Decorative Concrete Floor Care & Maintenance

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

  • Use a vacuum, broom, or dust mop weekly to prevent dirt accumulation
  • Damp mop 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 every exterior entrance

We use and recommend Spartan brand cleaners and finishes: Spartan Chemical. You can buy their products at HP Products in Alsip or use the Spartan web site to find another local distributor in the Chicago area.

Dust Mopping

You may not have anything approaching this dust storm near your stained concrete floor, but over time the accumulative effect can be just as devastating without preventive maintenance. Photo courtesy of: ARS-USDA.

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. 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. Just be sure to shake out the mop periodically so as not to scratch the floor.

Wooster Brush 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 Co 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.

Damp Mopping

The concept of damp mopping a stained concrete floor is very similar to cleaning a window: remove dirt and smudging with a mild cleaning solution to restore gloss. Photo courtesy of: Jack’s Window Cleaning of Denver, CO.

Cleaning your decorative concrete floor promptly, when the floor finish has become dirty, marred, or lost its luster 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 cleaning products do not require rinsing, except when recoating with new floor finish. The best source of a good cleaning product is a janitorial supply house, such as HP Products (above). They'll also have the best prices.

But when mopping, be sure to keep the cleaning solution from getting too dirty, and do not allow the cleaner to puddle. 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 both may then require stripping and re-application.


Recoating

Without periodic recoating, this is an example of the damage that can happen to a stained concrete floor as the sealer is worn through or delaminates.

A certain amount of abrasion and scratching over time from foot traffic, playing children, pets, and wheeled objects 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 circumstances. In homes, 8 months to a year is a good rule of thumb; for commercial establishments, it should be more often, perhaps every 2 to 4 months.

Be sure to use a commercial grade floor finish from a janitorial supply house, not one from a hardware or grocery store. Use a garden sprinkling can and a lambswool applicator or rayon (synthetic) mop to apply thin, uniform coats. A new coat of floor finish can does not take long to apply and usually dries in 45 minutes or less. If you have the time, you can apply a second coat of finish at the same time for added durability and longevity. Floor finishes are inexpensive, usually no more than $15 a gallon from a janitorial supply house. They also come in matte or gloss versions, depending on the amount of surface sheen you desire.

Furniture & Other Objects

Protective pads for furniture and other heavy objects are a small measure that will extend the life of a stained concrete floor indefinitely. Photo courtesy of: Expanded Technologies.

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 avoid placing on your floor anything with a plastic or acrylic bottom, such as mats, air mattresses, painters tarps, planters, and furniture coasters. 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, use fabric in between, a felt bottomed object, or a nitrile-based or other quality rubber. Cheap or poor quality rubbers may leave yellow or brown staining.

A special note regarding furniture: the hard bottoms and constant movement of tables and chairs, for example, in a restaurant, dining room, or entertainment area, will over time scratch or wear through the protective sealer on your stained concrete floor. In high activity areas like these, we highly recommend attaching special pads to the legs of all your furniture. This company in Kenosha, WI, has a great selection of high quality furniture pads: www.expandedtechnologies.com This is an 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 warranty, so you need to warn your painters beforehand or recover repair damages from the offending party and then pay to have it fixed.

This customized mat is ideally positioned to protect the stained concrete at this Marriott hotel. Photo courtesy of: KBA Marketing, Inc. of Vero Beach, FL.

Mats

The best mats to use 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 the particles. If dogs bringing in dirt from outside is a concern, a softer, shag carpet type mat is more effective. Whatever mat you choose, it should have a solid backing so that it is easy to shake out. This backing should be 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.

A good mat 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. 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.