Polished Concrete

Installation Video Link

Typically, concrete slabs act as a substrate for another finish material such as hardwood flooring, vinyl, ceramic tile, or carpet. The emergence of concrete coloring, staining, and finishing techniques has made interior exposed concrete floors and surfaces an additional finish option with a unique aesthetic. Polished concrete floors (also known as exposed concrete floors) are an energy and cost efficient alternative to other conventional flooring finishes.

There are many benefits to choosing to leave interior concrete floors exposed. Economic advantages include not having to purchase and install an additional finish material on top of the floor slab; additionally, the inherent durability of concrete also saves long-term maintenance and replacement costs that are associated with conventional finish flooring such as carpet, hardwood, and the like.

Concrete is a thermally comfortable surface, slow to heat up and cool off, which helps to moderate indoor climate. It is also a good choice for radiant floor applications. Health benefits include better indoor air quality as the need for flooring adhesives is eliminated, and elimination of indoor allergens that typically accompany carpeting. Exposed concrete floors are very low-maintenance, requiring only a wet-mop for cleaning and have a durability life-cycle of over forty years.

Polishing concrete is similar to sanding wood. We utilize heavy duty polishing machines equipped with progressively finer grits of proprietary diamond-impregnated segments or disks (akin to sandpaper) are used to gradually grind down surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness.

The process begins with the use of coarse diamond segments bonded in a metallic matrix. These segments are coarse enough to remove minor pits, blemishes, stains, or light coatings from the floor in preparation for final smoothing.

Depending on the condition of the concrete, this initial rough grinding is generally a minimum four to six step process.

The next steps involve fine grinding of the concrete surface using diamond abrasives embedded in a plastic or resin matrix. The goal is to use ever-finer grits of polishing disks until the floor has the desired sheen.

During the polishing process we utilize both Crenz® Protect and Crenz® Finish Coat as an impregnating sealer system. This silicate system sinks into the concrete and is invisible to the naked eye. It not only protects the concrete from the inside out, it also makes the concrete harder and denser, as well as protecting it from dusting, chemical and oil stains. This eliminates the need for a topical coating, which reduces maintenance significantly. If the decision is made to polish concrete in advance of the pour, additional finish options exist such as Crenz stone and glass aggregates can be applied to the concrete mix integrally or "seeded" into the top layer of the mix. The polishing process will reveal these aggregates. Integrally colored concrete can be used.

Polished concrete floors are generally no slicker than plain concrete surfaces and they tend to be less slippery than waxed linoleum or polished marble. The Crenz® Finish Coat is utilized in all public facilities or where areas require extra protection for slip resistance.