Month: October 2020

 

Quite a few times, we hear polished concrete and sealed concrete used as synonyms. While they might sound similar, the similarities between polished concrete vs sealed concrete end there. Can you tell from the picture above, which floor is polished and which one is just sealed? The process that gets us to calling concrete “finished” between these two-word combinations is like day and night.

Let’s get started with going over what sealed concrete is. You’ll quickly understand how different they are if you have read any of our posts about polished concrete floors. If you haven’t, you can read them by clicking here: polished concrete floor posts.

What is sealed concrete?

What we call by the term “sealed concrete” is a bare concrete floor that has been sealed with a unique acrylic sealer. Yup, that’s pretty much it. Once the concrete floor is completely dried out after leveling it, it gets cleaned, and then the sealer is applied.

Sealed Concrete Installation

The installation process goes something like this: the concrete is cleaned and allowed to dry. A layer of acrylic sealer is similarly spread on the concrete as paint would. 

This type of sealer fills in the gaps and dips with a plastic-like filling, which creates a shiny surface once dry. While polished concrete floors look shiny due to mechanically grinding it out of them… Literally.

A cheap low traffic flooring solution

While some sealed concrete floors are primarily designed to prevent moisture from penetrating under the finished floor, sealed concrete is being used as a cheap floor finish in low-traffic areas. Sealed floors do not look great, and you will not be able to see a clear mirror-like reflection in them as you would with polished concrete floors that were finished right.

 

 

Besides not being the most attractive floors to look at, sealed floors tend to wear down quickly and are sensitive to moisture. The more they wear down, the more prone they will get to liquid absorption. The more staining occurs on sealed concrete floors, the worse they will look.

Mechanical damage to the floors due to heavier traffic is also one reason why sealed concrete floors are not a great choice. Walking over these floors will start chipping away at the sealer on its own until you will need to lay another layer of sealer to preserve the concrete underneath. As you can imagine, due to uneven wear patterns, it is a matter of time when these types of floors become an eyesore.

Labor intensive upkeep

While polished concrete floors are generally a pretty low maintenance flooring solution, sealed concrete requires quite intense work in shorter periods. It will cost much less initially; however, the costs will start adding up quickly with each rewaxing of the floors.

Sealed concrete can be used on walls or areas with low traffic. In any other case, they will not be cost-effective and will end up at a higher price point than polished concrete floors in the long run. Besides, acrylic sealers are not suitable for the environment.

What is polished concrete?

There is a clear winner when it comes down to the battle between polished concrete vs sealed concrete floors. Yup, you guessed it, polished concrete trumps over sealed concrete in any way you look at it.

 

 

How polished concrete floors are done

Let’s go over why polished concrete floors are a better choice than sealed concrete floors. For starters, the first step of getting excellent, shiny, mirror-like finish floors, we use fine grit diamond tools to shave the tiny portion of the top layer of concrete. This process levels the concrete surface and eliminates scratches. If you touch the floors, you will instantly feel how smooth they are after completing the polishing steps.

While lower grit tools are used to shave off a tiny layer off the concrete, higher grit tools are used to close off the concrete’s pores. One crucial step is not to forget that happens anywhere between 80 grit and 400 grit grinding, depending on how hard or soft the floor is. 

Densifying concrete floors

It is essential to densify or what some concrete polishing contractors call, to “feed” the concrete with a densifier. Densifier does not only give the concrete a much deeper, richer color. It also makes the floors more durable and stain-resistant.

Densifiers consist of penetrating lithium silicate that reacts with concrete. This reaction then produces insoluble calcium silicate hydrate inside the pores of the concrete. In return, this increases the hardness of the concrete itself and increases the floors’ longevity while reducing dusting and staining. 

Even though a densifier is applied on top of the concrete, it doesn’t sit there for long. Concrete will absorb the densifier, and you might even see it dry fast right before your eyes. It is essential to not over-apply densifier since over-application will result in dust clouds on the following steps and can ruin the finished product.

Filling in gaps and holes

During the grinding stages, all cracks should be filled in and repaired to get the floors to an even and smooth surface. Filling in holes and gaps is very important for many reasons that we will not be getting into in this article. You can check out a post about concrete floor repair here.

Polished concrete floor texture differences

Depending on concrete’s aggregate composition, many different types of textures come up to the surface during the polishing process, making your floors beautiful and unique. No concrete slab will look the same unless there is a very thick layer of concrete “cream” on top, a troweled cement paste.

