The Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors – What is Concrete Polishing?

The Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors – What is Concrete Polishing?  Polished concrete offers superior performance in heavy traffic areas and fits equally well in commercial, warehouse, and office facilities. The use of polished concrete in residential homes has also grown in popularity. As with any other specialized technique, polishing concrete is a multi-step process requiring the proper tools and equipment to achieve top-quality results. Each job presents different conditions and unique challenges.

According to the Concrete Polishing Council (the industry’s association), “Polished concrete is a process of progressive grinding, honing, densifying, and polishing that refines a concrete surface into an aesthetically pleasing, highly durable, light reflective, dustproof, safe and functional floor finish.” Industry estimates indicate polished concrete accounts for 15 to 20 percent of all new flooring installations.  

Polishing concrete is similar to sanding wood. Machines with diamond-segmented abrasives grind down concrete surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness. Like sanding wood, coarse-grit abrasives (akin to sandpaper) are gradually replaced with finer-grit abrasives (In this case, grit is the particle size of the diamond), resulting in a glossy, mirror-like finish.

It’s important to note that concrete and cement are not the same; cement is merely a concrete component. Concrete comprises three essential components: water, aggregate (rock, sand, or gravel), and Portland cement. Cement acts as a binding agent when mixed with water and aggregates. This concrete mix is poured and hardened into the durable material we are familiar with.

Polished Concrete Floor Prep 

It’s necessary to repair minor floor imperfections before polishing. Repairs may involve rebuilding joints, dealing with craze cracking, filling pits and voids, color matching with dyes, and more. The condition of the floor will impact the final results more than anything else. It will also determine what type of diamond tooling is needed, how much time and labor is required, and what grit should be used.  

Removing Oil Stains

It’s necessary to remove pre-existing oil stains from the concrete floor first because they can inhibit the penetration of densifiers, dyes, and stains, resulting in unwanted color variations. Using detergents and degreasers is usually sufficient for cleaning lightly soiled areas. A poultice powder (a blend of dry absorbent clay) can effectively remove stubborn oil and dirt stains from concrete.  

Removing Adhesives 

Some projects require removing vinyl tile or asphaltic adhesive membranes from the concrete surface before grinding. A ride-on machine designed for scraping vinyl tile off surfaces is the most efficient method for removing vinyl tile from large areas. These machines can also remove epoxies (urethanes), adhesives, thin-set mortars, and floor coverings from concrete surfaces. The quickest method for removing mastic or adhesive from the floor is to grind the material off, rather than using a chemical stripping agent.  

Repairing chips, spalls, and cracks

Various cement-based patching compounds are used for chips left from carpet tack strips, small divots, and spalls, depending on the depth and severity of the affected area.  Static cracks (sometimes called “craze cracks”) are hairline flaws that only affect the surface of the concrete and require little attention. Moving cracks, also called “active cracks,”  must be repaired before polishing by crack chasing, cleaning, and filling.  

Cleaning and filling joints

The filling of contraction, isolation, and construction joints is equally as crucial to polishing the floor. It significantly reduced the chance of the joint edges chipping and spalling, especially in commercial settings subject to heavy forklift and other vehicle traffic. Filling the joints also makes cleaning the floor easier by preventing dirt from collecting in the gaps. By cleaning out the joints first, then filling, grinding, and polishing, any residual filler that flows out and isn’t scraped off will easily be removed during the coarse grinding step. 

Summary of Basic Polishing Steps:  

• Remove existing coatings   
• Seal cracks and joints with epoxy or other semi-rigid filler 
• Grind with a 30- or 40-grit metal-bonded diamond. Grind with an 80-grit metal-bonded diamond. Grind with a 150-grit metal-bonded diamond (or finer).
• Apply a chemical hardener to densify the concrete 
• Polish with a 100- or 200-grit resin-bond diamond. Polish with a 400-grit resin-bond diamond. Polish with an 800-grit resin-bond diamond.
• Finish with a 1500- or 3000-grit resin-bond diamond (depending on the desired sheen level).
• Optional: Apply a stain guard to help protect the polished surface and make it easier to maintain

The Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors

Polished concrete has many benefits, making it an extremely popular flooring choice for commercial and manufacturing facilities, processing plants, shop and production floors, and other high-traffic environments.

