It was only in the mid 1990’s that for the first time a process was developed and marketed for polishing of concrete floors. Those marketing the system for the first time would often call it as a “no-maintenance” floor. Even these days some of the contractors sell it as a “no maintenance” floor; it’s a misnomer though, as any finished floor requires some maintenance and care.
With improvements in the process of concrete floors, came in the recognition of many good maintenance programs.
Basically, a maintenance program is necessary to get rid of minute scratches caused on the concrete floor by movements of people and machines like forklifts and shopping carts and production carts. Such heavy volume of traffic, generally on the same route, causes the floor to lose its lustrous shine. In technical language these minute scratches, not visible to naked eye are referred to as micro scratches. When light, be it natural or artificial, falls on these scratches, it is not reflected back but gets refracted and the floor begins to look dull, rather than shining. However, it all takes time that is proportionate to the volume of traffic. For instance it would take much longer for a house or restaurant to develop this flaw than a warehouse of shop floor.
Moreover, the micro scratches act as a small storehouse for dirt particles that further adds to the dullness of the floor. An economical and ‘neutral’ cleaner, if at all there, can’t take care of such high traffic areas. Though, such a cleaner may work satisfactorily for homes or small retail places.
The intensity of dullness and the time it takes to be visible entirely depends on traffic that the floor bears. You would notice that the aisle of any big or popular store begins to look dull in the first 60 days, whereas the rest of the store continues to look new for 6 months or so.
However, following of proper maintenance procedures delays the formation of patterns made by foot traffic by one to three years.
The techniques that were hitherto applied for polishing marble and natural stone have been extended to polishing of concrete now. Just like the stone industry, polished concrete industry had to find ways and means to take proper care of these floors.
Let’s take the case of the lobby of a busy office. The owner should know unless some maintenance program is followed the floor is sure to lose its luster soon, as a consequence of the traffic that results to causing micro scratches.
He should equally be aware that it is quite affordable to put into practice a maintenance program that is financially more viable than hiring someone who comes to polish the floor once in awhile.
The janitorial contractor, maintenance crew or even the contractor that polished the floor in the first place, can be asked to polish concrete floors.
An appropriate maintenance program is rather simple and should generally include:
1. Sweeping and/or dust mopping of the floor should be done at least once during the day, preferably twice.
2. All the mats at various entrances should be cleaned and vacuumed every week. This is especially important for homes and restaurants as sand particles and fine dust causes maximum damage to a polished concrete floor.
3. Concrete cleaner conditioner to be used for cleaning of floors on a daily or weekly basis. Homes, restaurants and small areas maybe cleaned with a mop. However, larger areas need to employ a ride on or walk behind auto scrubber. The janitorial team can be entrusted with this.
4. The final part of the schedule includes applying a high quality liquid concrete polish with a proper machine. This eliminates those micro scratches and makes it easier to clean the floor, thereby reducing long term maintenance costs.
These days you also get penetrating sealers and polishers, which on being used along with lithium densifiers help to make the above maintenance measures last longer and these work out economical than repolishing the floor on periodical basis.
Should you be planning to have polished concrete floors make it a point to talk over the maintenance program with polishing contractor and ask for his recommendations of the products to be used and the schedule to be followed.
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