POLISHING BASICS

Source:www.stonediamondtool.com Date:2017/8/18 Read:589

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.

This section offers a complete overview of polished concrete floors, including benefits, design options, equipment requirements and maintenance needs.

You'll learn the basic steps in the polishing process, the differences between wet and dry polishing, and the advantages of polished concrete compared with other flooring materials including carpeting, wood, ceramic tile, natural stone, and vinyl tile. You'll also find the average costs of polished concrete and what factors affect the final price of installing polished concrete floors.

You'll learn how to prepare concrete surfaces before polishing to ensure good results, as well as why some concrete floors may not be good candidates for polishing. Also discover the difference between the various levels of shine possible with polished concrete, ranging from low gloss to reflective mirror-like finishes.

Plus get popular design options for polished concrete, including coloring with stains and dyes, decorative engraving, and stenciled graphics. Find ideas for achieving interesting decorative effects by applying multiple colors of dye and using faux-finishing techniques.

Finally, you'll find instructions for cleaning and maintaining polished concrete, how to improve the slip-resistance of polished concrete floors and the environmentally friendly attributes of polished concrete.

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.