Best Practices and Maintenance Tips

A FEW SMALL STEPS CAN GO A LONG WAY IN HELPING TO PREP AND MAINTAIN YOUR FINISH!

Decorative concrete floors (acid stain, stamped, polished & overlays) are considered low maintenance, NOT NO maintenance floors. But you do not have to worry, just follow this guide and with a little maintenance your floors will remain as beautiful as they are right now.

Your interior decorative concrete will last a lifetime if it is properly maintained. Plastic glides, felt pads or magic movers should be affixed to heavy furniture or on pieces that will be moved frequently. Please use the same precautions you would use for a hard wood floor. A door mat placed outside the entrance (anything but rubber based) and an inside mat with a solid base that can be shaken off outside are best. This will pick up about 85% of the dirt that would otherwise be tracked inside. Proper care of interior floors is as follows:

Dust mop the floors to be cleaned and remove as much loose dirt and dust as possible.

Damp mop with cool water and a ph neutral cleaner (Pleasant Neutra Shine). This will extend the life of your floor finish. It will not dull the finish and will enhance the gloss retention.

Follow the recommended dilution rates on the cleaner’s label. Using too much cleaner will lead to the floor being sticky and not using enough will cause the cleaner to not perform as expected.

The mop should be wrung out tightly so it is just damp. Do not allow the cleaning solution to puddle.

NEVER use a “Swiffer” type of cleaning tool. The liquid in these devices contains trace amounts of solvent material. The solvent will not harm the sealer but will cause the finish to egg-shell. Also, please do not use ammonia, bleach or Pine-Sol.

FINISH

Finish is the sacrificial coating to protect the sealer and bear the brunt of the scuffs and scratches. Your floor was installed with 2-4 coats of finish for the initial protection. We will leave the remaining finish with you so you know the type to use. 20% minimum solids finish (Matrix Ultra 26.5% Solids) is recommended. Mop&Glo or similar finishes should not be used.

How often you need to refinish depends on the abuse you put on the floor. It varies by owner and may be anywhere from every 3 months to every year.

To apply additional finish, use a looped-end rayon mop (Best Level II Medium).

Pour out a small amount of finish onto the floor, spread it out thinly and evenly then let it dry for one hour.

Now you are ready for foot traffic again.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Problem - Floor is streaky.
Cause - Floor was still dirty or a dirty mop/water was used. Solution - Allow floor to dry then dust mop. Clean the mop and re-mop floor changing out the mop water more often.

Problem – Foot prints at entrance area.
Cause – Dirty mats at entrance. Solution – Shake and clean mats.

Problem – Floor is spotty.
Cause – Too much cleaning solution water remained on the floor. Solution – Solution should not puddle. Use just a damp mop so liquid will not stand on the floor.

Problem – Floor is sticky.
Cause – Too much cleaning solution mixed into the water. Solution – Re-mop floor with clean water to remove excess cleaner.

Problem – Floor has a milky white spot.
Cause – Something wet remained on the floor causing the acrylic in the sealer/finish to discolor. Solution –Wipe up any remaining liquid and allow floor to dry. Once dry, the milky spot will fade to clear.

All the supplies mentioned in the above information can be purchased from Smith Supply Company, LLC.
Smith Supply Co., LLC – 5202 Midway Drive – Temple, TX 76502 254-773-3592