Not too long ago, I was called by this person who wanted to inquire about concrete polishing. He seemed welcome to the idea, but had reservations just the same. He wasn't sure if the concrete at his home was fit for polishing.
So there's the question. Are all concrete floors capable of being polished? The short answer is yes, they can. The more elaborate answer is, they can, but they won't always be optimal.
This is the basic gist of it. Concrete polishing is a way to cure concrete's surface into a shiny sheen. As it is a process involving it's surface, that is what's essential at the time of polishing. To this end, most contractors treat the floor with a process called coarse grinding first.
The majority of concrete will then be shined, although there will be exceptions. The most obvious of these are the battered and bruised type of concrete. Patchwork may be done to fix them, but those fixes will remain visible even after polishing. Thus the floor will not look as good as you'd want it to be.
On the other hand, porous concrete makes very poor polished concrete. There would simply be too many holes, and the concrete will not close properly post-polishing. When you are in the process of applying new concrete, then, talk to your contractor to avoid it becoming porous.
Since it has been mentioned, there is also a special rule regarding newly laid concrete and polishing it. Simply put, you should wait for about 30 days, letting the concrete set, before you attempt any polishing operations.
There you go. Practically every piece of concrete can be polished. The only exceptions would be those that are not properly placed to begin with, and those that are too new to be touched. - 15252
So there's the question. Are all concrete floors capable of being polished? The short answer is yes, they can. The more elaborate answer is, they can, but they won't always be optimal.
This is the basic gist of it. Concrete polishing is a way to cure concrete's surface into a shiny sheen. As it is a process involving it's surface, that is what's essential at the time of polishing. To this end, most contractors treat the floor with a process called coarse grinding first.
The majority of concrete will then be shined, although there will be exceptions. The most obvious of these are the battered and bruised type of concrete. Patchwork may be done to fix them, but those fixes will remain visible even after polishing. Thus the floor will not look as good as you'd want it to be.
On the other hand, porous concrete makes very poor polished concrete. There would simply be too many holes, and the concrete will not close properly post-polishing. When you are in the process of applying new concrete, then, talk to your contractor to avoid it becoming porous.
Since it has been mentioned, there is also a special rule regarding newly laid concrete and polishing it. Simply put, you should wait for about 30 days, letting the concrete set, before you attempt any polishing operations.
There you go. Practically every piece of concrete can be polished. The only exceptions would be those that are not properly placed to begin with, and those that are too new to be touched. - 15252
About the Author:
William Borris is usually found at Concrete Polishing. Go to Concrete Polishing and talk to other concrete polishing enthusiasts like him.