Under this “cream” layer, the “salt and pepper” layer is the aggregate made out of the finest sand and tinniest stones. To get your floors to this look, more of the cream would have to get removed from the top.

After the “salt and pepper” layer, we have the “exposed aggregate” layer, which is similar to the “salt and pepper” layer but with larger particles of sand and stones. This layer can be reached by grinding through the salt and pepper layer. However, it is not as customizable and even as the “cream” layer of polished concrete floors.

Accomplishing wanted gloss levels

A common term “gloss” refers to the reading of how shiny the floor is. This reading can be acquired by using a gloss meter on the finished concrete floor. There are a lot of variables that affect how shiny your finished floors will be.

Let’s quickly go over what you should not be doing during the whole concrete grinding and polishing process since they will affect the finished product. Often, if you start cutting corners somewhere in the process, you will not be able to realize how these “corners” will pop until the end. The shinier the floor will get, the better you will see the imperfections left by not following the proper procedures.

For a more in-depth look at the responsibilities of concrete polishing companies visit this article.

Things not to do when polishing concrete floors

 

One of the main things to keep in mind when working on concrete floors is that less is more. We do not mean that you should do less work on the floors; however, we suggest to do each step at a slower pace. If you are cutting the floors, it is imperative to move the grinder slowly and even rate.

Uneven grinder movement can cause a “wavy look” on the floors that will only be seen in later steps. To minimize this type of wavy effect, we would recommend cross-cutting your lines.

Another thing not to do is not to skip steps. We had the pleasure of working on a few of our customers’ floors that were firstly done by a contractor that was mixing densifier with water to save on their project costs. We have also enjoyed working on floors that had steps skipped during the grinding and polishing process.

What might seem like a time-saver, in the beginning will come to bite you in the behind at the end of the project. Skipping steps in grinding and/or polishing will cause the floor not to look as shiny as it possibly could have looked.

We have seen happening is technicians not using high-speed burnishers to heat the concrete sealer at the very end. We usually use a 3000 grit pad on a high-speed burnisher and slowly burnish the whole area that we worked on that day.

Things to do to get the best gloss levels

 

One of the biggest separators between polished concrete vs sealed concrete floors is the gloss levels that you can accomplish with polished concrete. So how do you get the best gloss possible?

The “Things not to do when polishing concrete” above covers the few biggest things that will prevent your floors from having the best shine. So if you want to accomplish the best gloss, you will do just the opposite.

Go over each of the steps slowly. The slower the grit that you are using, the slower your grinder should be moving.

Do not skip the densifying step. If you skip this step, you will not only leave your concrete floors less durable, but you will lose some gloss points as well.

Dot not over-densify. If you put too much densifier on your floors, you will not only cause clouds of dust on your following steps, but you will also have a dirty or even cloudy looking floor.

Wash the floors properly between each step. You do not want to have dirt lying on the floors when you spread a densifier or sealer with your microfiber pad. If you seal dirt into your floors, you will have to grind the sealer off and repeat the process for that area to call it “fixed.”

Use quality sealer at the end, wait for it to dry entirely, and burnish it with a high-speed burnisher. This is the “cherry on top” step that will get your floors looking as shiny as they possibly can.

Polished Concrete vs Sealed Concrete: Conclusion

As you can tell, polished concrete floors will be much more durable and require less maintenance than sealed concrete floors. This is caused by the work that the technicians put into these floors during the grinding and polishing process.

Shaving off the floors’ imperfections to closing off the concrete pores, and “feeding” the floor with densifier are crucial steps to take to increase the floors’ longevity. Some polished concrete floors are known to last for 20 years if maintained well. We can’t say the same about sealed concrete floors.

Sealed concrete floors are a cheap flooring solution. These types of floors are usually done in shallow traffic areas just for minimal protection. Meanwhile, concrete floors can handle much more traffic on them, are one of the most popular flooring solutions nowadays, look great, etc. There are tons of benefits to having polished concrete vs sealed concrete.

If you are still not convinced about polished concrete floors, you could also look into epoxy concrete floors. They are more expensive but can fit better than polished concrete in very high traffic or heavy-duty machinery traffic environment. They are also used widely in areas where chemical spills have a possibility of happening. Here is our article on Epoxy Floors vs Polished Concrete Floors.

