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Questions about Polishing Concrete Floors
Businesses are choosing polished concrete floors to best represent their appearance for customers. Decorative concrete contractors who are doing the work may have questions about polished floors - and we have some of the answers.
by John Strieder
in a Wal-Mart or a luxury auto dealership. Even better, polishing is chemical-free, which makes it a godsend in this age of crackdowns on volatile organic compound emissions. A decorative concrete contractor has some tough questions to answer about this trendy technique. How well does it work with other decorative techniques? What about maintenance? What is the real reason big discount store chains and other commercial clients are specifying polished finishes on their floors? Let's take that last question first.
The number one reason stores are turning to polished concrete is cost, says Kyle Wiggins, sales and marketing manager at Innovatech Products & Equipment. "The average store spends $1.70 per square foot per year maintaining their vinyl composite tile floors," he says. "VCT floors have a lifetime of five to six years and have to be replaced as well. Polished concrete costs about $0.10 per square foot per year to maintain, and polished concrete will never need to be replaced. If a store properly maintains their concrete floors then they should never need to be repolished."
Not only does polished concrete last longer with cheaper maintenance than other finishes, but it increases the ambient light in a store to boot. "A polished floor provides a finished floor with light reflectivity that is still durable and easy to maintain," says John R. Abrahamson, president and managing director of HTC Professional Floor Systems.
Of course, cost savings don't mean much if shoppers keep slipping and falling on floors. It's a fair question: Is a high shine slippery? Does a higher diamond grind finish compromise slip resistance?
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