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Decorative Concrete Floor Care & Maintenance

Decorative concrete flooring, including acid-stained concrete and stained concrete overlays, is easy to maintain and will last indefinitely if you follow several basic principles:

• Dust mop or broom sweep weekly to prevent dirt accumulation
• Damp mop bi-weekly or monthly to remove smudging, water marks, and restore gloss
• Recoat with new floor finish periodically to rebuild loss from cleaning and abrasion
• Exercise caution before placing stationary materials or objects on your floor
• Maintain clean mats at exterior entrances

We use and recommend Spartan brand cleaners and finishes: Spartan Chemical. You can buy their products at KMI Supplies in Elk Grove Village or use the Spartan web site to find another local distributor in the Chicago area. 

This page is one of the most informative, accurate, and frequently visited maintenance guides for acid stained concrete floors on the Internet.  If you aren't currently one of our customers, and can't find the information you're looking for, or would like specific recommendations and instructions for your stained concrete floor, we provide consulting services by email, and would be glad to assist.  Just complete the submission form on our Contact page, and we'll get right back to you.

Dust Mopping

This is the most important step to preserving your decorative concrete floor. Dust mopping regularly will prevent sand and dirt from building up on the surface of your floor, abrading the floor finish, and wearing through the concrete sealer and concrete stain below. It also removes an estimated 80-90% of indoor dust that serves as an air pollutant, health hazard, and source of allergies.  Any light duty sweeping or vacuuming tool is fine, but we have found that an 18” to 36” microfiber dust mop works best. The static electricity created by this flat, broad-surfaced material picks up small debris and contaminants like a magnet. But make sure the dust mop you select has not been treated with any oils, silicones, or cleaners by the manufacturer, and shake it out periodically so as not to scratch the floor.

The Wooster Brush Company has come out with a great looking new dust mop called the "Dust Eater" that is perfect for stained concrete floor maintenance. It is available online for less than $25 here: Wooster Dust Eater. You can also get the Norton BlueMagnet locally in Burr Ridge from the Merle B Smith Company for about the same price. If you prefer a vacuum, Euro-Pro has a great new lightweight, cordless vacuum called the Shark VX3 for hard surfaces, including concrete. It costs a little more, but it will let you avoid having to shake out a dust mop from time to time.   It is important to be more thorough, however, when using a vacuum since dust pickup is generally somewhat less effective and complete than with a dust mop or broom.

Damp Mopping

Cleaning your decorative concrete floor promptly when the floor finish has become dirty, marred, or lost its luster, and dust mopping no longer helps, will restore the initial gloss and preserve the integrity of the remaining floor finish. You should use a ph neutral cleaner, diluted in cool water, according the manufacturer’s instructions. Most neutral cleaning products do not require rinsing, except when recoating with new floor finish, because they do not contain strong acidic or alkaline additives.  The best source of a good cleaning product is a janitorial supply house, such as KMI Supplies (above). They'll also have the best prices.  We use and recommend Spartan's "Damp Mop Cleaner".

When mopping, be sure to keep the cleaning solution from getting too dirty, and do not allow the cleaner to puddle. You may want to use separate buckets for the cleaning solution and to periodically rinse the mop.  Also, do not use Swiffer Wet-Jets, bleach, ammonia, Pine Sol, or any harsh detergents. They will break down and discolor the existing floor finish, and maybe the concrete sealer as well, which could both then require stripping and re-application.  The ideal mop to use for damp mopping is a "loop end wet mop" made of either a cotton/rayon blend or microfiber.  Loop end mops are absorbent, re-usable, make continuous contact with the floor surface, and won't leave lint or fibers behind.  Microfiber flat mops also work well.  Tough marks that do not come up with the mop can be safely removed with fine steel wool or a light scouring pad.

Recoating

A certain amount of abrasion and scratching over time from foot traffic, children playing, pets, heavy stationary objects, and carts or dollies cannot be avoided and will erode the existing floor finish on your decorative concrete floor. This finish needs to be restored so that the concrete sealer and concrete stain below is not affected. How often you need to recoat depends on your building environment and circumstances. In homes, once a year is a good rule of thumb; for commercial establishments, it should be more often, perhaps every 4 to 6 months.

Be sure to use a commercial grade floor finish from a janitorial supply house, and not one from a hardware or grocery store. Use a garden sprinkling can to lay out the material and a lambswool applicator or loop end mop to spread it in thin, uniform coats. Be aware that loop end mops used for applying finish are slightly different than those used for damp mopping:  they are generally made of a finer fiber, such as nylon filament yarn or microfiber.  A new coat of floor finish does not take long to apply and usually dries in 45 minutes or less. If you have the time, consider applying a second coat of finish at the same time for added durability and longevity.  But if you have a decorative scoring pattern on your stained concrete floor, be careful not to fill the cuts with floor finish.  Floor finish goes on milky white, and it may end up being too deep in the cuts to allow it to clear up as it dries. 