 

How to polish concrete to get the best possible result

Polished concrete has a modern and sophisticated look. Thanks to the polishing process, it is possible to improve the performance of this building material. Any imperfections must be removed by grinding and polishing the surface until it is smooth, and blemishes are gone. Finally, the sealant is applied to minimize fluid absorption. The process is easy to understand, but it takes time and physical effort.

This post will discover all of the improvements that you can benefit from with a polished concrete floor. If you are looking for a polished concrete Chicago contractor, you came to the right place. At AM Facility Services we have been servicing concrete floors for over 20 years and have worked with customers from all walks of life. Don’t hesitate to call us: 1-800-956-3862 to discuss how we can help your with your next project.

What is Concrete Polishing?

Polishing concrete floors consists of using an abrasive segment tipped with industrial diamonds on rough concrete floors to get a smooth surface.

Think of it as shaving off microscopical amounts of the surface to remove any dirt, uneven surface, or other imperfections. Your floors can go from feeling rough to touch to be as smooth as glass.

Concrete can be polished dry or wet. At AM Facility Services, we favored wet polishing conditions to reduce dust; however, the concrete slurry is labor-intensive on its own. With our state of the art industrial vacuums, we have managed to keep the dust down to a minimum during our dry polishing processes.

Grinding-concrete

Our foreman would use a heavy-duty grinder with low grit metal bond diamond pucks or low grit diamond resin pucks for surface preparation. This is the cutting step where most of the shortcomings of the floors are being removed.

We then use the same type of grinder for polishing the concrete up. This process involves finer grit diamond resin concrete polishing pucks or pads.

The grinder could be a walk-behind, a ride-along, or a remote-controlled. The more advanced technology is behind the machine, the more pricey it will be.

A burnisher can also be used if paired with the right pads, but the project cannot involve any grinding. 

The grinding segments that we use come in various sizes. The segment itself is usually a puck with a rough surface that is equipped with industrial diamonds. Industrial diamonds are widely used in grinding and polishing concrete floors. The size of the diamonds is reflected by the grit that the pucks are marked with.

The rougher the ground, the smaller the grit of the diamond pucks or pads will have to be used. For polishing a floor, we use larger grits with smaller diamonds such as 1500, 1800, or 3000 grit.

So in a traditional project, we start with a low grit and gradually increase it depending on the gloss level the customer wants.

Why should you polish your concrete floors?

A virgin concrete floor doesn’t have a very smooth surface. Instead, it has a semi-rough surface that might not be obvious to a naked eye. In order for your concrete floors to be ready for foot or machinery traffic, the floors need to be densified, closed off, polished, and sealed.

Polished concrete texture

 

It is very important that our floor polishing contractor service is completely carried out before the last step takes place. When we apply the concrete floor sealer, the floor has to feel smooth to the touch and already have a good gloss.

While the freshly laid concrete floor is going to be an easier floor to work with, an older floor might present quite a few challenges. Like everything new, new concrete floors require fewer steps to bring them to a presentable condition. Steps required for them to go from virgin concrete to completely polished concrete floors ready for use are pretty straight forward.

However, when you are dealing with older concrete, you will run into cracks, concrete chipping, screws, or pipes sticking out, maybe even some Quickrete fillings as well. At AM Facility Services, we pay close attention in order to recognize if the concrete isn’t too badly damaged. If it is cracked across the whole block, lifted, or sinking, it might require a full-on replacement of the blocks.

All of the issues with older concrete floors need to be resolved before the grinding and polishing processes take place. An inexperienced team might walk into the job site and get to work right away, which will lead to a lot of ongoing issues. It is better to have everything in order beforehand to save the customer and ourselves from many headaches.

Preparation of the concrete surface

Assessment of the concrete. The Mohs test is used for this, with which the hardness of minerals (concrete) is determined. This way, we can determine if it is a soft, medium, or hard concrete and fine-tune our polishing process.

With the tools provided, you can compare the hardness of concrete with the hardness of other minerals. If a pencil is able to scratch the concrete, its hardness on the floor corresponds to the next smaller number of pencils.

Clean the surface with an auto-scrubber, which should be filled with water. If you are working on a stubborn stain, you could also add neutral detergent to help you out with the process. We strongly advise against any acidic detergents on your concrete floors.

A stronger detergent may be required for particularly stubborn stains or mold. Hydrogen peroxide, ammonia, and phosphate cleaners (TSP) are good choices. However, these chemicals should not be mixed together. Select and use only one chemical and do proper research on what ratio to mix it with.

