The questions to ask before hiring a floor care contractor come down to nine, and the fastest way to tell a great contractor from a risky one is to ask all nine and listen closely. A solid contractor answers each directly and in writing: proof of insurance, their own trained crew, real experience with your floor, an on-site walkthrough, an honest take on what your floor needs, the number of coats and the product, a realistic schedule, references, and a written guarantee. Vague or defensive answers are your warning.
Strip and wax is one of those jobs where the difference between a pro and a pretender does not show up until weeks later, when the finish either holds its shine or peels, hazes, and turns slippery. These questions surface that difference before you sign, not after.
The 9 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Floor Care Contractor
Print this list and ask every contractor the same nine. The right choice tends to make itself.
1. Are You Licensed and Fully Insured, and Will You Send a Certificate?
This is the first question for a reason. It protects you from a damaged floor, a damaged building, and an injured worker on your property.
A good answer sounds like: “Yes, we carry general liability and workers’ compensation, and we’ll have our insurer send a certificate of insurance with your facility named on it.”
A bad sign: a verbal “we’re covered” with no paperwork, a stall, or a screenshot that looks edited. Ask for at least $1 million in general liability and confirm workers’ comp, then verify the certificate comes straight from the insurer.
For a deeper look at vetting the whole company, our guide on how to choose a commercial floor stripping and waxing contractor walks through the full process.
2. Will Your Own Employees Do the Work, or Subcontractors?
Plenty of companies sell the contract and hand the actual labor to whoever is available that week. You want to know who is in your building overnight.
A good answer sounds like: “Our own trained crew does every job, and you’ll have one point of contact throughout.”
A bad sign: they cannot say who shows up, or they admit they rotate subcontractors. In-house crews mean consistent training and someone who answers for the result. Rotating subs mean the quality changes every visit and nobody owns the mistakes.
3. How Much Experience Do You Have With My Floor Type?
VCT, terrazzo, sealed concrete, and rubber each strip differently and take different finishes. A contractor who treats every floor the same will damage some of them.
A good answer sounds like: “We work on your floor type regularly, here is how we handle it, and here is the product we use on it.”
A bad sign: a pitch that treats every floor the same, or no questions about what your floor actually is. The right contractor identifies the material first and matches the chemicals and finish to it.
4. Will You Do an On-Site Walkthrough and Give a Written, Itemized Quote?
A price quoted over the phone is a guess, and guesses turn into change orders or cut corners mid-job.
A good answer sounds like: “We’ll come assess the floor, the square footage, and the access, then send a written quote built around your space.”
A bad sign: a flat per square foot rate with no visit. The itemized quote is also what lets you compare bids fairly. Our guide to reading a commercial floor care quote line by line shows you what each line should contain.
5. Does My Floor Actually Need a Full Strip, or Would a Scrub and Recoat Do?
Not every dull floor needs a full strip and wax. An honest contractor will tell you when a lighter, cheaper service would get the same result.
A good answer sounds like: “Based on what I see, a scrub and recoat will hold you over, and we can plan a full strip later.” Or a clear reason why a full strip is genuinely needed.
A bad sign: pushing the most expensive option for every floor, every time. If you want to understand the difference yourself, here is how strip and wax compares to scrub and recoat and buffing.
6. How Many Coats of Finish Will You Apply, and What Product?
The number of coats and the quality of the finish decide how long the shine lasts. This is where a lowball bid quietly cuts corners.
A good answer sounds like: a specific number of coats with a reason, and a named commercial grade finish. Most commercial jobs get several coats, with more in high traffic areas.
A bad sign: “however many it takes” with no plan, or a refusal to name the product. Too few coats peels early; the wrong product yellows. If a bid looks cheap, this is often where the savings came from. Here is what actually drives the cost of a commercial strip and wax.
7. When Can You Work, and How Long Will the Floor Be Out of Service?
A strip and wax shuts a space down while the floor cures. For a business, that downtime is a real cost, and a good contractor plans around your hours, not theirs.
A good answer sounds like: “We work nights, weekends, and early mornings, and we’ll phase the job so you never lose the whole floor at once.”
A bad sign: weekdays only, 9 to 5 availability, or no clear answer on cure time. Ask exactly how long each area will be unusable so you can plan around it.
8. Can You Give Me References From Similar Facilities?
A contractor who does good work has clients who will say so. References from facilities like yours are the best predictor of your result.
A good answer sounds like: “Here are three current commercial clients you can call,” ideally in your industry.
A bad sign: hesitation, or only one stale reference. Actually call them and ask whether the floors looked as promised, whether the crew finished on schedule, and whether they would hire the contractor again.
9. What Is Your Guarantee if Something Goes Wrong?
Even good crews occasionally get a streak or a patch that cures slowly. What matters is whether they come back and fix it for free.
A good answer sounds like: “If the finish streaks, hazes, or peels within our warranty window, we fix it at no charge,” with the terms in writing.
A bad sign: “We’ll take care of you” with nothing on paper. A verbal promise is worth nothing the day a finish fails. Get the guarantee written into the quote.
How to Use the Answers
No single answer makes the decision. The pattern does.
- Green light: direct answers, willingness to put everything in writing, an honest read on what your floor needs, and references who pick up the phone.
- Walk away: insurance they will not document, subcontractors they cannot name, a phone quote with no visit, and pressure to sign the biggest job today.
The contractor who answers all nine cleanly is rarely the cheapest bid, and that is the point. A strip and wax done right protects a floor for years; done wrong, it costs you the redo plus the damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a commercial floor waxing quote include?
An itemized written quote should spell out the scope (strip versus scrub and recoat), the square footage, the number of finish coats and the product, the schedule and cure time, who performs the work, and any extras like furniture moving or cleanup. A single flat number with no detail makes it impossible to compare bids or hold the contractor to the work.
How do I verify a floor contractor’s insurance?
Ask the contractor to have their insurance company send a certificate of insurance directly to you, with your facility named as a certificate holder. Confirm it shows both general liability (ideally $1 million or more) and workers’ compensation, and check the policy dates are current. A certificate forwarded straight from the insurer is far harder to fake than a screenshot.
How many references should I ask a floor care contractor for?
Ask for at least three current commercial clients, ideally running facilities similar to yours. Call them and ask whether the floors looked as promised, whether the crew finished on schedule, and whether they would hire the contractor again. Repeat commercial customers are the strongest signal a contractor delivers.
Should a floor care contractor offer a warranty?
Yes. A reputable contractor stands behind the work and fixes problems like streaking, hazing, or premature peeling at no charge within a defined window. Always get the warranty terms in writing before the job starts, because a verbal guarantee is worthless once a finish fails.
Excellence Janitorial Services has stripped and waxed commercial floors across Northeastern Pennsylvania for more than ten years. We are family owned, registered, and fully insured in the state, our own trained crews do the work, and every job starts with an on-site walkthrough and a written, itemized quote. If you are interviewing contractors in the Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, or Kingston area, call us at (800) 851-0806 and ask us all nine.