One of the key elements of a professionally polished concrete floor is the shine and luster. A polished concrete floor finish should have a spectacular shine, but when wear and tear begins to diminish the shine you might find yourself seeking solutions to regain that once prominent gloss and shiny finish. Figuring out how to regain shine on polished concrete floors is something many property owners contact us about in Austin. Polished concrete floors that lose their shine over time will generally require professional maintenance in order to restore the shine to its once glorious finish.
If you’re trying to figure out how to bring the shine back in a polished concrete floor, you’re certainly not alone! Regular maintenance can help your floors maintain a luster that is similar to the shine they had immediately after they were polished, but regular wear and tear, weathering, and foot traffic can diminish the shine over time as can cleaning the floors with the wrong products. Follow these tips to regain shine on your polished concrete floors.
Never Use Harmful Chemicals or Abrasive Solvents to Clean Polished Concrete Floors
Before we go into the steps you can take to regain shine on polished concrete floors, it’s important to note that harmful chemicals, harsh cleaning products, and abrasive solvents can etch the surface of a polished concrete floor resulting in shine loss and damage to the concrete’s surface. Talk with your polished concrete flooring specialist about the appropriate cleaners to use on your flooring. Things like vinegar, ammonia-based products, and many cleansers are actually harmful to polished concrete, so it’s very important to avoid using these types of products to clean your floor.
Check for Damage to Surface
If you’ve noticed your polished concrete floors are lacking their original glow, the first step to restoring the original shine is to determine whether the floor surface has been damaged. Take a very close look at the surface of the floor. Are there water spots? Stains? Chipped areas? Or areas where it appears the sun has stripped away the surface level shine?
Any damage to the surface finish is going to require professional maintenance in order to restore shine. However, if you don’t notice any damage to the floor, it’s possible that you can restore shine simply by cleaning with a microfiber mop and a concrete floor polishing agent which can break down surface dirt and grime.
To clean concrete floors, stat with small areas to ensure there is no dirt or grime left behind. You want to be sure that you buff out the polishing agent in equal areas to prevent build-up and to ensure there are no cleaners left behind on the floor’s surface.
Contact a Professional for Maintenance
If you find damage or significant wear and tear on the surface of your polished concrete flooring, you’ll probably need the assistance of a professional in order to regain shine. A professional concrete flooring specialist will be able to repair any surface-level damage by filling divots and cracks to the floor’s surface before moving forward with applying a new coat of sealant or finish that will properly restore your floor’s shine.
During maintenance, a professional will grind the surface of the floor with a fine-grit abrasive working over the floor’s surface back and forth. They’ll repeat the process of grinding and sanding the floor with a finer grit abrasive and then a very fine grit abrasive to restore the original polish and shine. Once grinding is complete, a floor polish solution is applied to the surface for added protection and shine.
Depending on the amount of traffic, weather, and overall wear and tear your polished concrete floors endure, professional maintenance to restore the floor’s original shine is generally required every 2-3 years. If you’re unsure about your floor’s maintenance needs, contact a professional polished concrete flooring specialist at Craftsman Concrete Floors for assistance.
