Extending the Life of Your New Sealed Concrete Floor
Stages of Maintenance
1. Cleaning
Cleaning should be routine. Routine cleaning is important to keep your concrete floor performing like new.
2. Refreshing
Gloss levels are affected by many factors, including traffic, spills, inadequate or improper cleaning, and abrasives like dirt and sand tracked in from outside.
3. Revitalizing
Applying protective treatments to your concrete floor can revitalize high-traffic areas. Routine application maintains your floor’s protection and gloss levels.
4. Evaluating
When Custom Concrete Prep and Polish installed your floor, it was designed to meet your expectations for gloss, hardness and durability. If the floor doesn’t meet your expectations, consider tweaking your maintenance program.
Protecting Floors During Construction
Protecting a new concrete floor during construction is an issue that needs attention before, during and after the floor’s installation.
- Assign a “Go-To” person to specifically oversee the protection of the floor during construction.
- Develop a floor protection plan and post it prominently.
- Require everyone working on and around the floor to read the plan and be aware of it.
Construction Protection Plan
- Sweep up dirt and grit immediately
- Auto-scrub daily
- Report/remove spills immediately
- Do not eat/drink on the cement flooring
- Get permission to operate equipment on the cement flooring
- “Diaper” the equipment
Use Recommended Cleaning Solutions
Consolideck® DailyKlean
Recognized by the EPA’s Safer Choice program, Consolideck® DailyKlean is a specially designed concentrated daily maintenance cleaner for concrete floors to remove most common soiling deposits. Used as part of a comprehensive maintenance program, fragrance- and dye-free DailyKlean helps ensure the highest appearance and performance standards for all indoor concrete flatwork. Available at Rocket Supply in Denver. 303-744-7004.
Consolideck® DailyKlean
CreteClean Plus with Scar Guard is a revolutionary new product designed to clean and maintain concrete floors. Unlike many common concrete cleaners on the market today, CreteClean Plus with Scar Guard is specifically formulated to clean densified and densified-polished concrete, a big plus since most cleaners are harmful to concrete surfaces.
“New” Can Last for Years
Congratulations on your new sealed concrete floor! We want to help you maximize your investment. While custom concrete floors are relatively easy to care for when compared with other types of flooring (especially carpet,) concrete floors do require regular attention. How much maintenance your floor will need largely depends on the amount of traffic it receives.
Our maintenance guidelines will help you maintain the beauty of your custom concrete floors.
Maintenance Scheduling
Regular maintenance keeps your custom concrete floors in top condition. Cleaning, refreshing, revitalizing and evaluating should be done regularly. The frequency of maintenance depends on the appearance you want and the performance you demand.
An effective maintenance program that includes routine scrubbing with soft to medium maintenance pads, ample down pressure and proper amounts of water and detergent will enhance the floor’s performance significantly.
| Immediately | Daily | Weekly | Twice a Year or as Needed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spills and Stains | x | |||
| Dust Mopping | x | |||
| Mop/Auto Clean | x | |||
| Refresh | x | |||
| Revitalize | x |
Conditions to Avoid
- Standing liquids of any kind, including water
- Ammonia based cleaners on your decorative surfaces (such as Pine-Sol) or any cleaner having an abrasive nature. Never use MEK, Acetone, Xylene, Xylol, Paint
- Thinner, or any type of solvent based chemical to remove foreign matter.
- Acidic or caustic cleaners; acidic detergents will etch the surface over time and dull the floor’s finish
- Bleach or any acidic/harsh chemicals
- All contact with any acids
- Treated dust mops or sweeping compounds
- Aggressive scrubbing brushes; Strata Grit, Nylo-Grit and other aggressive scrubbing brushes will alter the polished pattern and leave a dull appearance
- Do not place potted plants directly on your surface. Use a plant dolly or plant stand with legs to allow for ventilation between planter and surfacing system.
- Failure to do so will leave a white mineral deposit which will permanently discolor the surface. Plant fertilizers also have potential to cause discoloration.
All Custom Concrete Floors Should be Resealed
At some point in time, it may become necessary for your surface to be resealed. Longevity and performance will depend on the end use of the surface, environmental conditions it is subjected to (moisture, freeze-thaw cycling, UV rays), wear patterns, and other contributing factors. Resealing decorative surfaces will deter/prevent entrapment of foreign matter.
A sacrificial coat of wax, type and application method depending on the end use of the surface, may be applied over interior surfaces to deter scuffing from shoe soles or rubber tipped fixtures (furniture, appliances, exercise equipment, etc.) to prolong the life of the sealer.
If a skid-resistant micro media was incorporated in your sealer when originally applied, traffic patterns and degree of use will bring about the wearing off of this slip/fall resistant deterrent to a certain degree over time. To address this safety concern it will be necessary that you have the surface properly cleaned, prepared, and resealed, again incorporating the skid resistant media.
