Keeping Your Epoxy Floor Fresh
When it comes to choosing a new flooring system for industrial, commercial, retail or residential, epoxy flooring truly stands alone. Also known as resinous flooring, epoxy coatings are highly durable, sustainable, and amazingly decorative for any surface. What appeals most to our customers about epoxy flooring is it’s resistance to high levels of wear and tear, making it the longest-lasting flooring options around!
The easiest way to maintain your epoxy floors is to clean as needed. Minor spills or drippings can simply be wiped up with a a towel or cloth. Stains however, can become an issue over time. If the stain proves to be stubborn, you can use a little (4/1) ammonia and water, but all harsh chemicals should be avoided. They can seriously damage your epoxy finish and leave it looking dull and hazy.
Cleaning epoxy floors annually with a hose and squeegee is a great way to remove the light coating of grime that can build up.
Here are some suggestions to keep your floors looking great:
Keep Surfaces Clean
One of the most important aspects of having an epoxy floor is to keep it free of dirt and debris. This is especially true in a garage where there is frequent dust, dirt and tire traffic. You should focus on sweeping and vacuuming the floors on a regular basis, such as twice a week.
In order to stop your floors from becoming scratched or damaged, you should use a soft broom or preferably, a MICROFIBER mop to sweep the floors. If the floors do become scratched or marked, this could cause them to attract dust or make them difficult to clean.
Stop Using Industrial Cleaners
Industrial grade cleaners can wreak havoc on your epoxy floors. Many will forever leave the floor with a smokey look that has lost all luster. You can simply use a mop soaked in warm water, or a small amount of soft soap if the dirt is difficult to remove. Normal cleaning soaps can often leave a film or haze on epoxy floors, which can be difficult to remove.
You should also avoid using acid-based cleaners or cleaners that have citrus in them, as this will cause damage to the epoxy flooring. Using 3 to 1 ammonia and hot water will help to remove tricky stains. If you want the room to smell fresh after cleaning, you can spray air freshener around the room, but avoid spraying it close to the floors.
Gently Remove Stains
Sometimes you will need to scrub a stain in order to remove it, but this should only be done with a soft-bristled scrubbing brush and using warm water. Any acid- or citrus-based cleaning liquids will remove the epoxy catalyst which will cause further damage to your flooring. Scrubbing gently will help to ensure that any stubborn stains are removed with ease.
Be sure to clean the scrubbing brushes and cleaning equipment only in warm water or approved cleaners because the residue might be damaging to your flooring. Always dry your floors afterwards in order to prevent streaks and dust from collecting on the flooring. The towel or drying equipment should also be washed and dried without citrus or acid-based chemicals.
Avoid Letting Spills Sit
For those who might have epoxy flooring in their garages, it is important never to let oil spills sit for too long on your flooring. You should try to clean these up as quickly as possible so that they do not stick or cause permanent stains. Wipe these spills up with towels or other non-abrasive materials as soon as they occur in order to avoid permanent damage.
If a spill does occur, remember to use a scrubbing brush with soft bristles and use a warm water and ammonia solution in order to remove the stains. You can also use paper towels to quickly mop up a mess to effectively absorb the chemicals. Be sure that the paper towels DO NOT have any colors on them because these could seep into the flooring and cause stains.
Consider Waxing / Indoor Epoxy ONLY
Foot traffic and abrasive cleaners will scratch the surface. Once scratched, light reflection is minimized. Scratches will absorb light. Dirt also is harbored in these tiny scratch marks. Additionally, use will wear down even the best surface sealers.
35% Solids floor wax is one of the best floor waxes on the market specifically engineered for decorative concrete, concrete polishing and epoxies. You can find these at most janitorial supply stores. Make sure to ask for the Highest Solid Content Wax that they offer.
It is a simple to apply, single component liquid that is applies with a microfiber mop. It has 35% solids which should be diluted with water to achieve a solids ranging from 20% to 25%.
You can apply 2-4 coats at a time. Since it dries quickly, you can apply additional coats minimal downtime.
Burnish
If you have access to a high speed burnisher you will get the best results. But we STRONGLY SUGGEST that you give the wax a minimum 12 cure time prior to any burnish. The heat from burnishing melts and polishes the wax, but if the wax is not fully cured it could smear and fog. So be patient and do it correctly. The final result is a hard finish with great light reflection and protection.
Practice Routine Maintenance
- Sweep over the floor with a dust mop on a routine basis, or any time you see loose particles on the floor. If the floor is coated with an aggressive anti-slip agent, then use a soft bristle push broom instead.
- Regularly hose off your floors and squeegee dry. Do NOT use citrus-based or soap-based cleaners. They will dull the surface and can also make it slippery to walk on.
- Spot clean and don’t let spills sit
- Consider waxing for indoor use.