Polishing is completed with the same concrete grinder, but with higher-grit diamond tooling attached to it. Polishing usually begins with around a 100-grit to 200-grit diamond, and finishes with an 800-grit or 1500-grit diamond.
A diamond grinder equivalent to HTC 800 is ideal for cutting and polishing floors. A grinder with a higher RPM is needed for polishing the concrete in the steps. Having the correct cutters is equally necessary.
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.
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. In many ways, it's the perfect finish, but it's not very friendly on the pocketbook.
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.
Acid staining is a process of adding color and pattern to a concrete surface by applying a mixture of water, hydrochloric acid, and a metallic salt to the surface. This chemical reaction etches the surface of the concrete and produces a mottled, marbled appearance.
Once grinding is complete, a floor polish solution is applied to the surface for added protection and shine. Depending on the amount of traffic, weather, and overall wear and tear your polished concrete floors endure, professional maintenance to restore the floor's original shine is generally required every 2-3 years.
Ideal for a soft concrete floor: Dry polishing tends to work better for soft concrete. Polishing wet on these floors forces diamonds to grind over aggressively to leave unsightly gouge marks on the floors. This method also does more to the slab in terms of hardening and condensing.
Old concrete floors are pretty common and they can all be either sealed or polished. That's right, you can polish old concrete no matter where it is. This building material is so tough, so resilient even if the old floor was ten or twenty years old it can probably be polished or at least sealed with a polish.
Concrete can be sanded and polished manually or with a machine. With our handy StoneTech diamond pads, you can sand and polish concrete countertops, concrete washbasins and all other concrete objects. We also sell round diamond discs for machine sanding.
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. Note that while there are some similarities to polishing a concrete countertop, this article focuses on polishing concrete floor surfaces.
For the dry polish method, the surface of the concrete is ground using commercial-scale polishing machines. Each stage of the process requires a different abrasive polishing disk, often incorporating diamond grit, with coarser textures for earlier stages and finer ones to get the final shine.
No Special Maintenance Needed
One of the benefits of polished concrete floors is they don't require waxing like tile floors or a sealant like with wood floors.
If anyone tries to polish concrete before the 28-day curing period has elapsed, it's possible to damage the slab when grinding or to instantly achieve a much fuller exposure than you would like.
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.
You can use stains, paints, dyes, or a mix of these to get that faux stone and rock look. To get this look, there are steps that you have to follow. It can take time but, in the end, your concrete floor will look like stone. The quickest way to paint your concrete floor to look like stone is to use a concrete stain.
Clean and seal your concrete.
Sealing your concrete has the double benefit of adding shine and lustre and protecting the surface against marks and stains (so it looks better, longer). Clean your concrete and then apply PFL Surface Conditioner (if the surface already has a sealer).
If you're repairing an indoor concrete slab, like a garage floor or enclosed patio, Quikrete Self-Leveling Resurfacer will be your best option. The product's thinner consistency helps it to self-level as you apply it to your concrete surface.
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.