Concrete polishing is the mechanical refinement of the concrete surface to its purest form with diamond abrasives. The result is a beautiful, durable and efficient surface which eliminates the need for carpets or tile that require expensive replacement, maintenance and use of harsh cleaning chemicals.
Diamond abrasives are used to refine the surface, removing the microscopic peaks and valleys during the process. With the application of a densifier, which reacts within the Concrete Flooring, this creates a surface with increased reactivity, wear resistance, and ease of maintenance.
Each diamond tool is designed to not only remove scratches from previous grits, but to completely refine the surface to its maximum refinement. This creates reflective clarity and durability without the use of topical coatings and/or sealers. Here are the steps in polishing a concrete. It comes down to only three parts, area preparation, grinding, buffing and sealing.
STEPS on how to Polished a Concrete
- Area preparation. You can evaluate the hardness of a concrete by using the tools included in polishing kits. You need to determine the whether the concrete is soft, medium or hard. The reason behind this is this will allow you to mix or fin-tune the polishing process.
- Clean the area or surface. Make sure that stubborn stains or mold, any debris, dirt or grease are removed. Prepare warm water with mild detergent and scrub the floor using a bristle brush. Rinse the floor and let it dry. Be mindful of your safety. You might need to use a much denser or tougher chemical to remove stubborn stains. Use protective gloves and goggles. Lastly make sure the area is well-ventilated.
- Repair any concrete cracks.
2. Grinding
- Wear protective gear. Be careful for your safety, don’t forget to wear protective gloves, goggles and mask if necessary.
- Start grinding with the coarsest disc. You can start with 80-grit disc but if you think there are stubborn stains you can start with a 40-grit disc.
- Progress to another grinder size. It might be necessary to use two or three more grinding disc. The higher the progress of the grinding, the less coarse the grit-size will be.
- Mix densifier during the process. Apply liquid chemical hardener to help solidify the concrete.
- Finally use the 800- 3000-grit discs. Polishing to 400 grit – 800 grit will produce a matte to semi- gloss finish. 800 – 3,000 finish produces a semi to high gloss result.
- Buffing and Sealing.
- Apply sealer.
- Burnish the seal coats with a high speed buffer.
