Go in any manufacturing facility, big box store, or even a grocery store, and you will most likely see a polished concrete floor. There are many benefits of polished concrete, but durability and minimal maintenance cost are two that are high on the list.

Take this 80-year-old concrete floor for example. At one time in its life, the concrete floor was covered in vinyl composition tile (VCT). After removing the tile, the irregular and lighter outline of the tile, known as “ghosting,” remained on the floor. Moisture evaporating from the floor between the VCT tile seams, leaves behind minerals and salts that makes the “ghosts”.

There is not much that can be done for “ghosting”

As far as the ghosting, there is not much that can be done to remove that, but it can be masked so it is not so noticeable. To mask the ghosting from the tile, Blackwell’s, Inc. cut the floor into perpendicular lines the size of the original VCT and then polished the concrete to a high sheen.

The concrete is still good

The tile is long gone, but the concrete is probably good for another 80 years. And if properly maintained, the polished concrete look can last that long, too. But it needs proper floor cleaning to keep it looking that way.

Blackwell’s, Inc. recommends:

• Sweeping polished concrete floors daily using a gritless and emollient laden sweeping compound.
• Mopping or auto scrubbing weekly (daily for high traffic areas) using only detergents or soaps approved for use on polished floors
• Using as needed, a polished concrete floor degreaser for heavy stains
• Polishing and buffing the floor quarterly.

And here are the things not to do:

• Use harsh chemicals to clean the polished concrete floor. These will etch into the surface of the concrete
• Use harsh brushes. Nothing can scuff a shiny floor like coarse brushes or pads
• Do nothing or use only water to clean

A polished concrete floor will last about as long as you are willing to maintain it correctly.

              Unblocked light from the window blinds created the almost vertical and horizontal line of spots in these two photos.