Concrete floors play a crucial role in commercial buildings, offering the appeal of low maintenance, durability and aesthetics. Because of these traits, polished concrete is one of the fastest-growing floor types, but there are many misconceptions when it comes to how to properly care for these floors.
Here are some of the more prevailing myths and the true maintenance requirements.
Myth 1: Concrete Floors are Maintenance-free
Concrete floors must be maintained once they have been installed. Building owners and managers need to have a complete understanding of how to properly maintain concrete floors, creating a regular cleaning schedule with the right products to help floors keep their shiny appearance and extend their life span. This is especially important as the weather starts to turn and floors are exposed to snow, ice and more through winter.
Myth 2: Maintenance is More Costly and Time-consuming
The refurbishment process can occur during the workday, often with existing tools and equipment like an automatic scrubber. There’s no need to shut down an entire facility to replace or strip concrete floors.
Further, implementing a daily maintenance system minimizes workplace disruption, allowing employees to carry on with their day, along with keeping maintenance manageable and saving on labour.
Ultimately, it comes down to ensuring the appropriate cleaners and pads are used. Selecting the right system can help reduce costs, minimize the time it takes to maintain a high-shine finish, and bring life back to a floor that has become worn or dulled.
Myth 3: Concrete Floors can be Stripped and Waxed
Stripping and waxing concrete floors requires extensive labour and time. If it is not done correctly, the floors will deteriorate over time, requiring additional stripping and waxing as the shine dulls or deteriorates, creating a costly maintenance issue.
Wax is non-breathable, which means the porous concrete beneath cannot breathe and leftover moisture will be trapped inside. This could create issues with blemishing and wear patterns on the flooring, diminishing the look of the concrete.
The average cost to strip and wax floors is $2.25 per square foot. Costs can increase or decrease based on the finish, condition of the floor and time it takes to complete the process.
When concrete floors are properly maintained throughout the year using a daily maintenance system, stripping and waxing becomes unnecessary.
Myth 4: Any Floor Cleaning Products can be Used
It’s important to understand the chemistry behind stain protection on concrete floors. When any cleaner comes into contact with the concrete surface, the pH levels of the cleaner change. Check the cleaner to ensure it will not create a harmful chemical reaction to your floors.
Consider using a full-system approach for stain protection and maintenance to prevent any confusion and to achieve desired results.
Justin Brown is a technical support specialist for Ameripolish, a leading provider of architectural concrete products for prepping, strengthening, colouring, protecting and maintaining concrete floors.