The service life of a new floor can be significantly improved when considering the following in your maintenance planning:

1. Concrete shrinks as it dries. New concrete shrinks during its first year. Concrete floors commonly develop an upward curling effect at all floor joints and may also develop some shrinkage cracks during this period as well. In the event that these items effect your operation, they can usually be repaired quickly and easily.

2. Clean floors last longer. Floors should be swept clean of dirt or debris on a regular basis before it is permitted to accumulate (i.e.: screws, bolts, broken glass etc.). Under vehicular traffic, these items will abrade the floor and may cause serious damage to both its surface and joint edges. Floors should be mechanically scrubbed with soft cleaning pads and mild detergents only.

3. Joints may deteriorate under traffic. Floor joints subjected to solid tired vehicular traffic should be reviewed semi-annually for deterioration and must be filled with semi-rigid joint filler materials to adequately protect the joint edges. This deterioration occurs over time and is a function of the weight and frequency of traffic. Joint fillers may require replacement over the lifetime of a floor in order to maintain joint protection.

4. Concrete is attacked by acids. Concrete is an alkaline material that can be seriously damaged by acids (i.e.: battery acids, fruit juices, caustic detergents etc.). It is recommended that a professionally designed epoxy flooring system be installed to protect your concrete surface from acid attack.

5. Protect against heavy traffic. Heavy loads should not be dragged across the surface of your floor to maximize its life. The surface of you floor should be protected from direct contact with vehicles that have steel tracks, steel blades and steel wheels to avoid premature wear. Abrasive scrubbing pads (eg: steel wool and carbide) should never be used to clean the surface of your floor.

6. Concrete is absorptive. Concrete is an porous material that should be protected from spills with a professionally design floor sealer where staining is objectionable. Clean up of spills should commence without delay to minimize penetration into the concrete surface.

We recommend that you review all floor modifications with your consultant, general contractor or concrete floor contractor prior to performing any work as some floors contain reinforcing systems and surface treatments that may not be compatible with certain changes.

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The Concrete Floor Contractors Association of Ontario 70 Leek Crescent, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4B 1H1 Tel: (905) 582-9825 Fax: (416) 981-3913