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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.
First, here’s the definition of polished concrete: The act of permanently changing a concrete surface, with or without aggregate exposure, to achieve a specified level of finished appearance. According to the American Society of Concrete Contractors’ Concrete Polishing Council, there are three types of polished concrete. Each of these has […]
In an earlier concrete polishing tip, I mentioned there are many options when choosing diamond tooling configurations and grit levels. Now we’re going to learn about another variable to consider, the Mohs testing for polished concrete. Today, we’ll learn how to match a diamond tool’s metal bond to the concrete […]
When used optimally, a high-speed burnisher can be useful during many phases of a polished concrete project especially while high-speed burnishing. Most people who own a high-speed burnisher or do I speed burnishing don’t know that the back wheels that touch the floor should be in the most set-back hole. […]
As we all know, polishing concrete requires a bunch of steps done in a specific sequence. Much like a domino chain, the cumulative effect produced when one event transitions smoothly into the next creates momentum and productivity persists. When the sequence is disrupted — whether major or minor — the […]
Densifiers and hardeners for polished concrete are either alkali metal silicates or colloidal silica. When you apply the densifier of choice to concrete and it absorbs into the polished concrete slab, the silicate reacts with the free lime (excess calcium hydroxide) and forms calcium silicate hydrate (CSH gel). This reaction […]
The first step to creating and processing a scratch-free polished concrete floor is to start by cleaning the floor you’re about to grind, hone and polish. Make sure the grinder is clean. This includes the bottom of the machine, the skirt and the diamonds. Inspect the surfaces of the diamonds […]
The aesthetics of polished concrete is often one of the primary reasons why it’s chosen as the finished flooring on many projects. The material’s natural beauty expressed through varying aggregate reveals, the color of the cement binder and the clarity of the polished surface makes it a singularly unique flooring […]
Proper diamond tools for polishing concrete is essential to getting it right. Choose the starting diamond grit and tooling segment configuration based on what’s best to achieve the job’s appearance objective. If there wasn’t one given, go with the random aggregate configuration. Objective # 1 Random aggregate (doesn’t matter what […]
Before using an auto-scrubber to clean a polished concrete floor, make sure everything that will touch the surface is clean. This includes tires, brushes, pads, squeegees, your shoes and an empty dirty water tank. Completely fill the clean water tank, noting how many gallons it holds. Add your choice of […]
Photos courtesy of Dancer Concrete Design In 2000, the museum installed a concrete floor sealed with a wax topcoat. “They were waxing the floor to maintain the shine which was expensive,” says Nick Dancer. “The wax was also soft so when they would bring in tables and chairs for events, […]
