Stained concrete floors are low-maintenance. To clean the floors you should sweep with either a broom or a hard surface vacuum. If something is spilled or just needs to be mopped, use warm water. If you need to use soap, use a mild soap like a dishwashing liquid (Dawn, Palmolive, etc.). Strong soaps, vinegar, bleach or other cleaners will strip the finish over time. We suggest using a mop-on wax 1-2 times a year. You mop on the wax, and it dries shiny (no buffing needed). If you don’t maintain your floors, the finish will wear off over time. Depending on how much foot traffic, abuse or other factors (pets, kids, messy friends) the life of the sealer normally last 1.5-2 years. We can come back and reseal the floor, but it is more expensive and requires moving furniture out of those rooms. We can offer a maintenance program for you to take care of all your floor’s needs—feel free to ask.

Each contractor and home builder has their own preferences as to when we should start the floors. We will work with you to accommodate whenever you want us to start. We can come in anytime to do the floors. Having said that, we prefer to score the concrete before the house is framed unless we are scoring a border according to the walls. We normally stain after it is framed (we can also wait for the sheetrock and mud to be completed before starting). We cover the stained floor with paper to protect it until we seal. The floor is sealed after the walls have been painted and near the end of construction.

Most concrete can be used after tearing out the older floor and cleaning it. Obviously concrete that has had other flooring will not look the same as new concrete, but it gains character flaws and history. Some flooring will leave a “shadow” of where it has been. We will be happy to show you photos and send you to other stores so that you can see what might happen. We normally do 5 remodels a month on homes that have had other flooring previously, so we have experience in getting the best possible results from these floors.

If there is flooring on top of the concrete, that flooring should be removed during the demolition phase. Tearing out tile and linoleum will cause dust. If we are scoring, we should do this at the same time. If there is oil-based paint, we will have to clean with solvents. It’s better to clean those areas before you paint. Other than those projects that include lots of dust or solvents, we can complete your floor whenever it works best for you. We will protect baseboards and walls with tape and paper, but they are not fool-proof. If we have to clean and stain after the baseboards have been painted, you might need to touch up some areas. Each floor will vary. We can advise you when it will be best for us to complete the floors for best results.