How to Polish Concrete
Understanding Concrete Polishing
Imagine a process that will take a dull, gray, sometimes in really bad shape concrete slab and turn it into a brilliant, light reflective, glossy, beautiful and non slip floor using nothing but diamond pads in a sequence from rough to smooth. You can compare these diamond pads to sand paper, a 50 grit is rough, 3000 grit is ultra smooth.
There are different methods and systems for polishing concrete, which system or equipment a contractor will use will depend on his experience, training and preferences. In the early days of concrete polishing, most systems were wet systems, this system greatly reduces dust and it increases the life of the pads by the cooling and lubricating effect of the water on the diamonds, the big drawback is the huge amount of sludge that results from the process, this sludge must be recovered and disposed of in an environmentally sound process. Most people use the dry system, the technology for this process has greatly improved in last few years and has many advantages over a wet system, it is faster, cleaner, and more environmentally friendly. Most Dry Systems come with a very sophisticated vacuum system that virtually eliminate dust.
How the process works.
To make something smooth, you gotta make it rough first. The polishing
process is an orderly and deliberate process that requires patience,
the right equipment and knowledge of concrete.
Depending on the concrete itself, most contractors will start with 30
to 50 metal bond pads, these pads are very aggressive and will clean
and even out the surface before the actual polishing starts, this process
is repeated several times increasing the grit to up to 200 metal bond.
Next the polishing process will start, at some point during this process
the contractor will apply a liquid densifier or hardener to the floor.
Following demystifying the contractor will start moving up on the grits
300, 400, 800, 1500 and up to 3000 depending on the desired finishing.
Extra notes:
Densifying and Hardening Concrete: There are many factors that influence when, how much and how many times these densifiers or hardeners are used. Each contractor will use his experience and knowledge to determine how to prepare these floors.
Concrete Dyes & Stains: Coloring agents such as concrete dyes and
concrete stains may also be used to deliver a more attractive floor,
there are many products and colors to choose from. Contractors usually
do an onsite mock up with the color agent before starting the project,
this ensures that everyone involved see how this products will work
in their slab
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