Polished concrete flooring is achieved by mechanically grinding the surface with diamond-encrusted floor grinding shoes, resulting in a glossy, polished finish. The short answer to the question of what types of concrete can be polished is: nearly any concrete floor or surface. However, before you begin the polishing process, especially on older concrete, there are a few important factors to consider.
Polishing A New Concrete Floor
You can undoubtedly polish new concrete floors without difficulty if you’re planning on doing so. Experts suggest waiting at least four weeks after installation to apply the concrete polishing in Melbourne to guarantee sufficient curing. You may also want to tell the installer that you want to have them polished so that they can smooth out the concrete surface as much as possible to make the polishing procedure simpler and easier.
Polishing An Existing Concrete Floor
Before polishing, existing concrete surfaces typically need some preparatory work to remove any coatings, flaws, grime, or grease. However, some older concrete floors may not be suitable for polishing due to their too much softness, waviness, or recent repairs or renovations. Consider having your existing concrete flooring evaluated by concreting experts to determine whether polished concrete flooring Melbourne is an option.
Required Concrete Strength
A compressive concrete strength between 32 to 40 MPa is often prescribed for concrete intended for polishing. For reference, the concrete foundation of a standard single-storey home is about 25 MPa.
In theory, a good polishing in concrete with less than 32 MPa strength is unattainable. However, a high-quality concrete polisher can increase the density of the surface and still provide decent results in some instances.
Dealing With Concrete Flaws
It is common practice to scrape away the very outside surface of a concrete slab before polishing to prepare the substrate layer, but it also uncovers the flaws that may have been hidden during the foundation pour, such as leaves and twigs, prints, or cigarette butts. Due to these defects, your floor may not be suited for concrete polishing Melbourne.
Removing any carpet, wood, laminate, or tile coverings might also expose defects on the concrete surface like chips, stains, or small holes from the bolts used to hold them down. So, have a concrete professional pull up a part or all of the floor covering in order to examine the surface below to determine whether it’s a bright idea to polish your concrete.
Fortunately, even if your concrete floors aren’t flawless, a highly-skilled flooring contractor can probably rescue the surface and get it ready for polished concrete flooring Melbourne.
Alternatives To Polished Concrete Flooring Melbourne
Even though polished concrete is a stylish and contemporary option for any concrete floor, the procedure is also costly and time-consuming, requiring anywhere from twelve to eighteen passes of the floor grinders and the administration of chemical hardener with every pass. This begs for an alternative solution, and here are a couple of other options to think over.
Alternative 1 - Grind & Seal
A grind and seal finish is the most prevalent alternative to a concrete polishing Melbourne, and it is what many clients imagine when they believe they want polished concrete in their projects. If you want your floor to show a rustic or industrial appearance, such as you see in many contemporary cafés and restaurants, galleries, and boutique retail stores, a grind and seal finish is the way to go to give you a smooth, matte satin look. It’s a low-cost solution that protects the concrete from spills and stains.
Alternative 2 - Cream Finish
In addition to being more affordable, a resin-bonded diamond finish on cream concrete provides a high-quality shine at a low sheen level. For this process, the concrete must be adequately cured and have a compressive strength of at least 32 MPa. With a cream concrete surface, you get the best of all worlds in industrial and commercial locations that see a lot of foot activity and need some strong floors to withstand high loads.
Get Help From Polished Concrete Flooring Melbourbe Experts
We are a specialist Melbourne company who can complete concrete polishing for your residential, commercial or industrial property in Melbourne. We can also advise you of alternative concreting solutions to meet your needs. Contact our friendly local concreting team for a free quote to get started with your project!