtico otherwise the customer can invalidate her warranty should she have any claim against the company.

Be careful, as you probably know this stuff costs a small fortune.How are you carrying out the procedure at the moment?

(Also they only allow  approved fitters to fit the product.)

[Mr._One_Step]

Hi all,

I used to work for a national flooring contractor who installed both Amtico and Karndean floor products. Whilst both recommended their own brand floor maintenance products to clean and seal, Amtico also had an approved products list from other floor cleaning chemical manufacturers. In practice we found that we often had to step outside the manufacturers guidelines and use higher performing products to appease the end user of their flooring. Our customers used to complain about the poor performance and cost of both these manufacturers own brand products.

I seal these types of floors to the American floor treatment standard of a minimum of 5-6 coats of floor finish.  Customers include building societies, hotels, high street retailers etc. I then train their cleaning staff in the use of the maintenance products and correct cleaning practices.

These floors look good but once their sealed they look great.

Regards

Steve

[Cloverleaf]

I do follow the instructions on the label! and use only Amtico products and also followed the advice on the Amtico web site whic seems to have disapeared now as they now say,

'Since 1998, all smooth finish Amtico residential products have been treated with a special Super-Tough Finish which makes regular polishing or dressing totally unnecessary'

I agree Steve that some own label products are very overpriced as with Amtico and do underperform.

Steve would you recomend that I should use a high traffic high solids finish (another make) on Mrs Smiths Amtico floor?

She had it done one year ago with Amtico dressing and it looks garbage.
I would like to think I'm doing a good job and leave her with a long lasting finish and value for money.
John

[Mr._One_Step]

Hi John,

Many specialist-flooring manufacturers now claim that their floors are enhanced with a permanent ‘maintenance free’ coating and do not require dressing. Unfortunately in the real world that’s simply not the case and their floors are still subject to wear and tear.

The idea behind sealing and finishing flooring is not just to enhance its appearance but to also protect it from damage. Hard floor coatings are easier and more cost effective to repair than the floor itself.

Amtico’s ‘Stratica’ range is the only product within their line that doesn’t currently respond to sealing.

If you use a high solids finish then remember that it will require regular burnishing to maintain its appearance. I would opt for a high gloss no burnish product unless you are going to provide your customer with a maintenance contract.

Regards

Steve

[woodman]

Hi Guys

I have only carried out domestic Amtico cleans (I think, memories going) over the years and only use Amtico products, the reason for this as mentioned before is their warranty.I agree though that sometimes their product is not up to the job but thats not my problem but theirs and if you let the customer know this before you start your covered.

A lot, but not all, of the domestic customers that contacted us would have gone first to Amtico first to find out who are the approved cleaners in their area.

Amtico lay down strict guidlines for stripper/sealing if you step outside of this it will be on your head if it goes wrong.I have seen it and been asked on many occasions to try and put right when a cleaner gets it all wrong mostly with out success.

For this reason Amtico floor cleaning can be very profitable to an experienced cleaner as you can charge the correct rates with Amtico's blessing.

Clover, let me know what system you (off board if you like) are using I might be able to save you  any future headaches.

[Cloverleaf]

Hi again!
I first rinse the floor with a hard floor wand from a carpet cleaning machine. Then use the Amtico stripper with a low speed rotary and red pad, then with rotary brush to clean dirt from between the grooves, doing edges and corners by hand, rinse off slurry with nutralising solution from hard floor wand. Dry off with blower then check for dust. Apply 1st coat of Amtico dressing (thin) allow to dry, then the second coat crossways to first, then a third coat.

The customers I have delt with are ussually well aware that
Amtico products should be used for warranty reasons but I dont think its a value for money situation as these floors should be done every 6 months in high traffic areas, rather costly to customer
I would prefer to offer them a longer lasting solution e.g the high gloss no burnish and go back once a year
After all Amtico floors are vinyl and ther are many good products dedicated to vinyl floors.
I would not use another product yet unless it was tried and tested and had the consent of the customer.
John