Before handling chemicals, wear gloves, eye shields, and protective gear while ensuring that the area is well ventilated. 

Repair cracks or defects

Now is the time to repair any joints or floor damage. For concrete cracks, use a special concrete filler and follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to mix it.

Allow the mix to dry completely before proceeding to the next step.

You can read up more about determining if your concrete needs a repair by reading our articles: Concrete Resurfacing or Concrete Repair, Which One Do You Need?

Grinding concrete with a low grit

A concrete grinder is a necessity for this step. Keep in mind that one of the key elements for a properly grinded concrete floor is the downward pressure of the grinder. 

The grinders that we use are more than 1200lbs in weight and usually take two people to move or change out the grinding or polishing pucks. In addition, special grinding supplies must be used for grinding and polishing the concrete floor.

If you are doing this project on your own, you could possibly rent a grinder and order supplies from a reputable local distributor. That is the case if you could find a heavy enough grinder. However, if your project is of a larger scale, it is highly advised to research a concrete polishing contractor near me query.

Before operating the concrete grinding machine, a dust mask, gloves, protective goggles, and hearing protection must be worn. Keep in mind; safety always comes first!

If you chose to grind the floors dry, you must make sure that the industrial vacuums are working properly, hoses are connected well without any free play in the connections, and that the vacuum bags are safely secured.

Anti-slip steel toe boots are highly advised as part of the PPE. Gloves that will not easily let concrete dust and dirt seep through should be worn as well.

Grind the concrete with the lowest grit. If the floor has a lot of bumps or difficult stains, start with 15 grit; if it is in good condition, the grinding process can be started right away with 45 grit.

Lower grits indicate coarser grinding segments. In other words, 40 grit is coarser than 80 grit.

Follow the instructions that come with the grinder to correctly place the grinding segments. Drive the machine slowly over the entire concrete surface and work step by step from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner.

Gradually sand and polish the concrete floor, starting with the lowest grit and ending with the highest.

The strength of the required grain size varies depending on the hardness of the concrete. 

Concrete sealing and finishing

Apply a thin layer of concrete sealer with an industrial microfiber mop. We usually use the 3M 18″ mops. Select a water-based (solvent-free) concrete sealer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. 

Usually, these concrete sealers are sprayed on the surface and spread out evenly with the microfiber mop mentioned earlier. You will need to wait until the sealer is completely dry before stepping onto the floors.

Sealing grinded concrete floors

 

Concrete sealers protect the concrete floors from grease, dirt, and stains getting inside of the floor. Besides the protective properties of sealers, the floor will also have a higher gloss and extended durability.

How much sealer to put down on the floor will depend on what the instructions say on the container. Manufacturers of the sealers are very specific in telling you how much is the right amount. You must keep in mind that each floor will absorb different sealants differently.

Apply in a single layer. It is important that the sealant is spread with a microfiber mop to avoid puddling. You should give the sealer proper time to heal before continuing to the next step.

Polish the surface again with the finishing pad. A high-speed polisher and diamond pads are required for this step. Work slowly and evenly and work the entire surface at an even pace.

Move-in the opposite direction in which the sealant was applied.

When finished, the floor will be smooth and shiny, with almost a mirror-like finish. The feel of the completed, polished concrete floor will not be much different from touching the glass surface.

The sealant must be completely dry before the concrete floor can be actively used. The drying time varies depending on the manufacturer and the ventilation and location conditions.

Dry or wet polishing?

There are two ways to polish a floor: wet and dry. While wet polishing lowers the chance of having to deal with dust issues, the cleanup costs become pretty noticeable. 

We mostly use dry concrete grinding, unless specifically requested by the customer to go with the wet process. In order to deal with dust issues, a vacuum cleaner is connected to the grinding machine, which sucks off the resulting dust. All modern grinding machines are equipped with suction connections.

When we are working with a wet grinding and polishing process, water is sprayed on the floor in the areas that are being grinded. Wet grinding and polishing make cutting the floors faster due to reduced heat; however, the cleanup cost is higher than dry grinding and polishing.

Of course, wet polishing creates mud and cement dust, which must be carefully removed and disposed into special containers. Another thing to keep in mind is that concrete mud cannot be left to sit on the floor for extended periods of time. In fact, it should be getting cleaned up off the floor right away.

Different types of polished concrete floor finishes

There are three standard versions of AM Facility Services: matte, mid-range gloss, and high gloss. Each of these surface finish variations has a different process and a different amount of steps that we take.

