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CONCRETE
POLISHING EXPLAINED:
Concrete is
fast becoming the ultimate no-wax flooring material.
Thanks to recent advances in polishing equipment and
techniques, contractors are now grinding concrete
floor surfaces, whether new or old, to a high-gloss
finish that never needs waxes or coatings. Factor
in the superior durability and performance of concrete,
it is no wonder why more retail, warehouse, and office
facilities are opting for polished concrete flooring
as an alternative to marble, granite, tile, linoleum,
or coated concrete. Even homeowners are catching on
to the appeal of these smooth, high-luster floors,
which can be stained to replicate the look of polished
stone.
Simply put, polishing concrete is similar to sanding
wood. Heavy-duty polishing machines equipped with
progressively finer grits of diamond-impregnated segments
or disks (akin to sandpaper) are used to gradually
grind down surfaces to the desired degree of shine
and smoothness.
The process begins with the use of coarse diamond
segments bonded in a metallic matrix. These segments
are coarse enough to remove minor pits, blemishes,
stains, or light coatings from the floor in preparation
for final smoothing. Depending on the condition of
the concrete, this initial rough grinding is generally
a three- to four-step process.
The next steps involve fine grinding of the concrete
surface using diamond abrasives embedded in a plastic
or resin matrix. Crews use ever-finer grits of polishing
disks (a process called lapping) until the floor has
the desired sheen. For an extremely high-gloss finish,
a final grit of 1500 or finer may be used. Experienced
polishing crews know when to switch to the next-finer
grit by observing the floor surface and the amount
of material being removed.
During the final polishing step, some contractors
spread a commercial polishing compound onto the surface
to give the floor a bit more sheen. These compounds
also help clean any residue remaining on the surface
from the polishing process and leave a dirt-resistant
finish.
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BENEFITS of POLISHED CONCRETE |
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