how to clean stamped concrete basement floor

Q. We have a stamped concrete basement floor in the house we just built. It is the slate pattern. Our constructions workers were very careless with our floor and it is a mess! How can I go about cleaning the floor without ruining our wall covers. I have tried to mop and have gotten on my hands and knees with a sponge but can't seem to get it clean in the deeper pattern grooves. I was thinking I would need to power wash but I am worried about moisture in the house and also ruining our basement wall coverings. Any suggestions?

Answer: I have a couple of suggestions, the first is a surface cleaner. This unit connects to a pressure washer. It has rotating brushes inside an enclosed base so water doesn't spray all over the place. You can find these at Northern Tool right from my web-site.

The second suggestion is a floor buffer. You can rent these at any rental store and some Home Depot's. A scrubbing brush attachment will do a good job of cleaning the stamped concrete surface.

Use some Simple Green cleaner mixed with water and scrub the surface using either method. Rinse with clean water and the scrubber, you may need to rinse a couple times to get up all the soap residue. Follow each scrubbing with a wet vac and the water shouldn't be a problem.

If you're concerned about the walls, use some blue painter's tape and some plastic and cover the bottom 3 feet of wall area.

After the floor dries for 48 hours, have the stamped concrete contractor come back and apply a finish coat of concrete sealer. Your stamped concrete floor will look like new again.