Because polishing is a multi-step process, homeowners and business owners can choose the level of sheen from stain to high-gloss that meets their maintenance and aesthetic requirements. This versatility makes polished concrete an ideal flooring material for a variety of applications. Diamond polished concrete floors are the most durable and longest lasting concrete floor systems available today. Don’t cover your concrete slab with expensive floor coverings or coatings, when you can simply expose the beautiful floor that is already there? Expose larger aggregate or smaller sands and polish to a high shine or matte finish. No topical sealer or color that can wear off. Polished concrete can be stained or simply left the natural concrete color. Turn your dull grey floors into a beautiful shiny finish! Inquire today to find out why so many architects, designers, builders and building owners are happy with their choice to use polished concrete surfaces. Transform dull grey concrete floors into beautiful, low maintenance, environmentally friendly and durable floors.

Save on maintenance costs and save the environment!

• 60% less life cycle cost than traditional flooring solutions and you’re not filling the land fill with floor coverings!
• Can be colored without losing its qualities
• Slip proof, even when floor is wet
• Very easy to clean!
• Unlimited lifespan with general maintenance

Polished Concrete Costs

Polished concrete pricing is basically dependent upon how many levels of grinding will be required to get the floor to a suitably smooth surface. The cost for polished concrete can go up from there depending upon any decorative effects that are applied such as staining or scoring, etc. Polished concrete cost tends to be more economical with large spaces.

Is Polished Concrete Slippery?

Polished concrete floors may look as smooth as glass, but they are completely safe to walk on when kept clean and dry. What’s more, they tend to be less slippery than waxed linoleum or polished marble. In public facilities with heavy foot traffic, however, preventing slip-and-fall accidents is a top priority.

Here are some tips for improving the slip-resistance of polished concrete floors in these environments:

• Keep polished floors free of oil, grease and standing water. Follow a routine maintenance program, and clean spills and stains from the floor as soon as possible.
• Apply an anti-slip conditioner. These products contain special additives designed to improve traction and make wet surfaces safer. They must be reapplied periodically, but they can simply be mopped on during routine cleaning.
• Apply a sealer coat to polished concrete that contains an anti-slip grit additive. These products are simply mixed into the sealer before applying to increase traction without taking away from the appearance of the polished surface.
• Used polished concrete flooring in display areas or zones of low traffic, supplemented by rubber mats or area rugs in high-traffic entryways.

Residential Polished Floor Benefits:

• Cost savings: Traditional floor covering materials are not necessary when the slab on grade is used as the finished floor surface
• Longer life-cycle savings: Polished floors are not as vulnerable to damage as other materials and do not need replacing
• Easy to clean: Won’t harbor dust, dirt, allergens
• Available in wide variety of colors and designs: It goes as far as your imagination with color and design

Commercial and Retail Polished Floor Benefits

• Cost savings: Using the slab on grade as the finished floor surface is more cost effective, maintenance costs are lower
• More resistant to high foot traffic: A grocer in Tennessee explains that he is able to maintain primarily just the traffic ways within his store, which saves time and money because he does not have to move large display cases to wax and strip the floor.
• Less maintenance and longer service life: Polished floors are easy to clean, requiring only occasional damp mopping. They also eliminate the need for messy waxes or coatings as well as the associated labor, time, and expense to apply them. The glossy surface of polished concrete resists the marks of forklift truck tires and staining from oil and chemical spills.
• Resistant to moisture transmission issues: Polished concrete allows the floor to breathe and eliminates issues that arise with other flooring materials that seal off the concrete, such as tile, etc.
• High light reflectivity: Important for office building floors, hotels, restaurants, and other public facilities that want to project a bright, clean, professional image. Also saves energy by reducing artificial lighting requirements
• A sustainable flooring alternative: Polished concrete does not require hazardous coatings, cleaners or adhesives

The most common places polished concrete is used include:

• Large warehouses and warehouse outlets
• Retail stores
• Hotels and restaurants
• Office buildings
• Auto showrooms
• Private residences

Can All Concrete Be Polished?

