One of the many advantages of polished concrete is that it’s a low maintenance and highly-durable material. It’s strong, and it won’t need as much care as timber, tile or vinyl flooring to keep it looking great.
That’s why polished concrete is an ideal flooring solution for use in family homes with lots of children and high-traffic areas like supermarkets and apartment lobbies.
But while polished concrete is low-maintenance, it does require a little care to keep it in good condition. If polished concrete isn’t properly maintained, it can lose its shine and begin to look dull or lacklustre. This is especially true for commercial or industrial areas, where heavy foot-traffic can begin to take its toll.
Fortunately, polished concrete is easy to maintain, and unlike some other materials, it doesn’t require professional cleaning to keep it looking great.
Cleaning your polished concrete floors
The most important aspect of cleaning your concrete surface is to immediately clean away any spills that occur. Some liquids, like wine or oil, can be quickly absorbed and may leave a stain, and acidic liquids, like orange or lemon juice, may eat way at the surface of your polished concrete.
It’s also important to remove any debris, such as a smashed glass or sand and grit brought in on shoes, as these particles may scratch. However, if your floors have been mechanically polished (Policrete’s highest level of finish), the surface will be extremely hard to scratch.
Regular dry and wet mopping will also be required to keep your floors looking bright and glossy. How often you need to mop your floors will depend on how often they’re used – floors in high-traffic areas (such as shops and commercial buildings) will need more frequent cleaning or they may begin to lose their shine.
High-traffic areas should be dry mopped everyday to remove dust and dirt. This is because dust, if left on polished concrete too long, can begin to wear away the surface, resulting in a dull-looking finish. Make sure to use a microfibre pad to attract and hold on to the dust, as the soft material won’t scratch the surface of your concrete.
When wet mopping, use a mild cleaning solution with a neutral-ph (a polished floor cleaner or mild detergent). If your cleaning solution is too acidic or too alkaline, it could deteriorate the surface of the concrete, making it look dull. Avoid ammonia, bleach, vinegar and citrus, as these cleaners are either too acidic or too alkaline for polished concrete.
You could use clean water with no cleaning solution, but it may not achieve the best result – a cleaning solution suspends the dirt particles from the surface, making it easier to wipe them away. Water may just push the dust around, and if dirt and dust is left on the surface too long, it could discolour your surface.
When using a cleaning solution, give the cleaner enough time to start breaking down the dirt and grime, but don’t let it dry on to the surface either (this will leave streaks and make cleaning much more difficult). You can achieve this by cleaning your surface in small areas, moving from spot to spot. Once your cleaning solution starts to look dirty or brown, replace with clean water.
For commercial or industrial floors, it may be necessary to clean it with an auto-scrubber. These machines will come with a recommended cleaning solution. Epoxy flooring is also a good alternative to polished concrete for commercial kitchens or industrial spaces. Epoxy floors are more resistant to chemicals, but still achieve the same look as polished concrete.
Restoring the shine of your polished concrete floors
Despite regular cleaning, your concrete may still lose some of its shine after frequent use. The gloss can be regained by cleaning your floors with a specialised polish designed for polished concrete and buffing the concrete floor with a high-speed burnisher.
Protecting your polished concrete floors during construction
Another thing to consider when laying concrete is protecting your new floors during the construction phase. At Policrete, we work with Ram Board, a heavy-duty, breathable, temporary floor protection that rolls out flat to protect surfaces, such as floors, countertops, stairs and wall surfaces, during construction.
Ram board is made from 100% recycled cardboard and paper, and is the ideal product to prevent damage, such as scratches, spills and dents, that could occur during construction.
Using a professional polished concrete floor specialist for risk-free installation and a high-quality result
The key to a low-maintenance and great looking floor is quality installation. If the floor is installed correctly, the surface shouldn’t collect a lot of dirt in the first place, making cleaning and maintenance an easy process.
The expert team at Policrete have almost 10 years of experience pouring and polishing concrete, and our no-structural-crack guarantee means we deliver quality service, and quality floors, on every project.
It’s important to get the job right from that first pour. That’s why we work closely with you from the start, so you can rest assured that we’ll achieve the best result and that the installation will be hassle-free, with minimal risk to your property or new surfaces during the installation process. A high-quality surface means less maintenance on your end – all that will be required is regular cleaning to keep your floors in top condition and looking great.
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance and durable floor for your home, shop or commercial building, polished concrete is a great choice. Get in touch with the Policrete team to learn more about using polished concrete to achieve a high-quality, low-maintenance floor.
