Today's Greenest Answer: Don't Replace -- Reengineer! Keep your VCT, VAT, and LVT on the floor and out of the landfill

We all know that one of the most expensive and disruptive services commercial cleaning companies offer is stripping and waxing VCT floors -- and forget about the cost and headaches of replacing flooring. When you consider replacing, remember that included in your flooring's end-of-life cost is the labor for flooring removal, the cost to transport the material to a landfill or disposal site, and the fee charged by the landfill. This all adds up! So what is the answer? It seems obvious: to keep your flooring on the floor... which brings us back to paying ridiculous amounts of money, time, and labor on strip and wax. What you want is a workable, healthy replacement for traditional wax for your floors. Look for an environmentally friendly, non-yellowing polyurethane finish, which will pay for itself out of your floor stripping and waxing budget. You can find products in satin, matte, and high gloss finishes; some have additives to prevent marking or that provide slip resistance. Remember, it can cost a firm $25,000 for every slip and fall, so use this to avoid lawsuits and lower your insurance liability. The worst hassle and expense is, of course, VAT. No one wants to deal with the safety and health issues or the enormous headaches involved in removing and then disposing of any product containing asbestos. (A main reason some older floors resemble archeological digs, with layer on layer of tile.) Today's higher-quality polyurethane finishes allow the addition of opaque color to the formula -- you can change the color of your floor to any color you want. Make sure your products are non-yellowing; some can be applied over VCT, VAT, sheet and luxury vinyl -- and give ceramic, stone, wood, and concrete a beautiful, long-lasting, low-maintenance glow. This solution saves money, time, and the environment; because it does away with strip and wax it conserves energy and water; and the best polyurethanes have extremely low VOC release. A great finish solves maintenance problems -- and keeps your flooring at work and out of the landfill. Sheri Gorman, LEED AP, is Director of Business Development and Marketing for RD Weis Companies, a full-service flooring provider specializing in environmentally safe flooring solutions for commercial interiors. www.rdweis.com