Almost any structurally sound concrete floor, whether new or old, can be polished. But there are some exceptions. For new floors, no special mix design is required to achieve good results. However, the floor should be in place at least 28 days before polishing begins to ensure adequate curing. Some retail and warehouse facilities that plan to polish their floors after placement may specify the installation of as smooth a floor as possible to minimize the polishing steps required.

Existing floors typically require some surface preparation prior to polishing to remove dirt, grease, coatings, or blemishes. However, floors that are wavy, need extensive patching, or are extremely porous may not be good candidates for polishing. An experienced contractor can usually determine a floor’s suitability.

To help solidify and densify polished concrete surfaces, some contractors apply penetrating hardeners to the concrete, normally after the first step of the grinding process. These products, which can be applied to new or existing floors, work by reacting chemically with the concrete to form a hard, crystalline structure. They also prevent dusting of concrete and offer extra protection from water penetration and staining.

Polished concrete is fast becoming the ultimate no-wax flooring material. Thanks to recent advances in polishing equipment and techniques, contractors are now grinding concrete floor surfaces, whether new or old, to a high-gloss finish that never needs waxes or coatings. Factor in the superior durability and performance of concrete, and it’s no wonder why more retail, warehouse, and office facilities are opting for polished concrete flooring as an alternative to marble, granite, tile, linoleum, or coated concrete. Even homeowners are catching on to the appeal of these smooth, high-luster floors, which can be stained to replicate the look of polished stone.

Because polishing is a multistep process, you can choose the level of sheen — from satin to high-gloss — that meets your maintenance and aesthetic requirements. This versatility makes polished concrete an ideal flooring material for a variety of applications.

Be aware that the process of polishing concrete floors requires a great deal of expertise and the use of specialized heavy-duty polishing machines equipped with diamond-impregnated disks that gradually grind down surfaces to the desired degree of shine and smoothness. Considering the investment in equipment and the skill required, it’s definitely not a project for the do-it-yourselfer. You’ll want to hire a professional concrete polishing contractor to do the work.

Factor in the superior durability and performance of concrete, and it’s no wonder why more retail, warehouse, and office facilities are opting for polished concrete flooring as an alternative to marble, granite, tile, linoleum, or coated concrete. Even homeowners are catching on to the appeal of these smooth, high-luster floors, which can be stained to replicate the look of polished stone.

How to keep polished concrete from losing its beautiful shine?

The first step in maintaining polished floors is to take a proactive approach and protect the floor with a penetrating sealer or topical guard. Although polished concrete floors are extremely durable through the densification and polishing process, they will eventually lose their beautiful shine if not properly maintained, especially if they are located in high-traffic commercial or retail facilities. The good news is that while polished concrete floors are not maintenance-free, they generally are easier to maintain than other types of decorative concrete floors, since they require no waxing or sealers.

Checklist for maintaining polished floors:

Dust mop the floor daily with a microfiber pad to keep dirt particles off the floor. Soils act as an abrasive and can ruin the clarity and shine of polished concrete.

• If wet mopping the floor, always use clean water and clean mops. Use an automatic floor scrubber equipped with a nonabrasive pad to clean large square footage areas. Mop and bucket cleaning can be used in smaller areas.
• When wet mopping, use a PH neutral floor cleaner formulated to suspend the dirt particles so they can be more easily removed. Using water only leaves much of the dirt on the floor, where it will eventually abrade and discolor the surface.
• Try to clean spills and stains from the floor as quickly as possible so they don’t absorb into the surface.
• Give the cleaner enough time to start breaking down the grime, such grease and other contaminants, and then suspend the particles. If you apply a cleaning agent and then immediately vacuum it or mop it from the surface, the cleaner will not have sufficient time to work.
• Make sure the cleaning solution does not dry on the surface. This can be accomplished by cleaning small areas and making sure the entire process is complete before moving on to other areas.
• The exact maintenance regimen needed and the frequency of cleaning is largely dictated by amount of traffic the floors receives. High-traffic areas will require more frequent cleaning.