Polished Concrete
Shinny!
Let’s go!
Here at Rossi DCE, quality is the number 1 focus on everything we do.
And our polished concrete service is no exception.
Love the concrete look?
Or just want that easy going maintenance?
Either way, we got you!
Let’s go from this
to THIS!
Which type of polished concrete service is best for you?
Keep on reading and let’s find out!
Polished Concrete OVERVIEW
Table of Contents
What exactly is it?
Us: “Hey Google! What is polished concrete?”
Google: “process that uses specialized machines with diamond-segmented abrasives to grind and smooth a concrete floor, creating a durable, high-gloss finish”
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In laymen’s terms, grind baby, grind!
Just kidding.
But not really.
Polished Concrete is taking the concrete that you have right now, grinding it and honing it in order to make it denser and more durable.
Shinier too if you’d like it to be.
Denser and more durable sounds like a great idea for a commercial floor who’s appearance isn’t all that important, but durability is and easy maintenance is (Hint: big box stores)
Denser and more durable sounds even BETTER if you like that concrete look.
The only “downside” to polished concrete per say is that you can’t really make it uniform as you could with an overlay or a pigmented topcoat.
The patch will look a little different.
Joints may be filled will also look different.
Even with all that said though, when shooting for that natural look, where would the fun be if it all looked “perfect and uniform”?
Process
In just about everything that you do, there is a process to ensure that your task is successful. Polished concrete is no different.
With that said though, polished concrete is a little bit different than our other services because unlike all the other services where they start pretty much the same way, polished concrete does not.
The process truly depends on the polishing class (cream, salt & pepper, exposed aggregate) and the polishing level (1-4: one is super matte not shinny ant all and 4 is like looking at a clean sheet of glass) that you are shooting for:
So let’s begin:
- Grind baby, Grind!…. Or not!
Grind until the desired class is reached (cream requires no grinding when comparing to exposed aggregated) .
That’s why it’s hard to determine where we start: we may start with a super aggressive diamond tooling if we’re going for salt & pepper / exposed aggregate or we may start with something much less aggressive if its a cream polish. - Hone hone and hone some more!
Once you get to the desired class, now we move up the grit (smoother) with the diamond tooling until you get to 100# (+ or – 1 grit #)
The point of doing that is to remove the scratches and circle marks caused by the previous pass.
(Example: If we start at 6#, then we’d go to 16# to remove the marks from the 6#, then #30 to remove the 16# marks, so forth and so on until we get to about 100#) - Switch over to the resin pads and densifier
Drop a grit # on the resin pads and work your way up to the 100# resin pads. Before running the 100# resins, apply densifier. - Go up to the desired level of shininess
How many more passes you have will be determined by how the polishing level you’d like to achieveLevel #1 – Kind of hazy, cloudy, not really shinny
– Run the 100 pads, call it a day.
Level #2 – Start to see some shine, kind of matte finish
– Run 100#, then 200#, 400#, finished then.
Level #3 – Now you can see shine
– Run 100#, 200#, 400# and then 800#
Level #4 – You may need sun glasses. It’s like glass.
– Run 100#, 200#, 400#, 800#, 1500#, then 3000# - Guard and Burnish
Last but not least, apply the guard (follow the manufacture’s process) and then, time to burnish the concrete.
Once that’s finished, job is done.
Job is done and you got a beautiful polished concrete floor.
*****
There’s a lot more to it, do not get me wrong, but this is just so you get the gist of it.
Benefits
There are plenty of benefits to our polished concrete service. Here’s to list a few and most important:
Benefit #1 – Durability
Ever wonder WHY all the big box stores you may go to choose polished concrete over the other flooring options?
Answer is simple: It’s exceptionally durable!
Resistant to heavy traffic, scratches and impacts.
Benefit #2 – Longevity
With proper care, it can last you 20+ years.
Sadly, my hardwood floors will NOT last anywhere near that.
Benefit #3 – Cost over time
Due to its durability, and it’s longevity with proper maintenance, it makes it for one heck of a bargain long term (again, think commercial).
Benefit #4 – Low maintenance
Dusting and moping, done.
On to the next.
Benefit #5 – Aesthetics
We’re going to throw this one here for those who appreciate it.
That higher polish with some aggregate showing, it looks beautiful.
Clean, natural, simple, and yet, elegant.
Styles
Concrete polishing doesn’t have styles per say, but more so classes and levels.
The picture below, pulled from the American Society of Concrete Contractors – Polished Concrete Aggregate Exposure Chart, explains the classes really well.
Concrete Polishing – Classes
Class A: Cement Fines (Cream Finish): Very little aggregate exposure. Requires much less grinding, thus, a more economical and faster process.
However, may not be achievable for every concrete.
Class B: Fine Aggregate (Salt And Pepper): Little more digging and grinding to achieve this one. The cap is gone a little more of the aggregate is showing. Can be achieved in all concretes, old and new, but most importantly, it can make a low quality pour much more consistent and better looking as well.
