Polished Concrete

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Polished Concrete floors are one of the most popular types of flooring today. You can transform old current concrete slabs with the most versatile, and durable flooring surfaces on the market, all while capturing the elegance of polished marble or granite. Another obvious but often overlooked aspect of polished concrete flooring is that fact that you are utilizing the existing substrate. All other flooring goes on top of a substrate of some kind, and at some point will peel, flake, stain, chip, bubble, or fade.

What is the process of polishing concrete?

Concrete Polishing is a multi-step process, first using course diamond impregnated metallic disc that helps remove light coatings, blemishes, and small pits from the surface. Depending on the current state of the floor, the metal bonded disc very in grit from 16-300 grit. A number of metallic discs may be progressively used to a finer grit to achieve the proper surface to be polished. Once the initial cut is complete, a similar process using resin bonded pads is started. The first pass with resin pads is 100 Grit and goes all the way up to 3000 Grit. The finishing Grit is determined by the desired look by the client.

Polished Concrete Steps

Clean Slab: remove paint, oil spots, dirt, neural ph detergent and rinse.
Repair/Fill any surface Crack.
Start Process of Grinding/Honing. (Typical Grinding with metal diamonds, 40 Grit, 80 Grit, 150 Grit).
Apply densifiers and hardener. Colored or Non-Colored).
Start Polishing Process. (100 Grit Diamond Resin, 200 Grit Diamond Resin, 400 Grit Diamond Resin, 800 Grit Diamond Resin. A concrete floor is considered polished after the 800 Grit Resin Diamonds. You can take the polishing all the way to 3000 Grit Resin, although many manufactures have stopped producing diamond resins this high.
Apply Stain Guard to floor.
Burnish the floor with” hogs hair” pad.
Cleanup Job site.

Note: The Process above explains how to do a FULL POLISH floor. Often time customers may not want as much shine the floor as what a full polish produces. This is simply adjusted by not polish the floor with the tighter grit pads. You can visit this post, about the basics involved in polishing concrete.

FAQ about Polished Concrete

Are Polished Concrete Floors Slippery?
Polished Concrete can be slippery when wet, but less so than vinyl, linoleum, marble or ceramic tile floors. Additive can be applied to polished concrete to make them less slippery for place like, entry was to public facilities.
How Long Will Polished Concrete Floors Last?
Assuming the concrete be polished was properly installed, a polished concrete floor should last a very long time. When you amortize the cost of polished concrete over a lifetime, the price is comparable or even lower than other high end commercial flooring.
Are Concrete Floors Cold and Damp?
They can be as can hardwoods, tile, vinyl, and other solid surface flooring. Here in Kansas we can have some cold winters. From experience, basement floors don’t tend to get cold in the winter because they are insulated by the ground around the home. Home with walkout basement do have an exposed edge at ground level that can get the floor chilly. For home’s that are built on grade (slab/patio homes) this should be addressed by your builder. It is a huge energy loss for a home, polished concrete aside. Products like “Bubble Wrap” Insulation should be installed on the substrate to avoid heat drop, and installation around the footer to isolate heat loss from the sides of the slab. If this is a going to be for new home construction, you may also want to look into radiant floor heat. This is a great way to efficiently heat any home (If you have problems finding a radiant heat installer, you may contact me to help you locate a certified installer).
2^nd Part of the Question. Are they Damp? Generally with today’s building codes a vapor barrier is required before pouring concrete slabs for homes or commercial use (required in KC Metro, not sure about Wichita, but I did it anyway). Not only does a vapor barrier keep moisture from migrating up from the slab but it also blocks dangerous gases, such as methane or radon. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association. After that statement I most finish with two things. 1. Follow my advice if you’re building a new home and if it’s an older home you know if your basement is damp. 2. If you are now scared of Radon gas, you can buy Radon Gas test units to test your basement. If the levels comeback high, you can have a radon mitigation unit installed.
Are Polished Concrete Floors Hard on Your Feet
Concrete is a hard material, and that’s the reason for its superior durability. Other hard materials comparable to polished concrete found in your home would be granite, marble, or tile flooring. On bare feet, it is very smooth, and honestly kind of fun to slide your foot across. For home owners, I often suggest they carpet (or use a large are rug) around there TV area. This way you have the benefit of having a long lasting surface in the high traffic areas, but also get the comfort of carpet where we all like to lay around.
Will Concrete Floors Make the Room Loud?
Like many other solid surfaces, it will produce an echo effect. Generally it is noticed most as soon as the floor is complete and there is no furniture in the room. Things like chairs, couches, pillows, and other decorative items absorb to the noise. Another aspect is the size of the rooms. In commercial facilities with 5,000-150,000+ sqft, the ceilings are generally high and there is a lot of room between the walls. The echo in the building goes unnoticed.