Published 3 November 2026
One of the best things about a resin floor is how little it asks of you. There's no grout to scrub, no annual sealing and nothing porous to soak up spills. But a few habits make the difference between a floor that still looks freshly poured in five years and one that's dulled and scratched.
The first week
Most of the damage we ever see happens before the floor has fully cured. For the first seven days or so:
- Follow the cure dates we give you at handover: foot traffic, furniture, vehicles.
- No rugs or mats. They can mark a curing topcoat.
- Lift furniture into place. Never drag it.
- Fit felt pads to chair and table legs before they go back.
- Dry clean only: a soft broom or dust mop. Hold off on wet mopping until full cure.
- Keep pets out until it's ready for normal traffic.
Everyday cleaning
Grit is a resin floor's real enemy. Tiny particles under shoes act like sandpaper and slowly dull the gloss. So the routine is about removing grit first, then cleaning.
- Sweep with a soft broom, use a microfibre dust mop, or vacuum with a soft floor head (no beater bar).
- Damp mop with warm water and a small amount of pH-neutral floor cleaner.
- Use a microfibre flat mop and wring it well. You want damp, not wet.
- For a streak-free gloss, go over it with a clean, dry microfibre pad.
How often depends on traffic. A hallway or kitchen might want a sweep daily and a mop weekly. A show garage might need a dust mop after each use and an occasional wash.
What to avoid
| Avoid | Why | Use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Bleach and strong alkaline cleaners | Can dull or discolour the topcoat over time | pH-neutral floor cleaner |
| Vinegar, citrus and acidic cleaners | Acids can etch and dull the gloss with repeated use | pH-neutral floor cleaner |
| Abrasive pads, scouring powders, wire wool | Scratch the topcoat | Microfibre, soft brush |
| Soap-heavy or 'shine' products | Leave a film that looks smeary and attracts dirt | Plain warm water, little cleaner |
| Steam mops | Concentrated heat and moisture can affect some topcoats | Damp microfibre mop |
| Solvents (acetone, paint thinners) | Can soften or mark the surface | Ask us first |
| Rubber-backed mats | Can stain or discolour the floor | Breathable mats made for hard floors |
Preventing scratches and marks
- Doormats inside and outside every external door catch most of the grit.
- Felt pads on all furniture legs. Check and replace them every few months, because grit gets embedded in them.
- Castor cups or a chair mat under office chairs. Hard plastic castors can wear tracks.
- Lift, don't drag. This goes for appliances, sofas and toolboxes.
- Pets: keep claws trimmed. Gloss shows fine scratches more than satin.
- Stiletto heels concentrate a lot of weight on a tiny point and can dent any finish.
- Sunlight: blinds or UV film help preserve colours in very bright rooms, even with a UV-stable topcoat.
Kitchens and countertops
Resin handles normal kitchen life, but it isn't heat-proof. Don't put pans straight from the hob or oven on a resin floor or worktop. Use trivets and boards. Don't chop directly on a resin countertop either; knives will scratch any gloss surface.
Garages
- Wipe up oil, fuel, coolant and brake fluid when you see them.
- Rinse off winter road salt regularly. Salt brought in on tyres is abrasive and leaves residue.
- Use drip trays under leaking vehicles.
- Put a pad under motorbike side stands, jacks and axle stands to spread the load.
- For a deeper clean, use a soft deck brush with diluted pH-neutral cleaner, rinse and squeegee dry.
Commercial floors
For larger commercial floors, an auto-scrubber with soft pads and a neutral detergent works well. Ask your cleaning contractor to avoid aggressive degreasers unless they've been tested on a small area first. Anti-slip topcoats need a bit more scrubbing to stay clean in the texture, so a soft deck brush is your friend.
What about damage?
Fine scratches and dull areas
Light marks in the topcoat can often be improved by machine buffing. Where an area has dulled from wear, the topcoat can be lightly abraded and a fresh coat applied. That refreshes the gloss without touching the design underneath.
Chips and gouges
Deeper damage, like a dropped cast-iron pan or a tool, can be filled, sanded and recoated. On a solid colour or flake floor, repairs can blend very well. On a metallic floor, we'll get as close as we can, but no repair will exactly match the original pour, because every pour is unique.
Cracks
If a crack appears, it usually means the substrate beneath has moved. Get in touch. We'll want to understand the cause before repairing the surface.
Full refresh
High-traffic floors can be given a new lease of life by sanding back the old topcoat and applying a new one. It's far less disruptive than a new floor.
Quick reference
- Daily or as needed: sweep or dust mop.
- Weekly: damp mop with a pH-neutral cleaner.
- Monthly: check felt pads and doormats.
- Yearly: inspect high-traffic areas. Consider a topcoat refresh if they've dulled.
Through the seasons
Winter
This is grit and salt season. Double up on doormats, sweep more often and mop up meltwater before it dries into a chalky residue. In garages, rinse salt off regularly. Wet boots on a gloss floor can be slippery, so a good absorbent mat by the door is worth having.
Spring and summer
Sun is the main consideration. Even with a UV-stable topcoat, long hours of direct sun through big glazing are the hardest test for any floor colour. Blinds, curtains or UV-filtering window film help, and occasionally moving rugs and furniture avoids sharp sun lines over the years. Sand and garden grit come in on shoes, so keep up the sweeping.
Autumn
Leaves and mud. Wet leaves are slippery on any hard floor and can leave tannin stains if left to sit. Sweep them out, wipe up, and it's a good time to check felt pads and doormats before winter.
Moving house or renting it out?
Pass these care notes on. Most of the wear we see on older floors comes from someone who didn't know resin shouldn't be cleaned with bleach or scrubbed with a scouring pad. A one-page care sheet next to the cleaning cupboard does wonders.
Got a question about your floor? Message us on WhatsApp with a photo and we'll tell you what we'd do.
