Commercial Floor-Care FAQ

What we do and do not take on

Do you provide floor care for private homes?

No. Safety Shine Maintenance works on commercial properties, managed facilities, construction projects, and professionally managed common areas only. Requests identified as residential cannot be accepted, and the quote form stops them before submission.

Do you cover apartments?

Common areas, corridors, lobbies, and amenity spaces in professionally managed multifamily properties, yes. Individual apartment units, no.

Will you tell me if my floor does not need the service I asked for?

Yes. Recommending a strip on a floor that only needs scrubbing costs you money and wears the tile for no gain, so we say so.

Do you work on floors that should not be waxed?

We maintain them, but not by coating them. Sealed concrete and most hard tile are maintained mechanically. Luxury vinyl tile is coated only where the manufacturer approves it.

Services

What is the difference between strip and wax and scrub and recoat?

A scrub and recoat removes the worn upper layers of finish and applies fresh coats over the sound finish beneath. A strip and wax removes everything down to bare tile first. Condition decides which one is appropriate, and a test scrub usually settles it.

What is the difference between buffing and burnishing?

Speed, and what the speed does. Buffing runs slower and restores a moderate, even sheen. Burnishing runs fast enough to generate heat, which hardens and polishes finishes formulated for it into a high gloss.

How many coats of finish do you apply?

It depends on the floor's condition, the porosity of the tile, the appearance standard, and the traffic. The number is stated in the quote rather than left vague, because a coat of wax is not a finish system.

Do you offer recurring programs rather than one-time work?

Over several years a maintained floor often costs less to own than one serviced reactively, largely because full strips become less frequent. The saving depends on the building, the traffic and the agreed intervals.

Scheduling and access

Can work be done without closing the building?

Usually. Most work is overnight, evening, or weekend, and larger properties are phased so only part of the floor is out of service at a time.

How long before furniture can go back?

Light foot traffic is generally possible once the finish is dry, but the coating keeps hardening afterwards. Furniture, carts, and rolling equipment have their own return times, agreed in advance, because moving heavy loads back too early is the most common way a new finish gets damaged.

What do you need from us before the first visit?

Confirmed access and alarm arrangements, a named site contact reachable during the work window, a cleared work area, and confirmation of power, water, and whether air handling runs overnight.

What happens if weather closes the building on a scheduled night?

The window is usually lost, which is why contingency dates are worth agreeing in advance in the parts of the state where ice events can close a building at short notice.

Quotes and pricing

Why do you not publish pricing?

Because a rate per square foot is not a quote. Two floors of identical area price very differently if one is clear and open and the other has to be phased around a facility that never fully closes.

What should I send for a useful quote?

Property location and type, approximate square footage separated by area type, flooring material if known, current condition with photographs if available, access hours, whether the facility can be phased, and whether you want one-time or recurring work.

Can you quote over the phone?

We can talk through what drives the number, but a quote worth relying on follows a walkthrough or a reasonably detailed description of the property, the floor, and the access.

Do you take multi-location work?

Yes. Send the full site list and we will work through square footage, surface types, and access per property.