Concrete Polishing

A polished concrete floor is an excellent finished flooring option given its low-maintenance and high durability characteristics. Finishing techniques offer a variety of color and style options that will complement the design of the space.

Polished concrete is also considered a sustainable flooring option, because of its long lifespan, and it is often already a part of the space, since buildings are typically built on a concrete slab. It also eliminates the need for materials and energy that would go into manufacturing another finished floor that would be installed over the concrete that is there to begin with. It is a good option to look at if being green is a project consideration.

The act of changing a concrete surface by means of a multi-step mechanical process that involves cutting and/or refining the surface to the maximum potential with a bonded abrasive medium where each step cuts progressively finer microscopic peaks and valleys. Each step must be refined to its maximum potential in which the abrasive no longer cuts or cuts very little under its current weight. Below are some considerations to help decide what finish is right for the job.

AGGREGATE EXPOSURE

Grinding a concrete surface with bonded abrasives, in as many abrasive grits necessity, to achieve one of the following:

Class	Name	Surface Cut Depth	Appearance
A	Cream	NONE	Some fine aggregate exposure at random locations
B	Fine Aggregate (Salt and Pepper)	Very Little	Fine aggregate exposure w/medium to large aggregate exposure at random locations
C	Large Aggregate	Minimum of 1/8in.	Large aggregate exposure w/little or no aggregate exposure

REFLECTIVE CLARITY AND REFLECTIVE SHEEN

Before application of a polish guard, polishing a concrete surface with the minimum number of bonded abrasives as indicated to achieve one of the following:

Level	Name	Reflective Clarity	Reflective Sheen	GRIT RANGE	Min. # of Abrasives
1	Ground	Flat appearance with none to very slight diffused reflection	None to very low	Below 100	4
2	Honed	Matte appearance with or without slight diffused reflection	Low to medium	10-400	5
3	Semi-Polished	Objects being reflected are not quite sharp and crisp but can be easily identified	Medium to high	800 & Higher	6
4	Highly Polished	Objects being reflected are sharp and crisp; would be seen in a mirror like a reflection	High to highest	800 & Higher	7

Let LVR Commercial Flooring help you create the right concrete floor solution for your project!