- Polished concrete floors can be achieved by two methods, the ‘grind and seal’ and the ‘grind and polish’.
- Talking about the grind and seal method, you need to be aware that this method is used in most requirements of polished concrete.
- This is not the real method. The concrete in this method is ground back in order to achieve the required exposure of stone. Once the grinding is done with the concrete tends to be sealed with a sealer of a clear coat. This can be urethane, acrylic or epoxy.
This system does not work too well as the sealer coating can get scratched easily.
Grind and Polish Method:
Similar to the grind and seal process this to involves the grinding the concrete back to achieve the stone exposure desired. The concrete is then hardened with the help of a densifier. Due to the reaction of the densifier with the cement, the strength of the concrete surface increases. This surface, which is densified, is then either Honed or polished to achieve the desired gloss or sheen. After the sealing is complete, the Burnishing is carried out so that contamination can be removed from the surface.
The Reasons to Opt for Polishing Concrete:
Opting for polishing concrete can leave you relaxed for a long period. Polished concrete can benefit in more than one-way.
- Unlike other floors, there is less labor involved in maintaining polished concrete. It does not require much scrubbing or even waxing. These floors tend to be resistant to stains, which make polishing a worthwhile investment.
- You can use polished concrete surfaces immediately. There are no hazardous materials or toxins involved which makes it safe. You can add beading or grit elements while going for concrete polishing, sealing and grinding to add more gloss to the floor.
- You can beautify your home largely by polishing the concrete. There are also outdoor options available like the UV finishing or the coating grind and the sealers, which enhance the value of your property. For most domestic environments, a water-based 3 coat system of grind and seal for concrete is followed.
Polished, sealed and grounded concrete floors reduce the cost of lighting and this is an environment-friendly method:
- Think of reducing the cost of lighting and bringing down the energy bills as polished concrete can enhance the ambient lighting.
- This tends to be environmentally friendly, as it tends to be warm in winters and cool in summers.
Advantages of the Grind and Seal method:
There are multiple advantages to this method due to which many homeowners prefer this. Some of these are
- Compared to true polished concrete the installation costs initially work out to quite low.
- Achieving the quality of gloss is easy as this method does not rely on the quality of concrete.
- Options available for levels of exposure as long as the concrete is poured in the right manner.
- A quick process, which tends to get over fast. This process is ideal for institutions, homes, retail stores and outlets to enhance the overall look of the place.
Choose a company for polishing the concrete only after you have ensured their reputation and experience in this. You can search online and get quotes from more than one company so that you can opt for the best deal. A little bit of an effort put in before you make a choice of the company can ensure that the job is done with the quality given a priority.
Author: Harry Caesar