How do you make a tile map?

How do you make the rough side of VCT tile shine?

• I have a chimerical cleaning business and I have this contractor that has laid an entire floor of VCT tile upside down. So the right side is up and the shine/finished side is down. I have never seen this before. I know of people laying one or two tiles down on the wrong side but an entire floor upside down. What an idiot! This contractor is trying not to eat the cost of having to rip out the incorrectly layed tile and put in new VCT tile down the right way so that is where he needs me. Is it possible to give the rough side of VCT tile a high gloss finish/look to it? If so what would be the method? Do I use only a polish or do I need to wax the entire floor? It is only a small area about 100-150 square feet. Would you all bother with it or suggest that he rip it out and lay down new tile the right way instead of trying to patch it up? What are you all's suggestions?

• Answer:

  VCT ( or vinyl composition Tile) is a product that is finished by pressing. While the product may be relatively uniform throughout the surface the pressing finishes the surface in a way similar to how concrete is "finished" next to the formwork. You will not duplicated this finish with any amount of surface preparation but you may get an interesting result with a very fine abrasive under water to keep it cool. By the time you flood the surface, grind it down, polish with several abrasives and finally wax the surface it would probably be cheaper to lay a new floor. But why does the contractor have to take the floor up? Why can't he just lay a new floor on top of the old? (offsetting the pattern)