The world's foremost resource on decorative concrete
Polished concrete is a process of progressive mechanical grinding, honing, densifying and polishing a concrete surface. This is done to achieve an aesthetically pleasing, highly durable, light-reflective finish.
Contractors across the country have plenty of good things to say about polished concrete. “It’s a great alternative to surface coating and that’s what excites me the most,” says Rick Zingale of Centennial Surface Technology in Phoenix. “There are inherent problems with coatings,” adds Zingale, who’s been in the concrete […]
Correctly estimating the thickness needed to get the job done right is one of the biggest issues a contractor faces when applying a polishable overlay.
When Productivity Inc. built a new showroom in Minneapolis, Minn., more than three years ago, the company chose to top the floor with Artera, a polishable polymer-modified fiber-reinforced cementitious overlayment made by LifeTime Floors.
Polishing 52,000 square feet of floor is never an easy task, but some jobs can be more demanding than others. This was one of them. It took contractor Darryl White and a crew of five 11 weeks to prep, polish and finesse the artwork for the floors of Alabama Robotics Technology Park.
Contractors, construction companies, architects and designers are eligible to submit, and projects are judged on skill of installation, creativity, artistic expression and integration with the overall design intent.
Today, most slabs are finished using mechanical trowels for the body of the slab and hand trowels for the edges. There are two basic types of mechanical trowels: walk-behinds and ride-ons.
Curing is an integral part of the concrete placement process. When portland cement and water mix, they activate a process called “hydration.”
Concrete Decor asked Bay Area Concrete’s president, Mike Price, a number of questions about the phenomenon of polished concrete in the high-tech area of California’s Silicon Valley. That discussion follows.
What might computer users learn when they google the terms “google” and “polished concrete?”
Repairs are always tricky. The idea is to get them done as quickly as possible with a remedy the customer will buy. By selecting the correct process and products, you can control how long the repairs will take to complete. Customers’ willingness to accept repairs is determined by understanding their expectations and letting them know early on if their goals are achievable.
