The growing popularity of polished concrete has proven its many benefits for facilities ranging in sizes and needs. But the most significant benefit of polished concrete is that polished concrete reduces maintenance cost – by a lot. Here we are going to discuss the top 3 reasons why polished concrete reduces maintenance costs and how you can benefit from it too.
A polished concrete floor in a printing factory.
Significantly Reduce Floor Maintenance Cost with Polished Concrete:
1. Reason #1: Maintenance Requires Water Only: A polished concrete maintenance plan can be achieved in house or hired on a weekly or monthly basis. Either way – the maintenance cost are significantly reduced. Without the cost of chemicals or detergents to clean the floor, the savings have already begun. But autoscrubbing a floor with water can be as cheap as $0.03 per square foot including labor, equipment, and materials.
Compared to the maintenance of VCT flooring, polished concrete is $1.25 (or 6 times) cheaper on annual maintenance per square foot. Read more on the life cycle and annual maintenance cost of flooring options here.
2. Reason #2: A Polished Concrete Floor Resists Stains and Tire Marks: Polished concrete has 2 properties that make it stain resistant: a) it is highly refined and b) a stain protection layer that is burned into the concrete. These 2 properties make it extremely resistant to staining (if cleaned up in a reasonable amount of time). We have let vinegars and other acidic products sit on the surface overnight without staining the surface! In addition, when forklift tires are changed to non marking, white tires, they will not leave stubborn tire marks on the surface which can become a maintenance headache. Read more about tire mark removal here.
Black forklift tire marks are stubborn stains.
With a polished floor, the tire marks are removed and prevented
3. Reason #3: A Polished Concrete Floor Reduces Forklift Tire Replacement Cost: There are a few reasons to consider forklift maintenance as part of a polished concrete floor. 1. Dust breaks down forklift tires quickly. Polished concrete is sealed from all dust thus reducing the wear on tires and extending their life. 2. Rough surfaces break down tires as well as axles and other expensive parts on forklifts. A polished concrete floor does is very smooth thus making the forklift travel less bumpy. 3. Joints are no longer and issue for forklifts. When a concrete floor is polished the joints are usually filled with a semi-rigid epoxy or polyurea. This makes the transition smoother, but also prevents damage at the joints from occurring which is one of the main reasons for forklift damage in warehouses and factories.
Severe Joint Damage and Dusty Concrete Ruin Forklifts
After joint is rebuilt and concrete is polished and sealed from dust.
Reason #4: A Polished Concrete Floor Reduces the Need for Lighting: When the floor is polished, it is often brighter and more reflective. Many see the need for reduced lighting as their current lighting systems are more than enough to provide adequate lighting to the building. Reducing the need for lighting can significantly impact the maintenance cost incurred by the facilities and your bottom line.
Before – Aisles are dark and dusty and hard to maintain.
After – Aisles are clean, smooth, and of course, brighter!