Friday, January 23, 2009

Concrete Polishing: Not What You See in Roads

By Rick Amorey

Concrete is definitely not the most popular choice when someone decides to look for the best way to decorate his or her floor. After all, the very mention of concrete invokes images of less-than admirable common concrete that is found in pavements or streets. Most would thus resort to the more traditional tiles, or even settle for covering up their floors with carpeting.

What can I say about concrete as a material? Well, first off, you cannot discount the durability of concrete. If you check concrete streets, they last so long even when punished by heavy trucks, alternating weather patterns, and all sorts of urban dirt on an everyday basis. This toughness lends them to being very decent material. If only it were only more beautiful, everyone would use concrete for their homes.

But that is just what polished concrete is. Concrete, which is most likely the material used in your home's foundation, is put through a process called diamond tooling. Basically, that means your concrete is subjected to progressively higher grits of diamond grinding. The intent is to peel away the first fractions of an inch to expose the aggregate, and then going with higher grits to achieve that polished look.

If you do get to take a look at polished concrete yourself, you will notice that it turns out sleek and elegant. Some people would still want to experiment with the results, however. If you are one of these people, then I suggest asking your contractor about adding dye to the floor. This will help in achieving an entirely new look for your concrete; the materials marries well with the color, and the process of polishing itself will trap the dye in to make it last.

Polished Concrete floors are a good addition for your home. It adds style and elegance to your abode, and at what cost? You don't need materials; most likely you already have the concrete foundation. All you really need is to find a contractor in your vicinity. - 15252

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