Orig Post cmmOnline – Concrete Care | Re-Post System4 – 10/5/2015
During the past year, the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) has focused more and more on the cleaning and maintenance of concrete floors. There’s a good reason for this: The popularity of concrete in commercial and residential settings is increasing.
Benefits
Concrete flooring has a variety of benefits. It comes in a variety of colors in addition to gray. Its surfaces can vary from very smooth to textured for added safety. Concrete tends to be less expensive to install than some traditional hard-surface floors. It can also be durable and with proper care, long-lasting.
Concrete is considered sustainable because it does not deplete natural resources and requires less energy to make than many other types of floors. It is typically produced locally, which reduces fuel needs for transport, and contains few or no volatile organic compounds. It also can help minimize heating and cooling needs.
In addition, concrete does not necessarily require as much attention as other types of hard-surface floors, although it does require cleaning and care. This is why some concrete installation contractors suggest to their clients that they establish a formal written concrete cleaning and care strategy. This will help keep the concrete floor looking its best and remaining durable for years to come.
Cleaning and Maintaining
A formalized concrete cleaning and care strategy begins with the same item that helps to protect other types of floors—walk-off mats at all key entries. As reported by McGraw-Hill in a 2015 continuing education article, “Entrance Mats Keep It Clean,” studies indicate “as much as 80 percent of all the soil, dust, contaminants, and moisture entering a facility are tracked in on the shoes of building staff and visitors. Sustained tracking of dry soils into the building is a prime factor in the wearing of floors.”
This is especially true of concrete. Dry soils can scratch and work their way into the concrete floor because concrete, especially if it has not been sealed, is porous. As this happens, it can mar the appearance of the floor and have a negative impact on its durability.
Other steps that should be incorporated into caring for concrete include the following: