Houston:
713-380-2282
The math on commercial floors is simple. Replacement of a VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) floor runs $5 to $15 per square foot installed. Restoration runs $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot. Properly maintained VCT lasts 15 to 20 years. VCT without restoration cycles fails at 5 to 7 years.
A 5,000-square-foot retail space costs $25,000 to $75,000 to replace. The same floor costs $1,500 to $4,000 to strip and refinish. And one slip-and-fall premises liability claim averages $20,000 to $50,000, with worn or improperly coated floors increasing the incident rate. Floors are an asset most buyers do not think about until they fail. By that point, the call to a flooring contractor is the expensive call.
Star Building Services has run commercial floor stripping and waxing programs across Texas since September 2008. We work on VCT, sealed concrete, ceramic and grouted tile, and terrazzo across restaurant chains, retail, healthcare admin, hotels, multi-tenant office, and educational facilities. Our portfolio includes Saks Fifth Ave, Jersey Mike’s Subs, the Houston Country Club, World of Hyatt properties, Greatwolf Lodge, Memorial Hermann administrative offices, Le Jardinier, Karbach Brewing, and chain restaurant locations across the Houston and Dallas metros.
18
Years in Business
2.5M+
Sq Ft Cleaned Daily
Trusted Across Texas Businesses
Certified, recognized, proven cleaning excellence
Current and past Texas floor restoration accounts include Saks Fifth Ave, Jersey Mike’s Subs locations, the Houston Country Club, World of Hyatt properties, Greatwolf Lodge, Memorial Hermann administrative offices, Le Jardinier (Houston Museum of Fine Arts), Snooze, Rodeo Goat, and Karbach Brewing.
What Floor Stripping and Waxing Actually Does
Strip and wax (also called restoration or refinishing) removes layered finish, embedded soil, and traffic damage from resilient flooring, then applies multiple thin coats of acrylic or urethane finish to protect the surface. The cycle typically runs every 6 to 18 months depending on traffic volume, with light maintenance (burnishing or scrub-and-recoat) between full strips.
Done right, the floor recovers to near-new appearance and slip-resistance recovers within published industry tolerances (ANSI A1264.2 specifies a minimum static coefficient of friction of 0.5 for walkway surfaces). Done wrong, the new finish hazes, peels, or fails within 30 to 60 days.
This is not a service that benefits from cutting corners.
The Cost Math: Restore Versus Replace
For a 10,000-square-foot facility, the ten-year math is concrete. Replace once at $50,000 to $150,000 plus a likely second replacement before year 15. Or restore on a 12-month cycle at $3,000 to $8,000 per visit, total $30,000 to $80,000 over ten years, with a floor still serviceable at year 20.
Most facilities calling us about replacement actually need restoration. We tell them so during the walkthrough.
Approach
Replace VCT (new install)
Strip and refinish VCT
Lifespan with proper restoration
Lifespan without restoration
Cost (per sq ft)
$5 to $15
$0.30 to $0.80
—
—
Lifespan
New cycle starts
6 to 18 months until next cycle
15 to 20 years
5 to 7 years
Surface Types We Service
Different commercial flooring needs different processes. We pair the work to the surface.
- VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) The primary surface for strip-and-wax. Process: machine scrub with appropriate stripper concentration, wet-vac extraction, neutralization for pH balance, then 4 to 5 thin coats of compatible acrylic finish with proper dry time between coats, followed by burnishing.
- Sealed concrete Common in industrial, warehouse, and modern retail environments. Process: densifier and sealer recoat on a longer cycle than VCT.
- Ceramic tile and grouted floors Process: machine scrub plus grout cleaning, optional sealer application. Sometimes paired with stripper for older installations with built-up wax residue.
- Terrazzo Specialized sealer with impregnator-grade product. Requires care because terrazzo can be damaged by aggressive stripping chemistry.
- LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile/Plank) Clean and polish only. LVT finish is factory-applied and should not be stripped. Stripping LVT damages the wear layer and voids manufacturer warranty. We will tell you if your LVT is being mistakenly recommended for strip-and-wax.
- Marble, granite, natural stone Different process: stone restoration, honing, or crystallization. Not strip-and-wax. We refer these to specialty stone restoration scope.
