Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Concrete Polishing and its Benefits

By John Jameson

Concrete polishing is a new type of flooring opted by not only business owners by homeowners as well. You may not imagine concrete to be the most fitting material to make your floors aesthetically pleasing, but new technology now has the capacity to make concrete floors look beautiful, shiny and look quite similar to polished stone. If your building or homes foundation is concrete, then polished concrete would be a very practical and cost-efficient choice for flooring.

Polished concrete give consumers and option over linoleum, tiles, marble, wood, etc. and gives consumers a much cheaper incentive and provides the same results that come with a numerous amount of benefits too. Polished concrete does not need a lot of upkeep, virtually no coating nor waxing, which may be quite costly. In addition to that, polished concrete can be customized according to individual preferences. Designs, patterns and colors may be incorporated to fit the style of your home, building, establishment or facility.

At present, because of all the new technology in polishing equipment and techniques, contractors have created a new way to make concrete floors attractive and shiny by grinding concrete floor surfaces. Grinding a concrete floor surface is comparable to sanding wood. Polishing machines are used to grind down concrete surfaces to the desired smoothness using discs with shattered pieces of diamonds which make them similar to sandpaper. With this process, you can simply and easily add designs and patterns to your floor, creating a more unique design concept.There is also the option of concrete acid staining (the addition of colors to your floor) to maximize the beauty of your polished concrete.

Recently installed concrete floors generally dont need any kind of preparation before they can be polished. There must only be a wait period of at least 28 days before any work can be done. Floors that have been existing for a period of time have to be cleaned of any dirt, stains, grease, coating etc. before any polishing work can be done. Some floors however may not be fit to be polished. Contractors can generally be able to tell you whether a floor may be polished or it may just cost too much to be beneficial. Floors that are extremely porous or uneven have to be resurfaced before they can be polished.

Concrete polishing has a lot of benefits; (1) Polished concrete floors are easy to clean because they are dirt-resistant. Cleaning polished concrete would only require a sweeping and a damp mopping. (2) Hand held concrete polishers are readily available in stores, therefore it has a do-it-yourself option if you are handy and have the ability in case you cannot afford a contractor. (3) There is no need for coating or waxing polished concrete. It stays shiny for a lengthy amount of time. (4) These floors are not slippery if kept clean and dry, (5) and lastly, concrete polishing is not only for floors, but it can be used for countertops too. Kitchens, bathrooms, workspaces etc. can be made out of polished concrete and a look of marble or granite can be imitated, without the high cost of purchasing such material. - 15252

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