Pristine Concrete

Do you have ‘wax on’?

Did you know concrete floors that aren’t mechanically polished need to be waxed?  It’s true.  Even if you know there was a concrete sealant put on your floor, it still needs a topical application of floor wax to preserve that sealant.  The only exception to the rule of ‘wax on’ is concrete flooring that has been polished with something like HTC Superfloor™ or the RetroPlate Concrete Polishing System®.  These polishing systems will grind away the top layer of concrete with a diamond tooling system and instead of a wax or sealer will use a densifier to harden and gloss the surface instead.

So when was the last time you waxed your floors?  Concrete is becoming more and more popular, and for good reason, but all too often we’ve seen home and business owners with sealed concrete in need of help – and most of them were never told that they needed to wax it.

What happens if you go with ‘wax off’?

If you don’t wax your concrete flooring, you may soon find that your concrete is becoming discolored in high-traffic areas and that the floor is losing its luster.  Wax protects the sealant and the sealant protects the color, so without wax, the color will be damaged, darkened, stained, or lifted.  It’s damage that’s completely avoidable.  By regularly waxing your concrete and not letting the concrete sealant get damaged, you’ll save yourself a lot of money in repairs.

Concrete waxing tips:

Don’t skimp. Higher-grade waxes tend to last longer without peeling and more coats (especially in high-traffic areas) can last longer when applied properly.

Clean before you wax. Removing the layers of wax that are peeling and flaking before putting down a fresh coat will give you a better finish.

Do less more often.  A big question everyone asks is: “How often should I wax my concrete floor?” but this is unique to every situation based on traffic, wax quality, number of wax coats applied, and the quality of the work done when it was applied.  The rule of thumb with wax flooring is to do it more often so that you’re doing less – taking off fewer layers of wax and not having to completely re-do the concrete sealant.  The goal of waxing your floor is to preserve the sealant you already have.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Paso Robles, CA – July 8, 2015 – In 2008, the City of Santa Maria purchased 1111 West Betteravia Road knowing they had already outgrown their current headquarters, in use since 1953 in the rapidly growing city.  Now, Santa Maria is the largest city in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, but before the doors could open at the new station on June 22, 2015, it had to pass a final walkthrough.

The concrete floor didn’t pass.

The full cost the new station, including the purchase price of the building and land, and the custom modifications for a modern crime lab and communications infrastructure, was about $29M.  The city had cut costs where possible, even buying used office furniture from the previous tenant.  But during the Construction process, the concrete floor began to fail.  At the 11^th hour of the project, the City of Santa Maria needed to hire an experienced concrete contractor, one who could handle a government contract for their nearly 72,000 square-foot building and also be someone they could trust.

When Mike Boeddeker of Pristine Concrete got the call, he knew right away they were going to need the RetroPlate Concrete Polishing System because of its permanence and durability.  The last thing a police station needs is the cost and hassle of the upkeep on a limited-life concrete flooring seal.  Reducing maintenance for the City of Santa Maria is a big win, but Boeddeker knew RetroPlate™ could offer more and he would still be done in time for the City to move into the new building before June 22, 2015.

Boeddeker has experience in other industrial, commercial, and government concrete contractor jobs with his team at Pristine Concrete.  Based out of Paso Robles, the team handles concrete refinishing, polishing, and staining in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey Counties.  One big signature to his work; branding.  “I wanted to include more in the flooring at the new police station than just a concrete stain,” said Boeddeker.  “A new building like this is a great achievement for the City of Santa Maria and for the men and women who serve this area.  I immediately made plans to incorporate their colors and shield into the floor as part of my repair to give their new office something really special.  It took a lot of work to complete their concrete floor in time, but we still used an 800-grit concrete polish to make sure that floor will hold a pristine shine for years to come, even with the abuse it’s likely to get as a working police station.”  The police can be tough on crime, Boeddeker will be tough on concrete and what he demands from it.

If you find yourself at the new Santa Maria Police Station, be sure to look down and see the work from the team at Pristine Concrete.

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