Don’t you just love this polished concrete floor of yours! It’s shiny. It’s new. It makes your place look consistent. It’s all you ever dreamed of. And then an awful image comes to ruin your beautiful thoughts. You see your floor filled with cracks and suddenly, it occurs to you. Will that be the looks of your concrete floor a couple of years from now? Well, no. But then again, you can’t just sit there and wait to see what happens. You need to take action and do so from the very start.
Does this mean that concrete floors are prone to cracking?
Like most things, this is not a no or yes answer. Concrete could crack if it’s not mixed or applied correctly. So, you need a good concrete flooring contractor from the start.
Let’s point out that concrete is not cement. It’s a building material that contains cement along with sand, gravel or chips of marble and other stones – for the terrazzo look.
When concrete is poured on a surface, this surface must be clean and even and since concrete is porous, the surface must be sealed.
Now, the short version of answering the question on how to keep polished concrete floors in a good condition for quite a long time is this. You need to make sure everything is done right from the start and keep the surface well-sealed over the years. Let’s take a closer look.
Pay attention to the sealant
As a porous surface, concrete is absorbent. Concrete becomes polished when it is grinded extensively with industrial diamonds and until it reaches the desired shiny look. This type of concrete is extremely durable and scratch-resistant. Grinded and sealed concrete floors are also very strong but the grinding process is not as extensive, while the sealant must be regularly checked and the floor resealed when there’s damage.
When there’s a sealant, there’s protection from water, dirt, moisture. The concrete living room or garage floor remains beautiful and clean. And so, it’s important to check the sealant or check for possible cracks, which may bring a nice wabi-sabi look but may also be the reason for bacteria. One crack on the floor is an open door to all these nasty microorganisms.
Clean with care
One of the great things with concrete floors is that they are easy to clean, especially when polished. But when you clean the floor, you need to follow some rules based on your concrete floor. If it’s not sealed or there are cracks, avoid too much moisture on the floor. On the other hand, polished concrete flooring, especially in high traffic areas, need regular wet mopping to keep shining. If dust remains on the polished floor for long, it will take away its shinny looks. The floor will look dull.
Also, since you want to avoid scratches, it’s best to use soft microfiber pads that will be gentle with the surface and won’t affect its appearance. Avoid strong cleaning solutions, especially those with chemicals, to keep the polished look intact.
Concrete floor maintenance
It’s not a surprise that for the construction of driveways concrete is often used. The material is extremely durable and this often indicates low maintenance. It’s true. Apart from the sealants, your floor won’t bother you with anything more. If this is a polished concrete floor, you may need to restore its shiny looks years later – and depending on the traffic, with a burnisher.
Overall, concrete – especially polished concrete, will remain beautiful for a long time. If you add to that the fact that polished concrete doesn’t become yellowish over the years, it is stain, scratch, and moisture resistant, and doesn’t peel up, chances are high you will still enjoy its great looks for a long time, without doing anything much yourself.