The floors must be scrubbed very well in-between each of the steps. The scrubbing machine of our choice is Tennant 5680, which we have been using for over a decade on our projects.

Right after the grinding process but before concrete polishing, we apply a densifier to harden the concrete and make the floors more durable in the long run.

After the last step of our concrete polishing services process is complete, we apply a concrete sealant, which minimizes the liquid absorption and increases the gloss of the floor.

The final step is slow to burnish off the floors with a high-speed concrete floor burnisher with a 3000 grit pad.

Concrete sludge is a toxic and highly alkaline substance that must be disposed of carefully. The difference between a real concrete professional and an irresponsible company is an obligation to dispose of sludge in an environmentally sound manner. At AM Facility Services, we take this topic very seriously and work in three steps.

Separate and neutralize

The concrete slurry is removed from the customer’s site, and AM Facility Services separator is added to the mix. This converts the pH value of a highly alkaline suspension into a pH-neutral value.

The separator also enables the separation of reusable, clean water from the sludge. This can be safely drained away, while the non-alkaline, condensed sludge remains.

At AM Facility Services we strive to protect the environment with any project that we take part in.

Solidifying

By adding a solidifier makes sure that the concrete slurry is solidified and ready for removal. Once solid the substance can then be placed in containers that will be transported out of the job site. 

Transportation

Once the concrete slurry is solid, it can be transported out of the job site into an authority approved disposal site. 

How much do concrete polishing contractors charge?

 

Not one answer can be given to answer this question since it depends on a lot of factors.

First, we need to take into account the quality and especially the hardness of the concrete that is present. As odd as this may sound, soft concrete is more difficult and more expensive to polish as many problems can arise, and more supplies will get used. 

The surface is rougher, which means more abrasives are used. Therefore the surface must be well prepared before treatment.

We have to take into account the degree of damage to the concrete floor: how many screws to remove from the floor, how many cracks have appeared, how much is the floor marked with paint and tire marks, how badly is the floor stained?

We also need to consider the size of the concrete floor. The larger and wider it is, the more efficient the grinding process can be. The rule of thumb is the larger the area of the project; the cheaper the rate per square foot will get.

The location of the project has to be taken into consideration, as well. How far is it from where the concrete polishing contractors are based out of? Is access easy for machines and sludge containers? Are there any approved disposal sites nearby?

What type of finish would you like for your polished concrete floors? Will you want a mirror-like finish? Maybe you are satisfied with a matte finish? Both of these finishes will require a different amount of steps to take and will vary in the usage of resources.

With that in mind, we estimate that the cost of creating a polished, premium, long-life concrete floor in 2020 will be anywhere from $2-$10 per square foot.

AM Facility Services has been a concrete polishing contractor for fortune 500 companies. With over 20 years of experience in the floor care industry and highly skilled technicians, we can guarantee you great results. 

No project is too big or too small for us. AM Facility Services concrete polishing company is proudly servicing Chicago and all of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Kentucky. Remember that if you need to contact a polished concrete company, we can help.

AM Facility Services only works with top of the line equipment and supplies to guarantee the quality of its surfaces. Call now to discuss how we can help you with your project: 1-800-956-3862

 

 

When deciding between a polished concrete floor or an epoxy floor you should get a full understanding of both types of floors. Concrete polishing vs epoxy, which is the best option for your project at hand? It can be challenging to decide, as there are several factors to consider which include pros and cons of both.

Many entrepreneurs, business owners, and property managers know that they would like something low-maintenance, durable, and long-lasting, enhancing their space’s style and appeal. Still, beyond that, you may have trouble determining what is the best choice for you when having to choose between concrete polishing vs. epoxy. 

What floors are the best option for your particular needs?

The decision mainly comes down to two factors: your budget and how you will use your space. If cost significantly impacts your decision, your chances are that you will choose polished concrete.

The simple reason for such a decision is that polished concrete floors last much longer, concrete polishing cost less than epoxy application, and polished concrete is easier to clean. These being the most common reasons why more business decision-makers opt-in for polished concrete for cost-saving reasons alone.

When the surface is only subject to light to medium use like in homes, offices, commercial spaces, and other low or light traffic areas, polished concrete makes a lot more sense than epoxy. 

