Care & Maintenance

Care & Maintenance for all Products

Maintenance

No ongoing maintenance is required when a client looks after their concrete product from Mitchell Bink Concrete Design. Our products do not need to be resealed in future. Once sealed, prior to leaving our workshop, the product will be as protected as it can be. The below advises on the best way to protect and maintain your original concrete product.

Scratching

Do not drag, slide or throw objects on to the concrete piece. This includes (but not limited to) items such as handbags, groceries, washing basket, serving dishes, plates, mugs, chopping boards, boxes, pans or firewood. Scratches in the sealer could occur if this happens. It is best to pick up and place an object down. Be gentle when placing items down or moving them across the piece. Never cut directly onto the piece. Once the sealer is scratched/pierced this is when it becomes more susceptible to staining. By being aware and not putting anything hard, heavy, rough or dragging items across your piece, will help avoid marks or scratches in the sealer. Using items such as place mats, decorative mats or tea towels as a protective barrier can assist. Small stick-on felt pieces can be applied to the bottom of objects to minimize possible scratching. Once scratched, it is not possible to remove this.

Cleaning

Cleaning couldn’t be easier. Damp soft sponge, very mild cleaners or other water-based cleaners are all you need. Do not use products that contain trichlorethane, methylene chloride or have high alkaline/pH levels. Avoid cleaners with a citrus cent, citrus ingredients, acidic based, bleach-based, gumption or Jif. Abrasive cleansers or scrubbers should not be used. Staining/discolouration can occur overtime when using products mentioned (or similar). After cleaning the surface, ensure it is dry before placing objects on top of the surface. Avoid forceful scrubbing if you notice stains or marks as this will result in damage to the sealer.

Staining

We recommend our clients wipe up spills, foods or liquids when they are noticed. Try not to leave spills, foods or liquids on your piece for a period of time. Acidic liquids or products with staining agents such as (but not limited to) lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, oil, red wine, turmeric, coffee etc. can result in staining/discolouration if left on. For products such as cooking oil, hand soap, hand cream, liquid foundation, bio oil, hand sanitizer, flower vase etc, place these objects onto a decorative dish or plate and not directly onto the concrete, that way if they drip down or leak, the dish/plate will catch the residue and not seep into your concrete over time. If staining occurs, the stain is not able to be removed.

Trapping water or other liquids

If you have items such as (but not limited to) a vase, pot plant, hand soap, bottle of oil etc. sitting on your surface, it is best to place something underneath, like a decorative dish or plate. When water or other liquids drip down or through these objects, the water or liquid can become trapped between your concrete surface and the object, with nowhere to go but into the concrete. Depending on the object and type of liquid, once the object is removed, the sealer may be able to breathe out this moisture, but it may also mark or cause discolouration. If you notice areas like this, don’t cover them up, leave them uncovered and try to let the sealer breathe. If this occurs but the markings are still visable, it is not possible to remove this, it has become trapped in the sealer or concrete. For Outdoor Tables, do not place a table cover over your Table, just leave it bare, as covering your table may cause moisture to be trapped.

Sun damage

Whilst Concrete is a great product for the outdoors and weather exposed areas, we recommend not leaving items on the concrete benchtop/surface. Marking or discolouration could occur if moisture becomes trapped (as mentioned above).

Chips

While durable, both concrete and natural stones like marble are ‘brittle’ materials, as opposed to ‘elastic’ materials (since it’s not plastic). Whilst it is difficult to chip, it is possible. Mitchell Bink Concrete Design can send our clients a similar coloured grout/fill mix to help fill the area that has been chipped. This will not completely disguise the area but will fill it.

Heat

Do not place hot pots, hot pans, hot baking trays, hair straighteners etc directly on the surface as this can damage the sealer. Use something like a chopping board or trivet as a barrier.

Weight

Avoid excess weight being placed on your concrete product (for e.g. standing on your concrete piece). This more so applies for areas with no support underneath such as overhang on a kitchen benchtop, the centre or edge of a dining table top or benchseat. This could cause the piece to crack or sag overtime.

Caring for your Concrete Homewares

To maintain longevity of your Concrete Homewares, we recommend they be used for decorational use. All of our Homewares are sealed with a high-grade, penetrative sealer which is food-grade safe and acts as a barrier against spills. Having said that, we do recommend that anything be wiped up within a reasonable time-frame otherwise it may etch through the sealer and leave a mark.

Following a “wipe as you go” principle will help your Concrete Homewares look beautiful for years to come. Simply use a warm damp cloth to clean and avoid any vigorous scrubbing as it could compromise the sealer.

Please do not use your Concrete Homewares as a chopping board and avoid high impact knocks along the edges. Our Concrete Homewares are not dishwasher or oven safe.mPlease treat each item with care as they have been hand made with love for you.

Care & Maintenance: Other Bathroom Elements

Whilst following our Care & Maintenance Guide, there are a couple of other tips for our Concrete Bathware. In particular cleaning, trapping water and other liquids and being mindful of certain everyday bathroom products.

For integrated concrete sinks in our concrete bathroom vanity tops, if your sink has a waste plug, it is important you don’t use strong/harsh cleaning products to clean your waste plug. Avoid using a rough sponge or scourer to clean your waste plug. How you clean your waste plug, will also affect the concrete area around the waste, so follow our same steps under Cleaning in Care & Maintenance for cleaning your waste plug. Avoid forceful scrubbing on or around your waste (or anywhere on your vanity top) as this will result in damage to the sealer.

We do not recommend filling up your integrated sink for a long period of time. If you tend to fill up your sink, allow it to fully drain after 30 minutes. Similar to water and other liquids being trapped between an object and our concrete, when an integrated sink is filled with water, the sealer cannot breathe out this moisture and could lead to marking and discolouration.

If you see water pooling down the sides or at the bottom of your integrated sink, wipe over it. This will aid in long term appearance and minimise possible discolouration. It is important to follow the steps under Trapping Water and Other Liquids in Care & Maintenance to ensure certain objects aren’t sitting directly on your concrete vanity top. Use some form of decorative dish or plate to minimise the chance of marking or discolouration. 

If you use products such as oil-based foundation, body oil, nail polish remover or products with staining agents (such as a tumeric facemask, coffee body scrub, fake tan) and you drop or spill this on your top, wipe it up as soon as you notice it. Leaving this or not wiping it up promptly could cause marking or discolouration.

Care & Maintenance: Integrated Laundry Sink

If a client is interested in a Concrete Integrated Sink or Concrete Trough Style Sink in their Laundry, just like an integrated concrete kitchen sink, this is certainly possible, however it is important to be aware of what to expect from the product and the likelihood of marking and discolouration.

A Laundry Sink will be commonly used for holding or draining strong/harsh chemicals and cleaning products and overtime, these kinds of products will cause staining and discolouration to the concrete. If items are left in the Integrated Laundry Sink, this will also likely cause marking and discolouration. 

Aesthetically they are beautiful, and some client will appreciate the ageing and patina that could occur, but the practicality can be too much work or hassle for some clients which we completely understand.

For more information, please download our "What to expect, when you're expecting Concrete" Document.