Class C: Full Aggregate Exposure: Now you we digging for real! Anywhere from 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch, maybe more. For Obvious reasons, this one will be the most time consuming and costlier option.
As you can see, this one will show some large aggregates. Really cool if you had some custom aggregates thrown into the mix.
Of course, aesthetics of this one will largely depend on the composition of the slab itself.
Concrete Polishing – Levels
We won’t lie.
We were not able to find pictures of all the classes and taking other people’s pictures and uploading it on our website is not cool.
Not only is it not cool, but it may or may not be illegal (Either way, we don’t want to find out).
Instead, we found a couple of pictures online that may show a better visual
To simply things:
Level 1: Flat (Sheen: almost non existent)
Level 2: Satin (Sheen: Low, but there)
Level 3: Polished (Sheen: Medium to high, not mirror like yet, but you can identify shapes)
Level 4: High Polished (Sheen: very high, almost mirror like status)
Great! Where can I get it done?
Good question!
And the answer to that is pretty simple, just about any interior concrete surface!
With that said, here are some of the most common places where concrete polishing makes sense:
– Basements.
– Interior house.
– Mancave.
– Commercial.
– Restaurants.
– Salons.
The reason why we do not recommend this option outside is simply because of how smooth it is.
If you’re shooting for that polished concrete exposed aggregate look, maybe just a salt and pepper look outside, we’d suggest a bush hammer finish.
Everything sounds great! Now, how much is it going to cost me?
Another great question!
This one though, not such a simple answer.
Every job is different. Thus, every job will have a different price tag attached to it.
Some of the factors included are;
– Size of project.
– Class and Level of concrete polishing.
– Is there already another coat or painting on it?
– Your timeframe (meaning, do you need it done yesterday or can it be added to the current schedule?).
See why this is not such a simple answer?
A simple Google search how long much does will tell you that polished concrete can range from $3-20+ per squared foot.
We’re inclined to believe that such large range is pretty accurate.
Want to know exactly how much your polished concrete project will actually cost?
Contact us today so we schedule an estimate and get you a real number!
Final Thoughts
If you read the whole polished concrete article, great! We hope it was easy to follow and super informative.
if you kind of skimmed through it, that’s fine too, we’re sure we’ll go over everything in detail when we give you a quote for your project.
Please check our service areas to make sure we service your area and if not, what to do to get us out there!
Either way, if we missed something here or there is something else that you’d like to know, please feel free to contact us at your earliest convenience so we can clarify your question(s) for you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Question #1 – My concrete is badly damaged. Will polishing fix it?
– No! It most definitely will not!
If the concrete is failing, has sunken, clear signs of being that badly degraded, you may have to rip out and replace.
All things have an expiration date, and such said concrete has most definitely reached it.
Question #2 – If I do have to replace the concrete, will you do it?
– No, we will not. we do not pour concrete.
Question #3 – My concrete is cracked. Will you be able to do anything about the crack and will it look decent once polished?
– Yes, we can take care of the cracks. Not a problem whatsoever.
However, they will stick out. It’s a difference material.
Also, we cannot guarantee that crack won’t come back either.
Question #4 – How long will does polished concrete last?
– This one is hard to say as there are various factors to it, but with that said, as per google, anywhere from 20 to 50+ years with proper maintenance .
Question #5 – “Well maintained?” What exactly do I need to do?
– Sweep, mop with a ph-neutral cleaner, clean up spills as quickly as possible. Avoid harsh acids and abrasive tools, like a beater bar vacuum.
Question #6 – What is the difference from this to grind stain seal?
– In short, two mains differences. Grind stain seal stops at a much lower grit than polished concrete. The second is that the grind stain seal is protected by a topical layer, polished concrete is not.
And what dos that mean: You’ll need to resurface the grind stain and seal every so often, while polished you do not.
Without maintenance, polished concrete will greatly outlast the grind stain seal.
Did we miss anything?
Let us know if you have any additional questions, comments, or concerns about our concrete resurfacing service.
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Drop a like and share our work!
Also, don’t forget to check out our other services!
| Pool Deck Resurfacing |
| Epoxy Floor |
| Metallic Epoxy Floor |
| Decorative Concrete |
| Garage Epoxy Floor |
| Self-Leveling Concrete |
| Sloping Concrete Cap|
| Seal Concrete |
| Reseal Concrete |
| Grind and Seal Concrete |
What our clients had to say about us!
(not just the work, but as people as well!)
He is present through the entire work flow and keeps close watch on anyone in his crew.
We are so pleased with how our pool deck has transformed and have other projects lined up for him in the future.
I only have one photo of before… just know it was a hot mess!
Hiccups along the way with injuries and Mother Nature. But he communicated well and thoroughly explained the process of everything he would be doing to achieve the desired results.. the other contractors were just. Quote me and price. And leave with no real explanation.. very pleased, I will attach some before and after photos. As well as a longer term review to go with this intial review. Hope this helps future potential clients.
More photos to come after everything cures!
