How Do You Maintain Epoxy Floor Coating?
Epoxy Floors for Any Property
Concrete Flooring Solutions believes that a highly functional and durable flooring should also be stunning and have a lasting beautiful aesthetic. Whether we are coating industrial, commercial, or residential floors we approach each garage, warehouse, or showroom with the same high standard to ensure every floor has a beautiful and strong finish. Epoxy floor is a great way to protect concrete, or revitalize an older concrete flooring with a new beautiful, glossy coating.
Durable, Strong, and Easy to clean Floor Coating
The durability is one of the greatest benefits of having an epoxy floor, however like any protective coating it’s vital to maintain the floor through proper cleaning and care. The unique styling and properties of an epoxy floor can be quite striking, especially for a garage floor, showroom floor, basement floor, or commercial space. At first glance the suggested and required cleaning methods may seem overwhelming or difficult, however following a few key principles will keep your floor looking new and lasting significantly longer. One of the key benefits of having epoxy floor coatings applied in your space is the simplified maintenance when compared to other floor surfaces like concrete. While general care may seem unique or unusual, following a few helpful tips with your maintenance and cleaning process will keep your epoxy floor in pristine condition for years, even in spaces that see wear and tear like a garage or showroom.
Epoxy Floor Coatings Cleaning & Care Guide
This article will teach you appropriate cleaning products that you can use on epoxy flooring and which harsh chemicals to avoid. We also will go into some helpful tips on which cleaning tools are best to use, like nylon brushes and deck brushes, and what types of materials you want for brushes and bristles. We’ll talk about regular cleaning, how important it is to keep a cleaning schedule, and potential warning signs to look out for with your epoxy floors. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of having epoxy floors added to your space please reach out to us. We will provide a quote to give you a better idea on how this economical and beautiful style of flooring can work for you.
Clean up Loose Debris Regularly
Loose debris, which includes dust, grit, dirt, sand, and anything else that can fall off the bottom of your shoes can cause buildup across the surface of floors. Large pieces left on the epoxy flooring that have sharper edges can leave scratches and marks across the finish. Without regular sweeping or removal of loose debris to maintain the epoxy flooring microabrasions build up over time and can cause small scratches. Over time these scratches across the finish can cloud the epoxy flooring and it will lose its clear coating becoming dull. The gloss look can fade over time and the showroom or garage flooring will lose its clean and polished appeal. Placing rugs and mats along the floors near any entrances into the room help reduce the amount of sand, dirt, grit, and other hard particulates that can be tracked onto the epoxy floors. While keeping the floors clean from dirt may seem like an oversimplification of the maintenance process, this regular cleaning goes a long way in keeping your epoxy coating looking glossy and new.
Tools for Maintaining Dust
Some of the most helpful tools for cleaning debris off your floors are dust mops and a softer brush attachment connected to a shop vacuum. A dust mop can make frequent sweeping a very fast task which can make more thorough maintenance and cleaning easier. Shop vacuums are also a great way to remove dust, however it’s important to make sure that you’re using a proper filter and a soft bristle attachment so you’re not spreading more dust and dirt with the vacuum’s exhaust or causing small abrasions on the surface of the floor coating.
Epoxy Flooring Recoats
In some cases epoxy floors haven’t received the best maintenance over a long period of time and some wear on the coating will start to appear. For cases like this it may be beneficial to recoat the garage or other space to give your floors a new finish. If you notice bubbling, peeling, an uneven coating, or separation from the concrete substrate with the epoxy these are all indicators the floors could benefit from a recoat. If there is obvious wear and tear on the epoxy flooring you may want to start thinking about a recoat and creating and maintaining a stronger cleaning schedule so your floors stay sleek and glossy. Redoing a floor coating involves cleaning up and damaged areas on the floor before refilling them and finally applying a fresh coating of the epoxy.
Long-Term Floor Protection
Like wood floors and other surfaces that can be scratched there are simple and easy ways to protect the floor from deep scratches and other abrasions. For furniture, especially larger pieces, we recommend using protective pads or furniture foot pads to act as a soft barrier between the load bearing points of the furniture and the epoxy floors. If you’re using heavy machines or very large pieces of furniture, large mats should always go under them. There are different styles of mats to accommodate different environments, but the important part is that these mats will stop heavy items from pressing into the epoxy flooring and prevent any damage from occurring.
Clean The Epoxy Floor on a Regular Schedule
Epoxy floor coating is relatively easy to clean, and doing so on a regular schedule keeps the coating strong allowing it to keep its gloss and shine for much longer. Floor cleaning solutions that contain soaps aren’t recommended as they can sometimes have reactions with the coating itself. Whenever using a cleaning solution with soap make sure to designate a small area on an epoxy floor for testing to avoid any large mishaps when cleaning the entire room. Some floor cleaning solutions that contain bleach, citric acid or even vinegar can also cause the floor coating to degrade. The best solution for cleaning epoxy floors is a diluted ammonia. Add a couple ounces of ammonia per each gallon of hot water as a standard solution for when you mop and clean these floors.
