How Long Do Polished Concrete Floors Last?

How long polished concrete floors last is one the most common questions we get asked. It is also an important consideration for anyone looking at their flooring options.

The longevity of polished concrete flooring is one of the reasons why it has grown in popularity in recent years. It has widely become seen as the ‘go to’ flooring choice, especially in large areas of high footfall and heavy use such as warehouses, restaurants, hotels, shops and office buildings, as well as the home.

Polished concrete flooring’s lifespan

Polished concrete floors are renowned for their long lifespan. They are hard wearing and will not naturally chip or dent like softer surfaces. At Midland Polished Concrete, we guarantee our floors for a minimum of 20 years, but with the correct care and maintenance, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t last a lifetime.

Expert finishing and protection is key

While polished concrete floors can and should last a lifetime, much of this depends on the skills and experience employed in the process of laying the floor. Finishing and protection is a key part of that process and will ultimately impact on the lifespan of the floor.

Polished concrete is concrete that has been treated with chemical densifier and ground with progressively finer grinding tools, similar to the process of refinishing wood with a floor sander. Concrete grinders are used to gradually grind down the concrete to achieve the desired shine and smoothness.

The chemical treatment is necessary to penetrate, densify and harden the exposed cement paste located in the top 3mm of the floor. Its importance cannot be overstated as this process adds many years to the life expectancy of the floor by changing the molecular structure of the concrete in the top surface to be harder and denser.

The resulting shine of this smoothing process also takes concrete floors to a new light reflective level.

Maintaining the shine in your polished concrete floors

Like anything that lasts longer with regular servicing, the same is also true of your polished concrete floors. If you look after them properly, they will last longer. While this sounds like it has the potential to be hard work, looking after your polished concrete floor is actually very easy and low maintenance.

To maintain your floor:

• Sweep or vacuum regularly to remove any dust and grit that could scratch the floor
• Mop over with warm water only. We recommend using a dry mop, such as a micro fibre mop. If surfaces are sealed with an impregnator, we suggest using a PH neutral conditioner. Clean as normal with water, and apply conditioner as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
• To keep a high sheen, we recommend buffing the surface once it’s dry with a floor polisher and a non-aggressive white buffing pad
• For heavy duty cleaning, use a suitable cleaner and non-damaging buffer pads, such as the green Twister pads available from HTC floor systems
• Don’t use harsh chemicals as this will dull the shine of a polished concrete floor

Contact flooring experts at Midland Polished Concrete for your polished concrete flooring quote today.