Today, many retailers opt for exposed concrete floors rather than carpet or vinyl composition tile (VCT), with some even installing concrete with decorative finishes and patterns. When properly maintained, concrete offers high gloss and is incredibly durable. Today, there are even tactics that can make concrete care even easier and more cost effective, and reduce the need for topical coatings.
The History of Topical Coatings
“Guards” or topical coatings like acrylics, methacrylates, urethanes, epoxies and polyaspartics create a barrier on concrete floors and offer several benefits. Especially in retail stores selling food, it can be difficult to keep spills like pickle juice, soda and olive oil from becoming stains that impact the look of concrete floors.
However, sealers result in an additional upfront cost for retailers and require ongoing maintenance and resealing every 1-2 years depending on the level of abuse to the floors. In order to reap their benefits, sealers must be properly applied in a thin layer. In some instances, topical sealers are used to hide poor concrete and polishing work.
A New Approach to Concrete Maintenance
Rather than invest in topical coatings, there are alternative and affordable solutions that retailers can use to maintain concrete floors. Traditional floor maintenance methods mean that floors look great after a round of periodic maintenance and then gradually lose their gloss and resistance to contaminants until the next round of maintenance. This means that customers could be greeted with a great looking floor on one visit and a less impressive floor several months later.
Thankfully, floor pads like Twister use billions of microscopic diamonds to simultaneously clean and polish floors. By using the pads daily, stores can improve floor appearance and cleanliness without adding extra labor or cost to their cleaning programs. The daily polishing also means that periodic floor maintenance may no longer be necessary. This reduces the need to close off areas of the store for more intensive maintenance processes, which disrupts shoppers and employees.
Additionally, the pads are more sustainable than traditional floor care methods, as they allow floors to be cleaned without chemicals. Just use water and a floor care scrubber to achieve a glossy surface with increased resistance to dirt and wear.
Twister pads deliver productivity and cost savings by reducing the need for more extensive floor maintenance and restoration. Their lifespan is also three times that of a traditional floor cleaning pad. Plus, because there is minimal training required, stores can implement a system using diamond-embedded pads with ease across numerous locations, ensuring a consistent image from store to store.
Making Concrete Last
Providing a pleasant shopping experience is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and securing repeat business. Retailers must pay special attention to the state of their stores, right down to the floors. With new floor care solutions, retailers can extend the lifespan of their concrete floors and provide a cleaner and safer environment for customers. In addition to regular cleaning with a diamond pad, retailers should be quick to wipe up any spills that occur in their aisles.
To learn more about floor care solutions from Diversey to support your retail business, visit www.diversey.com/solutions/floor-care or reach out to us at contact.us@diversey.com.