Tools for Floor Cleaning
Nylon brushes are excellent for scrubbing out more difficult stains. The bristles on a nylon brush are soft enough that they shouldn’t scratch the coating as they generally are safe to use on every surface without fear of causing damage. Because epoxy flooring is susceptible to microabrasions we always recommend using microfiber mop heads that are softer and better suited for this type of floor coating. While you may be tempted to utilize a pressure washer to quickly and efficiently clean the floors of your garage, showroom, or other indoor/outdoor space we don’t recommend. The harsh nature of a pressure washer can erode the epoxy coatings on your floors. A simple water hose and soft mop should be sufficient for simple floor maintenance. Following this regular cleaning regimen will keep an epoxy floor in great condition for years.
Cleaning Spills & Stains on Epoxy Floors
Water, oil, grease, can cause damage to the coating on your floors overtime and cause the even coating to break down and deteriorate. While you won’t notice this wear on your epoxy floor quickly, it is still important to provide regular maintenance in order to keep the floors in pristine condition so they maintain the clean and glossy look for much longer. Letting spills and stains rest on your floors for an extended time will have an impact on the finish and should be instead handled quickly to keep the floor from accruing any damage. More harsh spills like acids can cause discoloration, softening, and cause permanent damage to the coating, so take extra precaution when cleaning the floors of solvents and other solutions that may contain harsh liquids and chemicals. Stains on epoxy flooring can be removed if treated properly. Creating a mild solution to start ensures that you won’t further damage the coating of the epoxy floors, and if during this process the stain isn’t coming out you can create a stronger cleaning solution and try again.
Garage Flooring Vehicle Stains
Tire marks, oils, and other stains from vehicles all have unique properties to them and can be best removed from your epoxy floor using different techniques. Specifically with oil or grease it is vital to tackle these stains quickly as they can become permanent on the floor coating and will not be easily removed. Liquids from vehicles such as gas, antifreeze, brake fluid, and other common liquids should also be removed quickly to avoid further staining the floor. Utilizing a neutralizing agent can help, but either way you’ll want to wipe up any spills or drops immediately to remove as much residue as possible.
Removing Tire Marks from Epoxy Floors
Tire marks can be removed rather simply, but the longer the marks remain on the finish, the more difficult the removal process becomes, so we recommend cleaning off tire marks from your floors quickly to avoid any headaches later on. For quick removal of tire marks we recommend using a degreaser meant for concrete. Apply the solution onto the floor where the marks are and let it rest for up to ten minutes, then scrub with a nylon bristle brush until the tire marks are removed. Apply the degrease once again to the floor coating and repeat until the marks have lifted and the floor is clean. As always, when cleaning epoxy floors make sure to remove all traces of degreaser or cleaning solutions by rinsing the floor with water and making sure the coating is properly dried.
Removing Rust Stains from Epoxy Flooring
The durability of epoxy floors holds up rather well to rust stains, and there is a fairly simple process of removing them from your floors. Like other stains, rust can get worse over time so tackling the floor sooner than later will yield the best results. Oftentimes a simple soft scrub pad or deck brush with soft bristles will be enough to remove the rust. If the stain is proving more difficult to remove using a rust remover solution and warm water to gently scrub the floors can be quite effective. Use a 1:1 ratio and once the floor is clean be sure to rinse and wipe the area to avoid leaving residue that can degrade the coating. Like all stains and spills, remember to never use harsh chemicals, abrasive scrubbing pads or rough brushes to clean the epoxy floors.
Epoxy Floor Experts In Columbus Ohio
Concrete Flooring Solutions has turned a passion for transforming existing concrete floors into stunning spaces with a variety of modern epoxy coating techniques into a professional business. Our team has been thoroughly trained by experts in the industry and is equipped to handle a variety of modern coating technologies to turn simple, dull rooms into sleek and beautiful spaces that are built to last. For residential spaces we do garages, pool decks, patios, driveways, basements, and more. Our experience in commercial spaces ranges from restaurants, schools, offices, showrooms, and more. The resistant qualities of epoxy flooring means that with proper maintenance and care the visual appeal will last through wear and tear keeping the floors as beautiful and appealing as they were when they were installed.
Epoxy Coating Installation & Quotes
Our thorough training and experience across a variety of different environments and spaces has earned us the professional name we have today. Concrete Flooring Solutions is excited to work with our customers to utilize epoxy coatings to revitalize existing spaces during them into striking yet durable floors. We emphasize a high quality product from beginning to end starting with high grade materials, utilizing modern technology, and applying every coat with professionalism and expertise/ For quotes on concrete sealing, concrete resurfacing, metallic marble, concrete staining, knockdown texture, epoxy flake, and more. Reach out to our team today to learn more.