How to Care for Your Concrete Furniture: The Honest Guide from the People Who Make It

We get this question constantly, in various forms. Before purchase: ‘Is concrete difficult to maintain?’ During purchase: ‘What do I need to do to look after it?’ After purchase: ‘Something happened – is it ruined?’

The anxiety makes sense. Concrete has a reputation – partly deserved, partly myth – as a material that’s high-maintenance, prone to staining, and unforgiving of real life. Some of that reputation comes from furniture made from substandard materials and imported products not fit for purpose. Other issues stem from using concrete sealers not specifically formulated for spills on concrete furniture and benches, or not caring for pieces in line with proper guidelines. And some of it is just the fear of something expensive getting damaged.

So here’s the guide we wish every client read before their piece arrived. No corporate disclaimers. No ‘conditions may vary’ hedging. Just what you actually need to know, from the people who make the material.

First: Understand What You’re Actually Dealing With

When we say ‘concrete furniture‘, we mean GFRC & ECC – Glass Fibre Reinforced Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composite – sealed with professional architectural sealers. This is important context because care requirements vary considerably depending on what’s actually in the product and what’s on the surface.

Standard unsealed concrete: highly porous, stains easily, requires significant maintenance. This is not what we make.

GFRC & ECC with an architectural sealer: the sealer creates a protective barrier. It’s not the concrete surface you’re maintaining – it’s the sealer. Understanding this changes how you think about the whole process.

Think of it like caring for quality leather. You’re maintaining the finish, not the substrate. And like leather, the right care preserves it indefinitely; the wrong products degrade it over time.

Daily Care: Genuinely Not Much

For daily cleaning of sealed GFRC surfaces, the requirements are minimal:

• Wipe down with a damp cloth or sponge – water is fine
• For grease or kitchen residue, a small amount of mild pH-neutral liquid soap is appropriate
• Dry the surface after cleaning – don’t leave standing water for extended periods
• For dining tables and coffee tables, a dry or slightly damp cloth is all that’s generally needed

You can also use Baby Seal – our natural beeswax concrete protector – applied lightly over a clean, dry surface to provide an additional layer of protection. This is generally needed only when you notice liquids are no longer beading on the surface as readily as they did when the piece was new. Using Baby Seal regularly will prolong the life of your surfaces and may mean a full sand and re-seal is never required.

What you should not use:

• Bleach or bleach-based cleaners – these degrade the sealer over time
• Acidic cleaners (vinegar, lemon-based products, descalers) – these attack the sealer and can dull the finish
• Abrasive scourers or steel wool – these will scratch the sealer surface
• Harsh commercial degreasers – use only purpose-formulated concrete care products for stubborn stains
• Products containing essential oils – these can penetrate into the concrete surface and affect the sealer

The general rule: if you wouldn’t use it on a polished timber floor, don’t use it on your concrete surface. The sealer is an investment worth protecting.

Spills: What to Do and How Fast to Do It

The sealer on your concrete surface is designed to give you time. It does not make the surface bulletproof. Speed matters.

Common kitchen spills

• Water, juice, soft drink: low risk with a sealed surface. Wipe promptly, dry the area.
• Wine: wipe immediately. Wine left overnight on any porous surface – even sealed concrete – can potentially mark the surface if not cleaned promptly. Address it promptly.
• Coffee: similar to wine. Prompt action means no issue. A dried coffee ring might require a mild concrete cleaner.
• Cooking oils: wipe immediately. Oils left on the surface may temporarily darken the concrete if they soak into the sealer. Best practice is to clean up oil splatters after cooking and not store oily containers directly on benchtops – use a tray or coaster, and wipe up any splatters promptly.
• Acids (lemon juice, vinegar, tomato paste): wipe immediately. These can etch the sealer with prolonged contact. This is the category to be genuinely prompt about.
• Red wine + heat: the combination is slightly more challenging than either alone. Wipe immediately.

If you spill something and it’s dried before you noticed: don’t panic. Start with warm water and mild pH-neutral soap. If that’s insufficient, a purpose-formulated concrete cleaner – which we stock – will be suitable on correctly sealed surfaces when used promptly after a spill. What you don’t want to do is attack a stain with abrasives or acids, which will damage the sealer and create a larger problem.

The Sealer: Your Most Important Maintenance Task

The sealer on your piece was applied in multiple coats – penetrating primer layers plus surface film coats – using professional architectural products. Over time, with normal use, that sealer will show wear. The surface may start to look duller in high-use areas. Liquids that previously beaded on the surface may start to absorb more readily. These are signs that re-sealing is due.

How often?

On kitchen benchtops and dining tables in active daily use: with correct care and the right products, re-sealing may never be required. That said, after four to five years you might notice some markings that would benefit from a re-seal – this depends entirely on how the surfaces have been cared for and what products have been used on them. Heavily used commercial surfaces (café tables, bar tops) may benefit from more regular re-sealing. Decorative pieces with light use – side tables, bathroom vanities – may never need re-sealing at all.

There’s no precise timer here. The material will tell you. When the surface stops looking as vibrant as it did when new, when water stops beading, when the texture looks slightly flat – that’s the signal.

Can I re-seal it myself?

Yes, with the right product and guidance. We’re happy to advise depending on your specific piece and situation – contact us before starting and we’ll point you in the right direction.