For installations that require a chemically resistant surface that can withstand exposure to hazardous chemicals and heavy-duty wear on floors, epoxy is often the best option. Due to these configurations’ demands, some epoxy surfaces may only last up to 5 years. In comparison, polished concrete floors may require rejuvenation every ten years. It is worth mention that super heavy-duty epoxy surfaces made for heavy-duty machinery traffic can last over twenty years without having to be re-done.

Epoxy coatings are very versatile, so they can be customized to suit your needs. Due to the ease of its customizability, you see epoxy in garages, warehouses, chemical plants, commercial kitchens, hospitals, food processing buildings, and a wide range of other industrial settings.

Since polished concrete and epoxy coatings have their own merits and qualities, determining which might be the best option for your space depends on a thorough understanding of both options. Let’s explore these concrete flooring alternatives better to understand the best choice for your particular needs.

Epoxy concrete flooring

Epoxy coatings bond to concrete, creating a chemically resistant surface that can withstand almost any traffic level during the first half of its life cycle. When applying epoxy, concrete polishing contractors would have to “roughen-up” the concrete surface to better bond with epoxy.

Epoxy concrete floors are a good option for spaces that may encounter water or chemical spills, many pedestrian or machine crossings, or other substances and activities that would quickly degrade polished concrete floors.

There are many benefits to using an epoxy concrete sealer. One of these is that it helps to protect your concrete from water, moisture, and stains. When you use the right product, you can help to keep out the elements and maintain your concrete for many years to come.

If you have ever worked with concrete projects and tried to seal your concrete yourself, you may have found that the process was very time consuming and difficult. With an epoxy application, you can save both time and money by using this type of coating.

Epoxy has unique features that will help prevent any water from getting on the concrete. You will have a concrete sealer that will not only keep water away but will also prevent stains from forming either.

Because there are so many advantages to using an epoxy concrete sealer, there are a few disadvantages. One of these disadvantages is that the sealer will not stand up to heat very well, especially direct heat. Yes, that would mean no burnout on your epoxy floors! 

Another disadvantage of using this type of concrete sealer is that if the sealer gets too old or it is no longer working correctly, it may begin to weaken over time. It is essential to ensure that the sealant stays strong by using it regularly.

Epoxy is a smart way for commercial flooring to be maintained. It’s formed of two main ingredients, a hardener, and a solvent. When the two components are combined, they make a highly resilient substance.

In its solid state, epoxy has a unique ability to resist staining and oxidation. This makes it ideal for use in areas where there’s a lot of moisture. It’s also resistant to mildew, which can be a problem for some epoxy products. When an epoxy floor is installed, the product is applied to the ground. After that, the entire floor is protected, making it waterproof. This could be beneficial if flooding occurs and you have to call a company such as Orange Construction to the rescue. If your floors are waterproof it mitigates water damage on its own are much less consequences follow.

Epoxy floors have the property to prevent the formation of cracks in concrete. However, if you’re looking for a non-porous product, then epoxy may not be the one for you. Epoxy concrete floors can be scratched, scuffed, or worn down if left to sit in certain conditions for too long.

While most applications are commercial, some home garages have these types of flooring. Just like polished concrete floors, epoxy can also be an excellent choice in other types of installations where ease of maintenance and durability are essential.

One of the drawbacks of epoxy vs concrete polishing is that it is more expensive to install, it will last less, it is costly to replace and remove, it does not look great once it starts chipping away. However, before its half-life, epoxy does a great job of withstanding all kinds of traffic.

An epoxy concrete floor has many other advantages that go beyond its durability. If you are looking to implement design aspects into your floors with some flashy or unique colors, epoxy is an easy choice.

Depending on the style you want, epoxy can give your floors a modern or classic touch and complement a space with an industrial look, luxurious, or anything in between. 

Whether you are looking for an interior or exterior flooring solution, epoxy coated concrete floor can be an excellent option for your needs. In high-traffic facilities, such as manufacturing plants, warehouses, showrooms, hospitals, and even airplane hangars, epoxy floors can withstand these industries’ harsh wear and tear.

Since you are now more familiar with epoxy concrete floor coatings, let’s look at polished concrete floors.

Polished concrete floor: the common choice

 

Like epoxy flooring, polished concrete flooring is affordable, attractive, customizable, and is the right ecological floor choice for many establishments.

Polished concrete floors are designed to provide high-quality, durable, and visually appealing surfaces for commercial and residential use. They are available in a wide range of finishes, including traditional sand, stone, pebble, smooth marble, travertine, and textured concrete. A polished surface is highly resistant to stains and scratches and can be restored to its original look with professional refinishing.

