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Concrete Polishing
Polished concrete floors are relatively new to the decorative concrete arena. These mirror-like surfaces are as tough as they are beautiful. Find out how to make your floors look this way.
by Stacey Enesey Klemenc
If you ask Poinsettia Byrd, senior technical salesperson with VIC International, a company in Tennessee that specializes in surface prep equipment and supplies, she'll tell you success lies with the polishing process.
Typically, after waiting 28 days for the concrete to cure, “The first tool you'll use is a 40-grit metal-bond diamond,” she begins. “This opens up the surface and allows maximum penetration of the densifier. After applying the densifier, you'd typically go to a 150-grit metal-bond diamond.”
At this point, you'd switch to resin-bond diamonds, going back over the floor with a 100-, 200-, 400-, 800-, 1500- and 3000-grit diamond to achieve that high-gloss shine that can be seen in automotive showrooms across the country. “I know that's a lot of steps but there wouldn't be so many different grit diamonds if we didn't expect you to use them,” she says. “So many contractors get frustrated when they can't get off the job because the shine isn't quite right. Ultimately, when we talk, I find out that they have skipped some of the grits. If they had done the right sequence in the first place, they would be off that floor and onto the next ... not calling me for advice.”
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