Curing Polishing

Source:www.stonediamondtool.com Date:2017/5/18 Read:701

What is curing and why cure a floor?

Curing concrete is the process by which newly placed concrete is kept moist so it can keep gaining strength. For industrial flooring this is especially important in terms of increasing surface wearing capability and reducing overall maintenance costs. For the domestic scenario wearing capacity becomes less important and the aesthetic quality of any surface finish becomes increasingly key which can inform the decision of how to cure.

Types of polished concrete flooring

There are two main types of polished concrete flooring namely diamond ground polished concrete and power trowelled polished concrete. It is important to differentiate between the two types as methods of curing may be informed by the two types. 

Diamond ground polished concrete will remove the top surface, expose the aggregates and refine the finish by using ever increasing grades of diamond pads. A chemical densifier is normally added during the polishing process closing the pores, allowing for a better shine and making the surface less permeable.

Power trowelled polished concrete floors derive their finish from floating and steel (usually) trowelling the concrete to a fine smooth and dense finish. Trowelled floors will not expose aggregates (although some ‘peppering’ may occur) and the surface will not have an even tone throughout due to the trowelling process. An additional method to the trowelled floor is to lightly diamond polish the surface prior to handover to further refine the finish.

Methods of curing

There are many ways to prevent moisture from escaping newly laid concrete but for the domestic scenario where visual concrete is concerned my opinion is that there are really only three practical options: Using a spray on curing compound, wet cure under a proprietary wet curing blanket or air cure under controlled conditions. Each method has advantages and disadvantages which this blog aims to explore.