Polished Concrete floors are designed to be easy to maintain and come equipped with unique features like a polymeric finish and interlocking elements to ensure the floors remain intact and secure over time. Polished concrete can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures from heavy equipment and is non-combustible, making it ideal for the floor coating and concrete refinishing needs of industrial and commercial applications.

Polished concrete floors are one of the least expensive floor types to install and can be installed by most professional contractors. The process is pretty straightforward in most cases and requires little work from the establishment owner besides clearing out the area.

Polished concrete floors come in various finishes, including marble, pebble, and polished slate. Polished concrete has a wide range of colors, such as reds, blacks, browns, greens, browns, and reds. The variety of colors can be customized to match the decor of any area in the building.

Polished concrete is a durable and long-lasting concrete floor. Its durable and long-lasting characteristics make it an ideal material to apply for residential and commercial construction purposes. The high strength and density of polished concrete give it a smooth and shiny surface. High resistancy to scratches and stains, making it the right choice for floor solution.

Polished concrete has a unique interlocking feature that allows you to put together the pieces as a unit quickly. This interlocking feature is perfect for floor coatings and other finishing techniques. This unique feature makes cleaning and polishing concrete floors very easy and fast, making it ideal for a flooring solution.

Concrete sealing is a necessary process when it comes to concrete floors. Sealers are often applied during the concrete rejuvenation or surface finishing process. The purpose of a concrete sealer coat is to add a beautiful, uniform finish to your floor and an extra layer of protection.

Polished floors can add beauty and elegance to any building. When you choose to use polished concrete as a floor coating, you can guarantee that your floor will not only look beautiful, but your hard-earned investment will also last longer. The high durability of polished concrete makes it a long-term solution to keep your investment looking attractive for many years.

The concrete polishing process starts by grinding the concrete surface to remove any imperfections. After this step is completed, a concrete polishing machine uses diamond polishing pads to create a smooth, durable surface that matches the shine you want, be it a low-gloss matte finish, shiny mirror-like finish, or anything in between.

Polished concrete floors are great in high-traffic facilities and spaces where allergen reduction is a priority. The concrete polishing process does not include harsh chemicals and produces little to no toxins during installation, making it a safe and attractive option for many setups. 

Although polished concrete increases light reflectivity by up to 100%, it is not as reflective as epoxy. Either way, your light bill should be going down no matter which one you choose between concrete polishing vs epoxy.

As we have mentioned previously, concrete polishing cost less money than epoxy installation. The job is more straightforward, and when the time comes to refresh your floors, it will be much cheaper to do so on polished concrete vs epoxy.

Polished concrete is affordable to install and easy to maintain, while it is also stylish and attractive. Polished concrete flooring can be an excellent option for your home, office, grocery store, commercial space, or any home. 

Differently from epoxy, when polished concrete is wearing off, it just starts looking cloudy, loses shine, and when it wears down, you can sometimes even start seeing aggregate showing up. However, you do not get the chipped away look you would get from epoxy that needs a replacement.

With a wide variety of style options, including numerous stain colors, marking and streaking possibilities, and other design alternatives, you can design a polished concrete floor that will impart precisely the atmosphere and shine. The unique aesthetic you want for your space.

The final verdict on concrete polishing vs epoxy

As you can see, the choice between concrete polishing vs epoxy isn’t as apparent as one would hope. Both of these flooring solutions mentioned above have a lot of pros and cons.

If you are looking for a durable flooring solution for heavy machinery and money is not an issue, you should go for epoxy flooring. If you are looking to have super colorful floors with bright colors or very reflective surfaces, then, once again, epoxy should be your choice.

However, if money is in question, but you still want to have great looking floors with a mirror-like reflection that doesn’t break a bank, then concrete polishing is the way to go.

Keep in mind that while epoxy will withhold extreme heavy-duty traffic, it will still get scratches and is prone to getting damaged due to impact. On the other hand, polished concrete is scratch resistant but will wear quicker if it is exposed to heavy-duty mechanical traffic.

Rejuvenation for polished concrete is much cheaper than a refresher on epoxy. While rejuvenation of polished concrete will be much less expensive than the initial concrete polishing, it is not unusual for epoxy floor recoating to cost more than the initial installation. Removal of epoxy might quite possibly be more expensive than installation as well.