The oldest methods of adding glitter to concrete are shiny aggregates – mica, glass, bits of mirror and so forth. More recent additives include silica carbide, spar, and “pixie dust” made of small glass beads.
To make the sparkle even more prominent, he recommends integrally coloring the concrete mix. A metallic aggregate from Pacific Palette Concrete Products that comes in black and white, Sparkle Grain is recommended where you want a decorative, hard, nonslip surface.
Epoxy coatings have a couple of benefits, not only do they add an incredibly great shine and protect the entire surface, but they also are great for smoothing a rough surface.
When it comes to polishing finished concrete, generally there are two options: mechanical or chemical. If you want to get the shinest surface with the least amount of effort, opt for mechanical polishing. Diamond polishing is one of the most common methods used to get a shiny glass-like surface.
Sparkle Grain is an eye-catching, black or white sparkle, concrete finish for interior or exterior concrete surfaces. Specifically designed for light to heavy usage on sidewalks, steps, ramps; in shopping centers, houses, garages, and stores; and in wineries, schools and public buildings.
A professional will sprinkle salt particles over the wet concrete. Once it's sprinkled over the wet concrete, its grains are the rolled down. For 24 hours the concrete is left to dry. Once the concrete hardens, a powerful spray is used to remove the salt from the surface.
To achieve a high-gloss finish on concrete, you can either polish the surface with the appropriate diamond tooling or you can use a quality high-gloss concrete sealer.
Concrete was tested for compressive strength and flexural strength. The results showed that with the increase of glass powder up to 20% strength increases and beyond that it decreases.
Normally polishing is accomplished using a variable speed concrete polisher with a set of diamond sanding discs. The polisher is usually water fed and is attached to a normal garden spout. The water helps cool the pads down and also keeps dust to a minimum.
A glossy concrete sealer finish has a higher percentage of solid content than the one with a matte finish, making its overall film or coating to be much thicker. The thicker content of this finish then makes its surface appear to be shiny as if it is wet all the time.
Keeping your floors dust-free is as simple as a nightly sweep with a microfibre mop. If you don't have one of these, a cotton or soft bristled broom will also do the job. Then, once a week, go over the area with a damp mop. This will remove any residual dust and really get your floors shining again.
Spray a mixture of hot water and oxygen bleach onto the concrete. Follow the mixing instructions on the oxygen bleach for best results. The oxygen bleach helps whiten the concrete and is not as toxic as chlorine bleach.
The process is fairly straightforward, but it does require plenty of physical labor and time. You must clean and patch the surface, grind it smooth with several passes of a concrete grinder, buff it to bring out the shine, and apply a sealer to protect your work.
As we noted earlier, concrete sealers produce a very smooth surface on top of the concrete once it has fully cured, which gives your driveway valuable resistance to water, oil, and stains.
Diamond Polishing is a relatively new practice (1997) using natural stone polishing techniques from Europe to grind and polish a concrete slab floor (new or existing) to a high sheen, similar to marble or granite polishing. This process also involves hardening the concrete surface using silicates or related compounds.
Acrylic is best for decorative, high-gloss, and color-enhancing applications. Concrete floors in basements, garages, and shops take a lot of abuse over time. Either water-based or solvent-based acrylic will provide a high degree of protection, but solvent-based usually lasts longer.
'The best way to ensure a good finish with gloss paint is to first prepare the surface well,' says Homes & Gardens Editor in Chief Lucy Searle. 'Any dents in the surface should be filled and sanded, then finished with a fine sandpaper; the surface should be flat and even so that bumps and lumps don't show up.
As a patio material, concrete is affordable, durable, and easy to clean. But it can look a little drab. If you're looking to enliven your concrete patio, one option is to paint it to resemble the kind of elegant natural stone patio that would command a significant sum to install.
Acid-based concrete stains create the elegant look of marble by reacting chemically with the concrete to form translucent color and marbling effects. Multiple stain colors can create the effect of veining, a hallmark of marble.
Marbleized or Veined FinishThere are several ways to make concrete countertops look like high-end granite or marble. Some specialized prepackaged concrete mixes allow you to achieve distinctive veining effects when the concrete is cast.