Floor finishes are inexpensive, usually no more than $15 a gallon from a janitorial supply house. They come in matte, satin, or gloss versions, depending on the amount of surface sheen you desire, and vary in optical clarity and depth as well.

You may have heard of "Spray Buffing".  This is a short-cut and labor savings alternative to damp mopping and recoating a floor finish. By using a certain type of floor finish formulated with a detergent, you can remove scuffs, scratches, and dirt, and restore gloss at the same time.  This is a very effective method for maintaining high traffic or wear areas, but it can only be done a limited number of times before adding more finish is eventually required.  It is as simple as spraying affected areas, and then using a low speed floor buffer fitted with a red polishing pad to work the material into the existing floor finish.

Tip:  "Hazing" is a common problem with floor finishes that can be caused by:  1) excessive humidity during application; 2) applying additional coats before previous coats have sufficiently dried; and 3) applying over a dirty or contaminated surface.  "Powdering", or chalking of a floor finish, can be caused by:  1) applying under cold conditions (e.g., below room temperature or near poorly insulated exterior walls or entrances); and 2) applying to an unsealed or excessively porous substrate.  These problems can be resolved by stripping the floor finish, correcting the source of the problem, and then re-applying more finish.

Furniture & Other Objects

The sealer and finish on your acid stained concrete floor or stained concrete overlay is a form of plastic. Most plastics tend to bond together, so you should avoid placing on your floor anything with a plastic or acrylic bottom, such as air mattresses, painters tarps, planters, furniture coasters, and certain types of matting.  Otherwise, when you go to move these objects, they may take the sealer and color right off your floor. If you do plan to keep such objects on the floor, make sure to use a fabric in between or attach felt bottoms.  Products made with cheap or poor quality rubbers stick may also stick to stained concrete, and can leave yellow or brown staining as  well.  Quality rubbers, such as those based on nitrile, are generally okay, but they should be placed temporarily and tested before leaving them in place permanently.

A special note regarding furniture:  The concrete sealers and finishes used for stained concrete flooring are extremely durable, but the hard bottoms and constant movement of tables and chairs in a restaurant, office building, dining room, or entertainment area will almost inevitably, eventually scratch or wear through them if preventive measures are not taken. In such high activity areas, we highly recommend attaching special pads to the legs of all furniture and heavy stationary objects.  Expanded Technologies in Kenosha, WI, has a great selection of high quality furniture pads.  This is a quick and inexpensive way to extend the life of your floor and reduce your maintenance costs dramatically.

Also, be careful of runoff water from plants, which may contain tannins, lignin, fertilizer or plant food. Over time, these trace chemicals can discolor and permanently stain your sealer.

Finally, NEVER EVER apply tape, of any kind, or for however short a period of time, to a stained concrete floor! The tape will pull up the concrete sealer and concrete stain coloring when it is removed. Painters should know better, but they do this all the time. This is not covered under a stained concrete floor warranty, so you need to warn your painters beforehand or recover repair damages from the offending party, and then pay to have it fixed.

Mats

Mats are imperative  for any stained concrete floor with an exterior entrance.  Dirt, moisture, and outdoor contaminants, such as de-icers, anti-freeze, and oil, pose an ongoing and significant threat for damage or staining to a decorative concrete floor, no matter how durable the sealer.  Mats should be used both inside and outside exterior entrances, if possible.  A good matting system will reduce dirt accumulation on your floor by 85% or more and is an easy way to simplify and reduce the maintenance required on your floor.

The best mats to use outside are those made of rope, hemp, or other heavy and absorbent fabric that has a high friction open surface designed to knock grit particles off the bottom of shoes and trap them.  Inside, more densely fabricated mats, such as soft, shag carpets, can then be effective in removing any remaining dirt and moisture. Whatever mat you choose, it should have a solid backing so that it is easy to shake out. This backing should be of a good quality rubber or vinyl so that the mat does not stick to the floor, or stain it. Rubber mats can be cleaned in a washer and dryer; vinyl mats need to be hosed off and allowed to air dry.

For high traffic entryways, a good rule of thumb is to use at least 15 feet of matting. This allows each foot of your visitors or customers to touch the matting at least 3 times, and is proven most effective in removing the majority of incoming dirt and moisture.  The Koffler Sales Company in Lake Zurich, IL, carries a wide selection of Floor Mats that are perfect for residential or commercial acid stained concrete flooring.