How To Maintain Your
Epoxy Floor For The Longest Life Possible
In the world of epoxy floors, it's all about protecting your investment. And when your floor gets a good beating over time, you definitely want to know how to protect it so that it will last as long as possible. Here are four tips on how to maintain your epoxy floor for the longest life possible:
1) Keep dirt and debris off of the floor.
This includes picking up or sweeping anything small enough that can possibly be tracked into your facility by employees, customers, clients, etc., and storing any large items in areas where they won't damage the floor surface. Maintain cleanliness around the perimeter where dust and dirt like to accumulate against walls and baseboards near doorways.
2) Keep acids, oils, and chemicals off of the floor.
See our blog on "Epoxy Floor Hazards" for further information on what acids, chemicals, and oils to avoid around your epoxy floor. It's also a good idea to use mats at doorways to clean shoes or boots before entering your facility. This will help keep solvents like nail polish remover, vinyl tile adhesive, and other common cleaners from damaging the floor surface if splashed out of someone's bucket while cleaning their floors (yes we've seen this happen!). Instead of using buckets use "mop & glo" mop kits that can be used with an approved cleaner once or twice a week without having to strip the entire floor down every time it's time to clean.
3) Always use a synthetic rubber squeegee or rubber blade when applying coatings like the clear sealer to your floor.
This is because natural rubber (which contains oils and fats that break down in an alkaline environment) can seep into the pores of epoxy and cause white streaks when you wipe it with a solvent, such as mineral spirits or wax & grease remover. Even though this won't damage your floor if it stays on for over 48 hours, we still recommend using a squeegee to avoid the possibility and making sure you clean afterward with "mop & glo" cleaner diluted 1:5 in water.
4) Spot repair any damage ASAP.
If something gets dropped onto our floors and leaves a mark, please don't wait until the next day to let somebody know. We recommend you immediately wipe up any spills or messes, vacuum or sweep the floor with an approved dust mop for larger marks, and call us so we can tell you what type of solvent is safe to use on your floor. It's way better to inconvenience someone by telling them they need to clean their shoes off before they come into your facility than it is letting them walk around all day with large black stains on your floor that will eventually etch into your epoxy coating (we've seen this happen too!).
Follow these simple guidelines for maintaining your epoxy floors and it will last as long as possible. If you ever have questions about proper care for your floor, give us a call!