How to polish concrete

Just like most things, there are several ways to polish concrete. 

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Id like to share our basic outline of how WE polish concrete and, more importantly, why we avoid the traditional mould/system for your benefit. 

We are creating surfaces that add value and benefits you for years to come & outperform our competitors. 

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Contrary to popular belief, concrete IS a natural surface meaning each surface needs to be individually assessed and processed around your surfaces requirements, not a general "system" polished concrete is NOT an installation. It is a fabrication creating a finished surface from raw material. 

 

The premise of polished concrete is to manufacture/refine your concrete into the "finished" surface for both

• visual appeal 

• function 

oppose to putting a pre-manufactured finish on it, i.e. tile, carpet or coatings ect. 

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We achieve this by altering the concrete's chemical makeup with densifiers and refining the surface with ​a series of grouts, cutting & polishing resins. 

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STEPS.

When all things are considered (body of the floor, edges, corners, cleaning & chemical treatments plus processes that need to be done multiple times.)  Mechanically Polished Concrete undergoes between 30-40 process. 

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The concrete grinding process reveals the desired amount of stone or aggregate or to remove the crust of the concrete (surface polish) and achieve general flatness to make the floor polishable.
 

2. Concrete grinding to refine/remove diamond scratching from the previous process.
 

3. Mechanical grouting to fill 90-98% of the total amount of naturally occurring pinholes in the cement. Raw surfaces may complete this process in earlier steps as well to ensure we meet the 90-98% parameter
 

4. Densifiers or hardeners.

They are used to increase the density of the cement or "matrix" to make it polishable. It is the densifier that makes your concrete retain its shine and reduce staining because of how it closes the concrete's pores.  

 

Multiple applications of concrete densifiers.

1. sodium-potassium 

2. lithium 

All of which play a part in the process of creating a long-lasting polished concrete surface.

 

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5. Concrete polishing specialised polishing resins are used to refine the surface & provide desired shine.

 

(Please note all polished concrete floors "have shine")

This is due to focal points, and the way concrete can move and defuse light that touches it, distributing it around your chosen space.  

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As the concrete is polished to a higher level, the reflections become clearer,

matte finishes have distorted reflections, where high gloss polished concrete has a mirror finish.

 

Large open or long rooms with lots of natural light have the highest reflective properties; this should always be considered when selecting the gloss level for your mechanically polished concrete surface or scope for your chosen space. 

 

6. Sealing:

After the concrete has been processed, a penetrating sealer is applied to correct coverage rates & buffed to remove any excess. 

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Penetrating sealers impregnate the substrate's surface, creating an internal barrier of protection designed to slow the absorption of water and contaminants that may stain the concrete. (just like any other natural stone sealer i.e marble)

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All of these steps play there own vital roll in polishing concrete, combined with constant monitoring of the surface to ensure each step has worked correctly to create a surface that lasts a lifetime.