How to Maintain Your Polished Concrete Floors

May 8, 2018

Concrete Polishing

As we have mentioned before and can’t stress enough, one of the main advantages of polished concrete floors is the minimal maintenance required. On top of this, these high-gloss floors are extremely durable, environmentally friendly and able to stand the test of time. Concrete is already a sturdy material, and when polished by specialized grinders, it can essentially last forever. While the easy regular and long-term maintenance of polished concrete floors undoubtedly draws businesses to this attractive flooring option, some care does have to be taken to avoid the gradual dulling of the floor or the wearing down of the concrete. Of course, all floors require regular maintenance, so this should come as no surprise. It’s especially important to pay special attention to high-traffic areas and places that attract dirt and dust particles.

Regular Maintenance of Polished Concrete Floors

If possible, dry mop your polished concrete floors daily—especially on and around those high-traffic areas. Use a microfiber (or very soft) pad to avoid unintentionally scratching the surface of the floor. This dry mopping will pick up any dust that has accumulated on the floor throughout the day, which can wear down that beautiful sheen over time. Placing mats or rugs at entry points and over other “dirtier” areas can help with this, as well. Wet mopping should also ideally occur on a regular basis. In many cases, warm water and a clean mop are all that is needed for this simple task. In other instances, a cleaning solution should be used. Make sure this cleaning solution has a neutral pH, as anything overly acidic or alkaline can actually dull the shine. As with all floors, make sure any spills are cleaned up as quickly as possible. If dullness does occur due to heavy foot traffic, a simple and inexpensive application of a sealer and burnishings can be applied. If the previously mentioned maintenance steps are taken, this is not commonly needed. However, this quick process will restore the original shine to your polished concrete floors. Feel free to contact us with any other questions about this extremely easy-to-maintain concrete flooring option.

8 Ways to Upgrade Your Concrete Floor

There are so many ways to upgrade your concrete floor from polishing to coating to engraving or staining. We love helping our clients pick out the right fit for what they are looking to accomplish. Sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming to choose what to do with your concrete flooring. Here are 8 ways you can upgrade your concrete to protect and/or enhance it with a little explanation about each technique. We hope this helps when deciding what to do with your next project!

Mechanical Polishing

Mechanical polished concrete is a process that takes abrasives (diamonds) and mechanically places scratches in the concrete. This scratching process uses finer grit abrasives to remove and replace the scratches with smaller and smaller micro scratches.

The objective is to refine the floor and take away the small scratches so that you see a reflection in the floor. This process can be achieved with older concrete, new concrete and/or coated concrete.

This process is considered to be the maximum refinement method, and can be considered the best long-term solution for polished concrete.

Topical Polishing

Topical polishing is similar to the mechanically polished floor, but the course of action is shorter, and it leaves the floor at less than maximum refinement.

Most of the time the topically processed progression ends at a 200- or 400- grit step. These grits leave peaks on the top of the scratches that have zero lateral support. A topical sealer is then added and is placed into the gaps left by the scratching process. As the sealer settles and dries, it gives the appearance of being completely polished and is referred to as “polished concrete.”

This process is a much cheaper alternative to the mechanical process. The “topical polish” is exactly the same thing as putting on a coating. This method can be done with a burnisher, a floor scrubber and even a swing machine.

Decorative Epoxy Coatings

Epoxy floor coatings are hard wearing and durable solutions for both commercial and residential flooring. These floor coatings can be applied over concrete floors to provide a high performance and an attractive surface.

New technology now offers you the ability to choose almost any color. Metallic additives create a gorgeous surface and multiple colors can be randomly applied together revealing a swirling effect that is very unique and attractive.

Decorative Overlays

Overlays are a great option for concrete floors that are damaged or distressed. They are extremely durable and attractive. Overlays typically consist of a cementitious product, but some may be a combination of polyurethane and cement. They can be stained, mechanically polished, coated or stamped with any pattern you can imagine. Overlays are a great way to make an old concrete floor look brand new.

Dyes and Stains

The skies the limit when it comes to colorants. Multiple colors and patterns add to the beauty of your polished floor. There are a multitude of application techniques to add interesting effects when applying dyes and stains.

Engraving

We can incorporate engraving into your polishing process to provide borders and logos. Engraving can turn ordinary concrete surfaces into slate, tile, stone, brick and much more.

Hardeners and Sealers

Hardeners/densifiers are products that penetrate into the concrete surface and react with the Portland cement and fills the micro-pores. This reaction creates a very dense surface that helps with ease of cleaning, abrasion, dusting, staining, and overall wear of your concrete surface. These products do not change the appearance of the surface but can generate a sheen after burnishing and actually becomes harder the more you use the surface.

Sealers are an option for some floors. Depending on your needs it may provide a shiny surface that is easy to clean. All sealers will need to be reapplied at some point depending on wear and tear.

Final Notes

Performance Concrete Polishing is focused on providing services that are related to concrete surfaces. These services are appropriate for new and existing concrete. The majority of services we offer are oriented to improving the aesthetic appearance of these surfaces. Decorative concrete services are the hallmark of this company, and we’d love to help you out with your next project!