The benefits of polished concrete include:

A Stain-Resistant Flooring Surface

The porous nature of concrete is one of its most significant challenges, resulting in a substantial part of its lifetime maintenance costs. Polishing the concrete seals the surface and makes it denser. This enables it to naturally repel water, oil, and other surface contamination, even without special protection.

Significantly Higher Slip Resistance

Extensive research shows polished concrete is among the safest of floors, no matter the shine level or aggregate exposure level. This was discussed in the article “New Research Says Polished Concrete is the Most Slip-Resistant Flooring.” Because of their high coefficient of friction, polished concrete floors are 20% to 50% more slip-resistant than the national standard for a low slip floor. Polished Concrete offers significantly higher slip resistance than tile or wood floors, reducing slip and fall liabilities and insurance costs for business owners.

Increases Light Reflectivity

A polished concrete floor increases light reflectivity, projecting a professional image and saving on lighting costs. Polished concrete will add more light to the area without the cost of adding fixtures by reflecting light from windows and current lights.

Easy to Maintain

Polished concrete floors are easy to maintain. They don’t require you to periodically strip the surface and apply wax or other coatings like many other flooring types. They’re even easy to clean. They don’t hold onto dirt or dust like other floors and only require occasional mopping.

Chemically Inert and Virtually Non-Combustible

Concrete has a high-thermal mass providing inertia against temperature fluctuations. Its ingredients are chemically inert and virtually non-combustible. It also doesn’t emit VOCs during any part of its life cycle, and there’s no “new polished concrete” smell.  

Increases Slab Longevity

One of the biggest reasons for polishing concrete is to extend the service life of the underlying slab. Concrete polishing increases slab longevity. Polished concrete has excellent compressive strength and fights erosion from various sources. A mechanical polishing process can grind the top layer to refresh it.

Stands Up to High Foot and Vehicle Traffic

Polished concrete is one of the best possible flooring investments if you have high foot and vehicle traffic. It stands up to large equipment like forklifts and resists skid marks and staining from smaller vehicles. Combined with a high traction sealant, polished concrete can perform reliably for years.

Minimal Disruption to Operations

Every floor coating and treatment process has its requirements. For example, some paints require a primer layer and curing time after application. Although the time needed to polish concrete varies, a dry, mechanically polished concrete floor may return to service immediately after the process is done.

No Extensive Cleanup, Toxins, or Hazards

No harsh chemicals or abrasives are used in concrete polishing, and no hazardous waste products are produced. Ventilation is less of a concern in the treated area, and most projects can be finished in hours or days.

With so many benefits, it’s easy to see why polished concrete is becoming increasingly popular. Whether you want warehouse polished concrete for its ability to hold up to heavy equipment or a commercial polished concrete floor for its unique combination of affordability and aesthetics, this versatile flooring option is a great choice.

Hiring a Professional Concrete Polishing Contractor

Polishing concrete is not an easy DIY project as It requires heavy equipment and special diamond tooling. A professional concrete polishing contractor will thoroughly understand what it takes to achieve the best results. And while concrete polishing machine rentals are available at local supply stores, the learning curve is steep. The process also requires many safety precautions, especially regarding dust collection.  

Cleanstart Concrete & Coatings: Prep-Grind-Polish

Cleanstart provides polished concrete for an attractive, durable, economical, and easily maintained floor. We have flooring solutions for your unique situation and specialize in polished concrete surfaces and concrete surface restoration. Polished concrete is the perfect low-maintenance flooring solution for:

• Fitness centers
• Auto dealerships, repair shops 
• Homes  
• Big box stores 
• retail shops
• Aviation, aerospace  
• Auditoriums 
• Commercial Kitchens
• Restaurants
• And More

Cleanstart has extensive knowledge of polished concrete floors in commercial and industrial environments. With over 25 years of experience, our crews have the skills required to create a floor that meets each client’s unique maintenance and aesthetic needs. We have the staff, equipment, and expertise needed to make your floor project a success. We assess each client’s needs upfront and strive to provide the highest service standards with every project.

We would love to help you with high-quality polished concrete flooring. Call (253) 921-2593 for more information, or request a free estimate by filling out our online contact form.

We service the following areas in Greater Puget Sound:

 Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bonney Lake, Bremerton, Factoria, Fife, Gig Harbor, Kent, Lakewood, Olympia, Puyallup, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, King County, Kitsap County, Pierce County, and Thurston County.