Concrete has a long and illustrious history, both as a practical building material and as a work of beauty. Even when not making up a graceful statue, concrete can look classy and attractive. When done right, a concrete floor impresses guests and invites them in. How do you get your concrete to such a peak of aesthetic pleasure? By polishing and staining existing concrete.
Polishing: The Process And The Benefits
Polishing concrete takes multiple steps. The polishers grind the surface with metal-bonded diamonds. They re-ground with successively finer machine to remove any visible scratches, and then clean the floor so it no longer has any imperfections. After this, they apply a sealer that makes the concrete denser and stronger. On top of this they apply layers of polyurea or epoxy. We use a system of coatings that maximize the benefits of the polishing.
Polishing the concrete floor you have can be the economical way of making an old, chipped floor look new. The workers will fix the cracks and other blemishes, and from there, the polishing will give the whole works a fresh coat.
This polishing will also make your floor stronger, giving you many more years of enjoyment. The sealer and covering layers protect the floor from spills and high traffic, making it ideal for commercial enterprises. The establishment will have to pay less to maintain the floor and it may be able to keep it for its entire lifetime.
Once the coat is on, the pores of the old floor are filled and the surface is smooth. You can easily clean the floor to spotlessness. All you will have to do is dust mop daily and wet mop with a pH-neutral cleaner or just clean water sometimes. If you are using the polished concrete in a private residence, you can keep to dry mopping. A commercial entity might want to use an autoscrubber that uses super soft brushes. There is no need for waxing or applying sealers. The dirt and grime will slide right off, and the floor will resist scuffs and scratches.
A particularly important point is its environmental friendliness. There is no wasted product and you don’t have to figure out how to safely dispose of the old floor if you simply polish the one you have. The increased life of the floor means that there is that much less space being taken up in a landfill.
The coatings are safe to use indoors and, indeed, contribute to a more healthful commercial or residential space. The floors are non-slip, and the smooth surface leaves allergens nowhere to hide.
Staining: The Extra Mile
Staining is a way of coloring your concrete so that the color goes in to the concrete instead of just laying on top of it. This gives your concrete a wide range of colors and looks that are luminous and warm-looking. The color is stable in UV sunlight and cannot be chipped off.
There are two types of stains: acid-based and water-based. Acid-based stains give your floor a unique mottling look that can look like marble or granite through a chemical reaction with the concrete. Water-based stains are similar to paints for your house: they can be mixed and matched to make a wide variety of colors.
Water-based stains seep into the pores of the concrete, giving all the concrete a translucent color coating. There are no solvents involved and so provide a rich color that will last for the entire lifetime of the floor.
Polytek Surface Coatings prides itself on polishing and staining concrete floors, and wants to make your floor shine. Contact us for a quote and to discuss your flooring needs.