Polished Concrete – It’s Imperfectly Perfect.
Think about the first time you walk into a building… ever notice how you look down first? It’s a natural reaction really. You’re watching where you step, which means the first thing you see if the floor. The possible selections for floor coverings in your commercial building are endless; however, you have a more durable, aesthetically pleasing option that is unique in each and every application– polished concrete.
The beauty of concrete is that no two mixtures are alike. The textures and colors change depending on the source of the materials and how the mixture is prepared. Embracing the rawness of the materials and the imperfections makes each concrete floor unique and one-of-a-kind.
Industrial Sophistication.
Polished concrete is a multi-step process where the concrete floor is mechanically ground, using heavy-duty machinery equipped with progressively finer grits of steel, semi-metal, and diamond-impregnated pads that rotate in a multi-vortex pattern. Dual rotors beneath the machinery rotate the diamond pads in a multi-orbital planetary rotation, meaning they revolve the opposite way on their own axis, gradually grinding the surface down to the desired degree of shine and smoothness.
The process is as follows:
GRIND: First, we grind the top layer of concrete, stripping and removing minor pits, blemishes, stains, or light coatings from the floor.
HONE: Next, we hone the surface using several passes of finer grit diamond pads. Each grit level passes 3-4 times before moving on to a finer grit. Grit levels range from 30, 50, 70, 100, 150, 200, 400, 600, 800, to 1800. The finer the grit, the higher the shine.
POLISH: Finally, an integral impregnating sealer is applied to protect, the porous concrete from spills and other chemical intrusions. Using non-diamond polishing pads, we perform several passes over the floor to burnish away the final layer of porosity and reveal the beautiful colors and textures of the concrete underneath.
Routine maintenance consists of daily dust mopping with a microfiber pad to remove dirt and grime. Wet mopping is also needed, using clean water and a neutral floor cleaning solution to loosen and remove dirt particles.
Benefits of Polished Concrete
Maintaining Solid Ground.
GCM has specialized in concrete construction solutions for over 30 years. Tilt-up, flatwork, concrete slabs… you name it, we’ve got you covered. Our excellence is defined by your satisfaction. Like any flooring, there is a level of routine scheduled maintenance that is required. With polished concrete, it is minimal.
To keep your polished concrete floors looking their best, maintenance services are needed on a routine basis. From start to finish, you can count on GCM to keep you informed on what to expect and how to care for your new or refinished concrete floors.
Typically, we recommend polish maintenance every 6 months, however, some warehouses and industrial manufacturing facilities with high traffic volume may require maintenance more frequently to uphold longevity. This process essentially includes lightly buffing the surface to remove any residual layers of build-up and polishing it back to its desired shine. The key is to prevent damage, not repair it.
