5 Tips for Maintaining Polished Concrete Floors

July 10, 2019 9:00 AM by Tennant Company

Polished concrete has a reputation for being durable, low-maintenance and attractive, which are all reasons that polished concrete floors have gained popularity among retailers, schools and other commercial spaces.

While polished concrete is low maintenance, that doesn’t mean no maintenance. It’s important to regularly clean your floors to keep them safe, dry and in good condition.

Below are five tips for maintaining your polished concrete floors.

Sweep and Scrub Regularly

Polished concrete is easy to maintain because of its durability – sweeping and scrubbing daily is the majority of the maintenance work needed. High-traffic areas may need more attention, as the floor is prone to heel scuffs, spills and other soils, while a low-traffic area may look great with just daily sweeping.

Choose the Correct Cleaning Solution

When it comes to choosing cleaning solutions for your polished concrete, remember that concrete is a reactive surface, which means you may need to change the floor cleaning solutions you use in your floor scrubber. Cleaning solutions made for polished concrete are different from those created for waxed floors – acidic or high alkaline products may damage your polished concrete.

A worker maintains a polished concrete floor with an auto scrubber.

Cleaning spills promptly ensures your polished concrete won’t stain. Using the proper tools helps to sustain the life of your floors and appearance of your business.

Clean Spills Promptly

While polished concrete is generally resistant to spills, it is not invincible against liquids. If spills are left for too long on polished concrete, they can leave stains or eat away at the floor's protective finish. Additionally, untreated spills can discolour the floor, reduce shine or even damage the concrete.

Choose the Proper Polished Concrete Cleaning Tools

To keep your polished concrete in optimal condition, it’s important to use the proper tools to clean and maintain it. Stone care solutions such as Diamabrush chemical-free polishing system and Trizact 3M™ Stone Floor Protection System help ensure your floors are smooth, shiny and bright in addition to making them easy to maintain over the life of the floor. These tools can be used with standard floor scrubbers, which means your cleaning staff doesn’t have to learn how to operate another piece of equipment.

Tennant Company T500 floor scrubber cleaning polished concrete

Diamabrush tools are designed to continuously expose diamonds to retain sharp edges and maintain floor contact. The result is better looking floors that are easier to clean and maintain

Replacement blades for Diamabrush range from 25 to 2,000 grit blades. The variation in blades allows the end user to clean for different stone and concrete types.

Protect your Investment

Polished concrete is completed by applying a sealer, which can wear down over time, making your floor appear dull. In addition to visually improving the look of your floor, the sealer protects the polished concrete from stains or etching. Occasionally, the sealer needs to be reapplied to maintain the floor’s shine and protect the concrete from spills.

Polished concrete is an easy to maintain and attractive floor type for many commercial applications and is becoming more popular across industries. If you have polished concrete floors, find out which tools are best suited for your facility’s needs.