Epoxy garage floors add a glossy look that brings a sense of elegance and uniqueness to your home. Since the majority of homeowners install epoxy on concrete flooring, it makes a great addition to any garage. However, you may be worried about maintaining that shiny look.

Fear not! Simply follow these six steps for maintaining your shiny epoxy garage floor:

1. Preemptively protect your floor from damage
2. Perform regular maintenance cleanings
3. Deep clean your floor annually or semi-annually
4. Eliminate tough stains
5. Wax your floor
6. Hire a professional

Fully understand the techniques for keeping your epoxy floor looking shiny and brand new by reading more below!

The good news is that an epoxy coating is one of the most durable surfaces to have on your garage floor. A mixture of resins and hardeners form a solid adhesive that is highly resistant to degradation. It bonds well with base materials, such as concrete. However, that doesn't make it indestructible.

You should take protective measures to reduce any damages to the epoxy. For example, consider laying soft pads on the floor where your cars and bicycles are parked. In addition, if you have any furniture in your garage that has sharp, metallic legs, apply furniture pads to the bottoms of those legs.

Just remember that the more careful you are, the longer your epoxy floor will last. Precautionary measures are the key!

Like any other flooring material in your house, epoxy benefits from routine cleanings. Despite its long-lasting and low-maintenance qualities, a diligent cleaning schedule can help avoid time-consuming and costly repairs. Once the gloss from the floor is gone, there is nothing you can do to bring it back.

All Garage Floors recommends buying a good 24" to 36" dust mop to perform routine cleanings. Stop by your local Walmart or Target and grab one on your way home. Dust mops are great since they effortlessly remove dust and loose dirt in a few quick swipes. They also won't "stick to the floor."

Other great cleaning investments include a soft bristle push broom and a vacuum for removing dust and larger debris. Additionally, be diligent about cleaning liquids as soon as they spill on the floor to avoid permanent stains.

Going beyond routine cleanings, you should also deep clean your floors on an annual or semi-annual basis. Perform these cleanings once or twice a year by applying hot water across the surface and drying with a squeegee. For most floors, that will be enough to restore that shiny epoxy look.

While you may be tempted to use soap to clean your floor, it's best to avoid these types of cleaners. If not properly rinsed with water, soap will leave a hazy film and streak marks on the surface of your floor that can impede the shiny finish. At the same time, the soapy film will make your floor much more slippery once it gets wet.

If your floor still has spots left or isn't looking quite as shiny as it did before, then invest in some all-purpose cleaners. Simply dip a soft cloth in the product, wring it out, and then rub away any stains by hand. Ammonia is a great cleaning solution to use on your epoxy floor, or you can use "1 part Windex mixed to three parts water." For tougher stains, try one part Simple Green mixed with eight parts water to make short work of grease and grime spots.

Never under any circumstances use vinegar or citrus cleaners on your epoxy floor. These acidic cleaning solutions will slowly de-gloss your floor's finish and coating over time.

While epoxy has a gloss finish that doesn't require waxing on a regular basis, if your floor has lost its shine, Home Steady recommends applying a few coats of wax to bring that luster back. You can do so by following the steps below:

1. Remove all the furniture from your garage
2. Do a complete sweep of the room
3. Wipe your floors clean with hot water and let them dry
4. Mix floor sealer and water in a bucket
5. "Apply the sealer to the floor." Then, give it time to dry.
6. Mix floor wax with water in a bucket "(per the manufacturer's instructions)"
7. Apply the wax using a "continuous motion"

Repeat as necessary. Two coats generally should do the trick!

If you just can't seem to get your epoxy floor shining like new, call in the big guns and get some help!  Do a little digging and see if there is a company in your area that specializes in cleaning epoxy floors.  Hiring a team of specialists will ultimately cost less than having to re-apply the finish yourself, especially if you're not familiar with the application process.

Epoxy is long-lasting, durable, and resilient. However, it is not indestructible. While it is relatively straightforward to maintain, following these tips will help your epoxy garage floor look shiny for years. Preemptively protect your floors from damage, perform regular maintenance cleanings, deep clean your floor annually, eliminate tough stains, and consider waxing your floors. When all else fails, ask for help!