- Hardwood Different process: screen-and-recoat or full sand-and-refinish. Not strip-and-wax.
What Our Floor Restoration Program Covers
Surface evaluation and traffic-pattern analysis
We walk the floor before quoting. Traffic patterns, current finish condition, and underlying surface health all change scope.
Furniture and fixture protection
Equipment and adjacent surfaces are protected and moved as needed.
Stripping
Machine scrub with appropriate stripper concentration and dwell time, then full wet-vac extraction. The old finish leaves the building; it does not get pushed under the next coat.
Neutralization
PH balancing after stripping. Without this step, the new finish will not adhere and fails within weeks.
Finish application
Multiple thin coats of compatible acrylic or urethane finish, typically 4 to 5 coats for VCT, with proper dry time between each coat. Thin even coats outperform thick layered ones
Burnishing and final inspection
Burnishing for shine and surface hardness. Final visual inspection before sign-off.
Documentation
Pre and post photos, finish product spec, recoat interval recommendation. Emailed for your records.
Optional ongoing maintenance
Burnishing schedule between full strip cycles. Typical: monthly or quarterly burnish, plus biannual or annual full strip.
We schedule around your operations. Most full strips run after-hours, on weekends, or during scheduled facility downtime.
When Cheap Floor Care Costs You More
Floor restoration is one of the easiest specialty services to do badly. The shortcuts are predictable.
Some vendors skip the neutralization step. The new finish goes on, looks fine for two weeks, then hazes or peels because the alkaline residue from the stripper is still on the surface. The floor has to be redone, usually at your cost.
Others apply too few coats. Two coats of acrylic on heavy-traffic VCT will wear through in three to four months. The floor looks dull again before the next quarterly clean.
Others apply coats too thick or before the previous coat dries. The finish hazes white, traps moisture, or pulls up in sheets the next time anyone scrubs it.
Others rush furniture protection. The cost of replacing a dented file cabinet or scratched conference table gets passed back to the property manager.
Star’s response is structural. Trained restoration crews on the work. Proper coat sequencing with documented dry time. Post-application inspection before we sign off. The work is auditable and the recoat interval is realistic.
Recent Hood Restoration Engagements
High-traffic restaurant or retail VCT, Houston or Dallas
Case Study 1
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- Date: 07-05-2026
Problem:
4 years since last strip, finish failed audit, slip incident
Action:
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Outcome:
Quarterly burnish program established, complaints to zero
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Healthcare admin or office quarterly program
Case Study 2
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- Area / Neighborhood: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur.
- Date: 07-05-2026
Problem:
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Action:
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Hotel ballroom or event venue restoration
Case Study 3
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- Area / Neighborhood: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur.
- Date: 07-05-2026
Problem:
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Industries and Facilities We Service
Star’s Texas floor restoration portfolio focuses on facilities where appearance, slip resistance, and asset lifespan matter:
- Restaurants and food service High-grease, high-spill traffic. Floor restoration typically paired with NFPA 96 hood cleaning and nightly restaurant cleaning.
- Retail centers, malls, and chain locations Saks Fifth Ave, Jersey Mike's Subs, and other chain accounts where floor presentation drives shopper experience.
- Healthcare admin and clinics Memorial Hermann administrative offices, MD Anderson admin, Pediatrix and Obstetrix.
- Educational facilities Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Lamar University in Beaumont, Stephen F. Austin University.
- Hotels and event venues World of Hyatt, Greatwolf Lodge, Houston Country Club ballrooms and high-traffic lobbies.
- Multi-tenant office tower lobbies, restrooms, and cafeterias.
- Religious facilities, government, and municipal buildings.
How Quality Stays Consistent
Trained restoration crews, documented coat count and dry time, post-application inspection, signed certificate. For the broader three-layer quality control mechanism that runs across our entire commercial cleaning portfolio, see our commercial janitorial cleaning services page.
Related Commercial Cleaning Services
Floor restoration is a periodic specialty service, not a recurring one. The cycle pairs naturally with the recurring commercial janitorial program that handles burnishing and interim maintenance between full strips, and with carpet cleaning cycles when the facility has mixed flooring.
