Many of us are looking at our tired, old floor coverings and wondering if we can polish existing concrete. It looks so good on television renovation shows, and the new house your friends built has polished concrete. To be honest, you're a little envious. So, now you find yourself Googling, "Can you polish existing concrete floors?"
Here is our take: our flooring specialists always say it's more complex than a yes/no answer. Rather, the age and condition of your existing flooring will determine the finish you can achieve. They identify three steps to polishing existing concrete floors.
When a concrete floor is laid, standards regulate the materials used and the quality of the finished product. Older concrete floors may not have had any standards to adhere to, so we always check the quality of the mix. Polished concrete requires a strong mix of aggregate, sand, cement, and water.
We're often asked to polish existing concrete that's had floor coverings laid over it, such as carpet or tiles. The removal of these finishes often leaves markings and patterns on the concrete that will continue to show through the polish. Many clients like this kind of 'imperfection' as it adds to the floor's story and provides unique texturing. Tamped or ridged concrete isn't suitable for polishing.
There is a range of finishes and types of polished concrete. The quality of your concrete slab will determine which kind of finish is possible. For example, a Bronze finish doesn't grind back the concrete surface paste; the original surface is polished to a high gloss. In order to achieve this, the concrete slab needs to be extremely flat and without imperfections.
Older concrete floors are hard to polish, mainly due to how the concrete was poured. Today, large power trowels and machines used to level concrete are employed. These trowels are often over eight feet wide and swiftly flatten extensive concrete surfaces. Concrete poured in the past tended to be leveled manually, resulting in uneven depths. Additionally, contemporary building methods prioritize sufficient concrete curing periods, unlike older methods that often use less advanced techniques, resulting in poorer quality concrete.
Untreated concrete slabs stain easily compared to polished, stained, or sealed concrete. Remember, polished concrete floors offer greater durability and resistance to stains than untreated concrete surfaces.
In today's high-rise buildings, concrete arrives in trucks and is pumped up from the ground to the floor where it's poured. This makes the concrete pour fast and even throughout. In older high-rise buildings, a crane poured concrete from trucks into buckets and lifted them to the pouring floor. This method led to noticeable differences across different parts of one floor.
Because of various reasons, such as the type of concrete used and how much moisture it absorbs, floors that already exist might be quite soft. To make the concrete surface harder, we must use special chemical densifiers that react with the concrete. Typically, this happens after we've first ground the surface with diamond tools. Even though this preparation method can greatly enhance the concrete's quality, it can still be tough to polish already soft concrete.
If you're thinking about improving your current home floor, the key thing to consider is any damage from previous floor installations.
Poor-quality concrete slabs or slabs that have deteriorated over time may show excessive porosity. While these slabs can be polished, achieving an aesthetically polished concrete finish may be more expensive.
Concrete floors with different types of flooring previously installed often display signs of damage from these prior installations. Such damage may involve marks from glue, holes left by nails or tack strips, or faint lines from grout. Repairing damage like tack strip holes is possible, but grout line ghosting typically cannot be fixed.
Old and industrial concrete is often exposed to contaminants that can permanently discolor the surface. These substances comprise oils, vehicle fluids, food spots, red wine, and other materials. Despite polishing attempts, several blemishes resist removal and remain visible on the final floor surface.
How concrete polishing is done depends on the finish you want. First, the floor is prepared to ensure it's flat, and then an intensifier is applied. After that, the surface of the floor is ground down to achieve the finish you prefer, whether matte or a shiny, mirror-like gloss. Finishes that fully expose the aggregate need more grinding. However, this type of finish is rare in commercial places.
Let's explore this more with a detailed guide on how to polish concrete floors.
First cut: The initial cut sets the stage for the following steps. If there are coatings or uneven areas, the concrete finisher uses a rough metal-bond diamond tool, typically 20/30 grit, to grind the floor. Alternatively, a 50/60 or 100/120 grit metal diamond is suitable for the first cut. This process prepares the floor to absorb the densifier by making it sufficiently porous.
Grout: If the first grinding makes air pockets, small cracks, or tiny holes, the person finishing the concrete should fill them using acrylic grout. While the grout is wet, they will use a 100/120 grit metal diamond to smooth it and fill the pores. Lastly, they will clean the floor with a squeegee.
Densifier: Now, you move on to using the densifier, which makes the cement and grout harder and readies them for polishing. Once the densifier is completely dry, hybrid diamonds with higher grit can eliminate any scratches that might remain from the metal-bond diamonds. Your floor needs to look perfectly smooth before proceeding to the next stage.
Polish: Now, the floor is prepared for the primary polishing. The desired appearance and feel determine the grit levels the concrete finisher employs. Typically, they start with 400-grit resin abrasives, which might suffice for a less shiny surface finish. The concrete finisher may use an 8you'ret resin pad for a higher-gloss finish.
Sealer/guard: To finish and protect the floor, the concrete finisher uses a sealer that penetrates the floor. After it hardens, the sealer is polished, making the floor stronger. Alternatively, a topical sealer can be used instead of the penetrating sealer, but it stays on the surface of the concrete. This might require applying another coat later on. Additionally, curing the sealer might involve using a high-speed burnisher.
Over the past decade, polished concrete has become one of the most famous flooring solutions available in today's marketplace because of its affordability, ease of maintenance, cleanliness, efficiency, and ability to fit into both industrial and posh environments aesthetically.
Compared to most other flooring options, polished concrete floors come with myriad benefits unique to their own installation. Here's our list of benefits polished concrete flooring solutions offer to our customers:
Polished concrete floors are more economical than hardwood, tile, marble, or stone alternatives. Often, the expense of polishing a concrete floor is equal to or lower than buying materials for installing tile or hardwood floors.
Polished concrete floors help facilities save a lot of money on maintenance expenses. Unlike other types of flooring that need stripping, waxing, and refinishing periodically, a polished concrete floor needs no upkeep once installed and remains undamaged.
Unlike other flooring systems, your polished concrete floor stays put as long as your concrete slab stays intact. Unlike other flooring systems, you won't encounter issues like flooring failure, peeling, or cracking. No matter how long you keep your polished concrete floor, there will be no need for touch-up work or repair.
Polished concrete stands out from other flooring choices because it doesn't get damaged by moisture or mold, which benefits families with allergies or asthma issues.
Polished concrete offers business owners and homeowners unlimited color and design options. Floors can be employed in indoor and outdoor applications and dyed and stained with an unlimited variety of designs and colors.
To keep a polished concrete floor in good shape, you need to mop it weekly using a neutral-based cleaner and water.
Installing polished concrete flooring systems does not involve dangerous or harmful chemicals. They are safe for you, your employees, customers, and children. These flooring systems resist mustiness, allergens, and fungus.
There are countless options for stains and dyes for polished concrete floors. You have the flexibility to select various colors and aggregates to achieve your desired look. Moreover, these floors are seamless, so there are no grout lines. This seamless feature helps create a clutter-free and inviting space for your clients and guests.
We at Floor Doctor focus on installing polished concrete floors and decorative concrete overlays. We have earned a reputation as a top concrete flooring contractor in Central Texas. Our pride lies in our work and competitive pricing. We handle all installations and own our machines and tools.
We prefer polished concrete for homes, but stained concrete might be better if your old concrete is very worn or damaged. Stained concrete can cover flaws that polished concrete would show in moderately damaged floors. If you want to know more about polished concrete floors, please reach out to us today!
