When a customer has a concrete floor polished, they expect a level of consistency in how glossy that floor is.

However, how glossy the floor stays depends on maintenance. There seems to be a debate over what pads to use, what chemicals are safe, who needs to do the cleaning, and so on.

To answer these questions, it is best to look at the problem and the problem is this: Polished concrete loses its sheen and clarity over time. This is happening all over the Twin Cities and some of the owners of those floors are noticing the sheen going away. Now they are wondering what to do about it.

When a floor is first polished, a person can look at the floor five or six feet in front of them and see a perfect reflection of the light coming from the ceiling. When the floor gets worn down, the reflection is not so great. This is especially true in aisles, action alleys, and front entry ways. Looking over at the edge of an aisle or the section of the floor that doesn’t get much foot traffic, the reflection looks almost perfect.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to polished concrete floor maintenance. The first is that periodic maintenance will be performed by the contractor who polished the concrete in the first place. While this is a possibility based upon the needs of the customer, it shouldn’t be the only maintenance that is relied upon. Facility or store employees need to perform some kind of in-house maintenance by mopping and auto scrubbing on a daily basis. It is also important that the janitorial staff understands to use only certain chemicals on the floor.

The second school of thought is to hire a professional floor cleaning company to take care of the floors on a daily or periodic basis. Here is something to look at in this case: The maintenance provider needs to be certified just like the original installer so that they know how to properly clean the floor. Improperly cleaning the polished concrete floor is going to lead to its demise much sooner and this is going to add to cost. Nonetheless, a professional maintenance company who knows their stuff is going to be able to provide the floor with the care that it requires.

But the big question is whether or not periodic maintenance of polished concrete works? The answer is “no.” Too much traffic and wear and tear occurs between cleanings. It is best to have daily maintenance performed. If the staff within your facility does not know how to effectively take care of the floors, then having a professional floor cleaning company who will use the right tools and chemicals will prove to be cost-effective because the floors will last longer.

If you do opt for in-house cleaning, it all comes down to work, training, and tracking. Everyone has to remain on the same page in regards to the cleaning schedule, what was used, and how it was used so that the floors can last as long as possible.