Polished Concrete

Years ago, polished concrete was considered functional only for manufacturing plants and industrial buildings. But as the techniques to polish concrete became easier, the products became more eco-friendly and the ease of maintenance became more widely understood, home and business owners alike started turning to polished concrete floors for an alternative to the drab, gray slab. Polished concrete is also replacing tile flooring in homes across Michigan and Indiana since it is more durable and take less effort to maintain and clean.

Process: Concrete is actually made up of sand aggregate and small, pea-sized pebbles which generally sink to the bottom after being poured. When concrete is polished, the top layer is ground down to exposing either the sand or the pea-sized aggregate. Increasingly finer grits of diamond-impregnated disks are used on an industrial grade walk behind floor grinder. This method requires no chemicals or sealants and is therefore completely safe for the environment, children, pets and people who are proned to allergic reactions to chemicals. The result is a glossy, durable concrete which repels dirt, oil, tire marks and much, much more.

Durability: While concrete is generally considered a very solid material, it is still vulnerable to chips, cracks and stains. Polishing the concrete will help to protect the surface, but for the ultimate protection, consider requesting that a hardener be applied to make the polish more dense. This is done after the concrete is prepped, but before the polish is applied and can take a week or two to harden.

Maintenance: To clean a polished concrete floor, simply run a damp mop over the surface.  Additionally, if something spills on your polished concrete floor, you'll want to clean it up right away so that it won't stain the polish or the concrete.

Color: Beyond the gray concrete color, there are also many variations available while polishing your concrete. This can be achieved by using integral and surface colorants such as dyes, stains, and shake hardeners.

A note regarding uniformity of polished concrete: Each concrete surface has natural variations that can be seen to the naked eye. Those variations will also be seen after the floor is polished. While newly poured concrete is more apt to be uniform after polishing, it will still have variations. The technique of refinishing concrete floors produces a unique surface that is both artful and durable, but you should not expect uniformity.

Ready for the next step? Give Concrete Impressions a call and ask them about your options. It is also possible to have them come out and polish a small sampling of your concrete to give you a good idea of what the finished floor might look like.