Tips To Maintain Your Epoxy Flooring

When it comes to the maintenance of your new or old epoxy flooring system, there are some things that you need to know that will make this process easier on you and your floor. If you are dealing with a brand new epoxy flooring system, always wait at least 72 hours after the flooring has finished before any sweeping or mopping are done and keep cleaners off the flooring for at least 1 week.

The first step of cleaning your epoxy flooring system is the process of sweeping the floor to remove any forms of foreign materials such as dirt or dust. We recommend that instead of using a broom with stiff bristles, opt-in for a broom that has soft bristles such as a dust mop. A soft bristle broom is much more efficient at removing all those pesky specks of dirt and dust; not to mention that stiff-bristle brooms can leave mynute scratches in the surface of your flooring that can be unsightly when exposed to light.

After the entire floor has been rid of contaminants, it is time to mop the floor. You won’t need any fancy tools for this, only a standard wet mop. One thing to beware of when mopping the floor is to not focus on a single area too much as overworking a section of the epoxy flooring can leave that spot dull, losing its glossy appearance. This is usually the time where other floorings need to be waxed or polished but an epoxy flooring system doesn’t need any of that. While you can wax or polish your epoxy it isn’t recommended as it can make the epoxy lose all of its traction, leaving the flooring incredibly slippery.

While we are on the topic of mopping the flooring, let’s talk about how you can safely use cleaning agents on your flooring system after the one week period. Epoxy doesn’t react well with all cleaners and some can actually ruin the top coat of your epoxy flooring, making it look cloudy instead of clear. To make sure your cleaner won’t do this to your flooring use some tape to mask off a tiny area of the flooring somewhere inconspicuous like a corner or under furniture/machinery. Apply a light coat of the cleaner and allow it to sit for at least five minutes and if nothing happens after you wipe off the cleaner you are good to go!

If you’re dealing with cleaning a heavily soiled garage floor,commercial or industrial epoxy flooring system, there is a method that can be used to make the flooring squeaky clean without unnecessary elbow grease. You can actually use a garden/standard hose to wash down your epoxy for fast and easy results. Be sure that before doing this there are no electronics or valuables on the floor that can be ruined before using the hose. When hosing down the flooring, always keep the hose moving and make sure that the temperature of the water doesn’t exceed 115 degrees to avoid any accidents.

Having a problem getting rid of a pesky stain or grime in a small area? We recommend simply getting a nylon brush and using a mixture of warm water and CLR in a bucket. Splash some of the chemical mixture onto the area and work the cleaner in circular motions. Take it easy as pushing too hard or overworking the stain can lead to the top coat being worn down, losing gloss or even face the risk of removing the top coat entirely.