For kitchen benchtops and heavily used surfaces, proper architectural sealers formulated specifically for GFRC & ECC concrete are the right choice. If you’re in Sydney or Greater NSW, contact us – we can recommend or assist directly.

Outdoor Use: Different Rules

Our outdoor pieces – BBQ units, outdoor kitchen benchtops, outdoor dining tables, bench seats, stair treads, fire hearths – are produced with outdoor use in mind. GFRC handles Australian outdoor conditions well. It doesn’t rust, rot, warp, or splinter. But it does interact with the environment in ways that indoor pieces don’t.

• UV exposure may gradually fade surface colour over years. Darker concrete tones are more susceptible to visible fading than lighter ones. This is not a defect – it’s material aging.
• Outdoor BBQ areas should be cleaned regularly of cooking residue, which can become acidic over time
• High-pressure washing directly on the concrete surface can erode the sealer – use a regular garden hose rather than a pressure washer on the surface itself
• Outdoor pieces benefit from re-sealing more frequently than indoor pieces, particularly in exposed coastal environments where salt air is a factor
• Standing water in joints or channels should be avoided where possible – good drainage design addresses this, and is something we factor in at the design stage for outdoor kitchen builds

Repairing Damage: The Honest Reality

We’d love to tell you that any damage is seamlessly repairable. The truth is more nuanced.

Minor surface scratches in the sealer layer: these can often be addressed by re-sealing. The scratch fills with sealer and becomes considerably less visible.

Scuff marks on the sealer surface: often removable with a mild polish designed for concrete surfaces.

Chips in the concrete body: small chips can be filled with a colour-matched concrete filler, though achieving a perfectly invisible repair is not always possible. We will always try our best to get as close as possible to the original finish.

Cracks due to impact: GFRC is significantly more crack-resistant than standard concrete, but heavy impact – dropping something substantial directly onto the surface – can crack any material. Major structural damage typically cannot be invisibly repaired and may require a replacement piece.

Our honest recommendation: think of concrete furniture the way you’d think of a quality timber table. It rewards reasonable care. It develops character over time. It’s not fragile, but it’s not indestructible either. Treat it like the handmade, valuable object it is, and it will serve you exceptionally well for decades.

Products We Recommend

We sell two products specifically formulated for maintaining our concrete pieces:

• Baby Seal – Natural Beeswax Concrete Protector: A natural, food-safe beeswax sealant for regular maintenance of sealed concrete surfaces. Apply with a soft cloth, buff off. Refreshes the surface and adds a mild protective layer. Excellent for dining tables, coffee tables, and light-use surfaces.
• Concrete Care Kit – Maintenance & Protection Pack: Our full maintenance kit, designed to cover cleaning, light repair, and re-sealing for ongoing care of our pieces.

Both are available in our online shop at slabsbydesign.com.au

Frequently Asked Questions

My coffee table has a white ring. What happened and can I fix it?

A white ring is typically caused by moisture getting beneath the sealer surface – often from a cold, wet glass left on the table for an extended period. We recommend using coasters where possible. Should a ring occur, try cleaning the area with a pH-neutral cleaner first. If it persists, sanding and re-sealing the affected area may be needed. Applying Baby Seal regularly to your surfaces can help prevent surface marking over time.

Can I put hot pans directly on a concrete benchtop?

Concrete itself handles heat very well – it won’t scorch or burn. However, placing extremely hot pans directly on the sealer surface can potentially damage the sealer coating. We recommend a trivot or heat mat for pans coming straight off the heat, just as you would with most premium benchtop materials.

The surface looks slightly duller than when it arrived. Is something wrong?

Almost certainly not. All sealed surfaces develop a natural patina with use, and the sealer settles and cures fully over the first few months. If the dullness is concentrated in high-use areas, it may be a sign that re-sealing is approaching. A light application of Baby Seal will often restore significant lustre in the interim.

I used a citrus-based cleaner and the surface looks slightly etched. What do I do?

This is the sealer surface that’s been affected, not the concrete itself. If the etching is noticeable, a re-seal of the affected area is likely the best course of action. As a rule, avoid any cleaning products with acidic, essential oil, or citrus bases – these can all impact the sealer. Contact us and we’ll advise on the best next step for your specific piece.

How do I care for an outdoor concrete BBQ bench?

Clean down after use with warm soapy water and a soft brush to remove food residue. Rinse thoroughly. Keep the surface free of pooled water where possible. Consider a fitted cover for extended periods of non-use or during prolonged wet weather. Applying Baby Seal periodically will help extend the life of the surface and delay the need for a full sand and re-seal.

Conclusion

Concrete furniture, properly made and properly maintained, is not high-maintenance. It’s actually considerably less demanding than marble, not particularly different from engineered stone (which no longer exists) and, in terms of surface repairability, more forgiving than some materials in certain respects.

What it does reward is a degree of care that is proportionate to its quality. These pieces are made by hand, with premium materials, by people who take pride in their craft. They deserve to be treated accordingly – not obsessively, not anxiously, but thoughtfully.

If you’ve already got a SLABS by Design piece in your home, we hope this guide gives you confidence. If you’re still deciding whether concrete is right for your space, we hope it gives you clarity.

And if something’s happened to your piece and you’re not sure what to do – just call us. That’s what we’re here for.

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