Core service pages include:
Commercial Janitorial Cleaning Services
Comprehensive daily or nightly cleaning programs tailored to maintain consistent standards across your facility.
Commercial Office Cleaning Services
Professional cleaning solutions designed to support productive, healthy office environments.
Restaurant Cleaning Services
Detailed cleaning programs for front-of-house and back-of-house operations in high-traffic dining spaces.
Commercial Hood Cleaning Services
Code-compliant hood and exhaust system cleaning to improve safety and fire prevention.
Church Cleaning Services
Respectful and thorough cleaning for worship spaces, fellowship halls, and community facilities.
Electrostatic Disinfection Services
Advanced disinfection methods that ensure even coverage across high-touch surfaces.
Centralizing floor restoration with broader cleaning under one provider is what keeps the recoat cycle on schedule and the cost predictable over a 10-year horizon.
What Our Clients Say
Trusted by Dallas Property Managers, Facilities Directors, and HOA Boards
Service Coverage Across Texas
Houston Hub
1717 Gessner Rd., Houston, TX 77080:
- Harris County
- Katy
- Greenway Plaza
- Galleria
- Energy Corridor
- Downtown
- Port of Houston
- Sugar Land
- Clear Lake / NASA
- Woodlands
- Texas Medical Center
- River Oaks
Dallas Hub
11410 Mathis Ave Unit C4,
Farmers Branch, TX 75234:
- Dallas County
- Plano
- Uptown
- Frisco
- Downtown
- Addison
- Arts District
- Irving
- Knox-Henderson
- Las Colinas
- Highland Park
Coverage is expanding into San Antonio and Austin as portfolio capacity allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should commercial floors be stripped and waxed?
Frequency depends on traffic volume and floor type. High-traffic restaurants and retail typically run a full strip and refinish every 6 to 9 months with monthly burnishing between cycles. Healthcare admin and corporate office floors run on a 12 to 18 month full-strip cycle with quarterly burnishing. Education facilities often align full strips with summer break and major holiday breaks. We size the cycle to actual traffic and finish wear, not a calendar default.
What does floor stripping and waxing cost?
Pricing for commercial VCT strip and refinish typically runs $0.30 to $0.80 per square foot depending on facility size, finish condition, traffic level, and access. A 5,000 sq ft retail space typically runs $1,500 to $4,000 per full strip cycle. Larger facilities (hospital corridors, school cafeterias) price lower per square foot due to scale. Pricing includes stripping, neutralization, multiple coats of finish, burnishing, and post-clean documentation. We quote against documented scope after a free walkthrough.
What does floor stripping and waxing cost?
We strip and refinish VCT (the primary surface for this service), and we recoat sealed concrete, treat ceramic tile and grout, and apply specialized impregnator products to terrazzo. We do not strip LVT or luxury vinyl plank (the factory finish should not be stripped) or natural stone, marble, granite, or hardwood (those need different processes: stone crystallization, honing, or refinishing). If you have a mixed-floor facility, we walk the building during scope and recommend the right process for each surface type.
What surfaces can you strip and refinish?
We strip and refinish VCT (the primary surface for this service), and we recoat sealed concrete, treat ceramic tile and grout, and apply specialized impregnator products to terrazzo. We do not strip LVT or luxury vinyl plank (the factory finish should not be stripped) or natural stone, marble, granite, or hardwood (those need different processes: stone crystallization, honing, or refinishing). If you have a mixed-floor facility, we walk the building during scope and recommend the right process for each surface type.
What is the difference between burnishing, scrub-and-recoat, and a full strip?
Burnishing is high-speed buffing of an existing finish to restore shine. It runs monthly or quarterly between full strips. Scrub-and-recoat removes the top one or two layers of finish without going to bare VCT, then applies a fresh coat. It runs every 6 to 12 months between full strips. Full strip removes all finish to bare VCT, then applies 4 to 5 fresh coats. It runs every 12 to 18 months on standard traffic and 6 to 9 months on high-volume restaurant or retail floors.
Get a Free Walkthrough or Floor Assessment
If your facility needs floor restoration backed by trained crews, documented coat counts, and a realistic recoat schedule, schedule a free walkthrough. We assess current floor condition, recommend the right cycle (full strip, scrub-and-recoat, or burnish-only), and quote the same day.
