The short version: sweep it, rinse it, and do not use anything harsh. A coated floor is dramatically easier to maintain than bare concrete, and most of what shortens its life is avoidable.
Here is the longer version, with the Calgary-specific parts that matter.
The Routine
Weekly or as needed: dust mop or soft-bristle broom. Because the surface is sealed, dirt sits on top rather than embedding, so this takes a minute.
Monthly: damp mop with warm water. Add a small amount of pH-neutral cleaner if the floor has film on it. Rinse afterwards so no residue is left — cleaner film is the most common cause of a coated floor looking dull.
Spills: wipe them up. Oil, brake fluid, antifreeze and gasoline will not stain a cured polyaspartic surface, but leaving them to pool for days is a different matter. Wipe, then clean the spot with warm water.
Tire marks: occasionally hot tires leave a dark scuff. Warm water and a soft nylon brush handles it. If it persists, a small amount of isopropyl alcohol on a cloth works. Do not attack it with solvent.
The Calgary Winter Part
This is the section that actually matters here.
From November through April, vehicles carry in a mixture of road salt, brine, sand and gravel. Two things happen:
Salt residue dulls the finish. As meltwater evaporates it leaves a white haze. It is cosmetic, it rinses off, but left all season it builds a film that makes the floor look worn when it is not.
Grit acts as abrasive. Sand and small stones caught under tires grind against the top coat every time you pull in and out. This is genuine wear, and it is the main thing that ages a garage floor here.
What to do about it:
- Rinse a few times through the winter. Pick a mild day, open the door, and hose the floor toward the apron. Even three or four rinses across a season makes a visible difference by spring.
- Sweep the grit out regularly. More important than mopping.
- A drip tray under the parking spot catches the worst of the melt. Use a fabric-backed containment mat rather than solid rubber — see below.
- Do a proper clean in spring. Once salt season ends, a full wash resets the floor.
What Not to Do
No solid rubber mats directly on the floor. Rubber can react with the coating over time and leave permanent discoloration, especially where it traps moisture underneath. Use fabric-backed or vinyl containment mats made for coated floors.
No harsh chemicals. Skip bleach, ammonia, degreasers with high pH, citrus solvents and anything labelled as concrete etch. They can dull or soften the top coat.
No abrasive pads or steel wool. Soft nylon only. You are cleaning a wear layer, not scrubbing concrete.
No pressure washer at close range. A hose is fine. A pressure washer held close to an edge or a control joint can force water under the coating.
No metal snow shovels or scrapers. A plastic shovel is fine. A steel-edged blade dragged across the floor will scratch it.
No parking on it before it has cured. For a new floor, wait the full 24 hours before vehicles return, and skip mats entirely for the first week while the chemical cure completes.
A Calgary Maintenance Calendar
If it helps to think seasonally:
| Season | What matters |
|---|---|
| Late fall | Clean the floor before salt season starts. Put a containment mat under the parking spot. Have a plastic shovel on hand, not a steel one. |
| Winter | Sweep grit out regularly. Rinse on mild days when you can. Wipe up slush pools rather than letting them evaporate. |
| Spring | Full wash to strip the season's salt film. Inspect edges and the door threshold while you are down there. |
| Summer | Routine sweeping. Good time to deal with any tire marks or spots that need attention. |
The spring inspection is the useful habit. Winter is when a coating gets tested, so a five-minute look at the threshold, the perimeter and the control joints once the salt is gone will catch a small problem while it is still small.
What to Keep on Hand
Nothing exotic:
- A soft-bristle push broom or dust mop
- A microfibre mop and bucket
- A pH-neutral floor cleaner
- A plastic snow shovel
- A fabric-backed containment mat for the parking area
- A soft nylon brush for tire marks
That is the complete list. If a product promises to restore, seal or rejuvenate a coated floor, be sceptical — most of them leave a film that dulls the surface, and the honest fix for a dull floor is usually a proper clean.
Handling Wear Over Time
Even well maintained, a garage floor is a wear surface.
Light scratches in the tire path are normal after several years and usually only visible at a low angle. They do not compromise the floor.
Dulling in the traffic pattern happens gradually. Most of what looks like dulling is actually residue — try a proper clean before concluding the coating is worn.
Chips from dropped tools are localized and can generally be repaired rather than requiring a full recoat.
A refresh coat is an option down the road. When the wear layer eventually thins, a new top coat can go over a properly maintained floor without redoing the whole system. That is far cheaper than a full rebuild, and it is one of the practical advantages of the layered system described in what to expect on install day.
When to Call Someone
Most maintenance is a broom and a hose. Call the installer if you see:
- Bubbles or blisters — usually moisture from below, and worth diagnosing early
- Edges lifting, particularly at the door threshold
- Any area where the coating has separated from the slab
Those are the failure signatures explained in what causes coatings to delaminate, and catching them early usually means a spot repair rather than a section replacement.
Our floors carry a 5-year warranty. It is a deliberately chosen term — several Calgary companies advertise 15 or 20 years, and we would rather publish a period we will service on every floor than a longer number that reads better in an ad. Reasonable maintenance is part of keeping any warranty valid, and for a polyaspartic floor "reasonable" really is just sweeping, rinsing, and keeping harsh chemicals off it.
If you are still deciding on a floor, our cost guide has published starting prices and the quote builder gives a number for your size in about a minute.
