What is concrete polishing?
Concrete polishing is a process that uses bonded abrasives to grind, hone and polish a concrete floor in order to achieve a shiny, glossy and refined appearance. It gives a striking, mirror-like finish to a concrete floor.
What is concrete polishing used for?
Polished concrete is widely used in retail stores, shopping centres, commercial warehouses, hotels, restaurants and office facilities. It’s also starting to take off in private residences. It takes the superior durability and performance of concrete and elevates it with an attractive, smooth and high-lustre finish.
Polished concrete also offers a vast array of design options, including:
- A wide variety of colours available in the concrete mix, if you are pouring a new slab from scratch
- Saw cut patterns
- Embedding aggregates or interesting objects into the concrete before polishing
- The choice of reflectivity level, from semi-gloss to high gloss
The advantages of concrete polishing
Polished concrete delivers great economic and aesthetic value, and has a huge number of advantages, including:
- Polished concrete floors are low-maintenance and easy to clean with the use of clean water or a neutral balance pH cleaner
- They are also durable and hard-wearing, and will not chip or dent like other softer flooring surfaces
- Polished concrete floors have a very long life expectancy in comparison to other flooring types – and can last more than 100 years
- The high gloss finish on polished concrete never needs coating or waxing
- Polished concrete reduces allergen, dust mite and mould problems, and is a great choice for allergy or asthma sufferers
- Polished concrete is no more slippery than any other type of hard flooring surface, due to its high coefficient of friction
- Polished concrete can be used both indoors and outdoors
- The highly reflective surface can reduce the need for lighting and actually improves natural lighting
- Polished concrete can be used in wet areas such as shower bases
- It is recognised as an environmentally conscious and sustainable building product
- Polished concrete has thermal mass properties (the ability of the floor to absorb and release heat) and is a good insulator
- It can feel warmer to walk on than tiles
- Polished concrete floors won’t fade or discolour over time
How long does concrete polishing take?
To get a concrete floor looking super shiny and polished takes a fair amount of time. While the process is not complicated, it’s time consuming to achieve the high gloss finish. Depending on the level of gloss required, it can take in excess of 10 hours per square metre.
However, once the process is complete, you can walk on the surface straight away – as there is no need to wait for a coating to dry.
What is the process of concrete polishing?
To polish concrete, heavy duty machines are used to grind down a concrete floor to achieve a high degree of smoothness, lustre and shine. You can think of it as similar to the process of sanding wood. Machines equipped with diamond-segmented abrasives will grind and polish the floor, progressing from coarser-grit to finer-grit abrasives. The process is enhanced with the use of a penetrating chemical known as a hardener.
Is concrete polishing a DIY job?
Polishing concrete is a job best left for the professionals. It requires heavy grinding equipment and specialised diamond tooling. While you can hire the equipment, there’s a steep learning curve to using it. You’ll also need to be across all the many safety precautions that must be taken throughout the whole process.
You’ll achieve a better outcome when the job is done by someone with experience and a thorough understanding of how to get the best results. Polishing concrete is a specialised technique, and you’ll need the services of an expert to get top-quality results.
Give us a call today to get an itemised quote for your concrete polishing job.
