Concrete Polishing FAQ

Commercial property owners have a lot to appreciate about polished concrete. Here are some of the biggest reasons property owners invest in concrete polishing in Fort Wayne.

Concrete polishing permanently polishes your concrete floor. If the floor is subjected to heavy-duty wear and tear and not maintained, it may require polishing again in the future but polished concrete usually lasts a lifetime. The appearance of the floor won’t remain the same, however. Over time, your concrete floor will still crack as all concrete does. Some people appreciate the rustic charm of these fine cracks but they can be repaired as needed.

It doesn’t take much work to maintain polished concrete. Its minimal maintenance requirements make it an ideal commercial floor system. Polished concrete maintains a bright, clean appearance even in high-traffic and heavily abused commercial properties. You will never need to seal or wax polished concrete. To keep the floor looking its best, follow these easy care guidelines.

Concrete grinding and polishing is done in phases. It begins by prepping the concrete surface by repairing damage and cracks and lifting oil or grease stains. Next, we use progressively finer diamond grinding products and a densifier chemical to polish the surface. The densifying chemical serves several purposes: it seals the concrete’s pores, strengthens the surface, makes the concrete more resistant to stains and water, and helps the concrete accept a high-gloss polish.

We can continue the grinding process until you are happy with the finish. Depending on how far the grinding continues, we can achieve an attractive matte finish or continue to a mirror-like finish.

There are many reasons concrete cracks once it cures and then over time. Some cracks are caused by incorrect installation when the concrete is poured. If the concrete mix is too watery, the concrete will not be as strong and it will crack more as it dries and hardens. This happens when the excess water evaporates and the concrete shrinks. Concrete will also crack if it dries too fast as some moisture is needed to prevent shrinkage and increase the concrete’s strength.

Even when concrete is installed correctly, it will crack over time. This is virtually guaranteed but there are ways to minimize the appearance and severity of cracks, such as the use of control joints. When hot, concrete expands and pushes against objects in its way, cracking when the objects don’t move. Freeze-thaw cycles also damage concrete by contributing the heaving. Concrete absorbs moisture as well from the ground and especially from rain. When this rain freezes inside the concrete, it can cause cracks.

It’s a common misconception that polished concrete needs to be high-gloss gray. The truth is polished concrete is easy to customize with a variety of colors, effects, and patterns. We can stain new or existing concrete to deliver a custom polished concrete floor you’ll fall in love with. Integral color is a good option for new concrete flooring but we can still color existing concrete floors with dyes and/or stains.

Water-based concrete stains are a good choice for achieving solid, vibrant colors. Acid-based stains create a mottled effect with a variety of earth hues. Concrete dyes, however, produce the most intense colors. Concrete dye penetrates the concrete because it has a smaller particle size than stains. Concrete stains are different because they react chemically with the concrete. We can use dyes to create a huge range of effects like marbled, translucent, and monotone floors. Stains are a good choice for creating custom patterns when combined with saw cutting.

Concrete polishing isn’t designed to remove oil stains but it may remove an oil stain if the oil was wiped up quickly. We generally degrease the concrete floor to lift oil spots before concrete grinding and polishing to prevent noticeable stains in your polished floor.

In general, most concrete floors we encounter can be polished. Your concrete will not be a good candidate for polishing if it has structural damage, however. We can repair many types of concrete damage before or during concrete polishing like spalling, minor pitting, and stains. This type of surface preparation is common before polishing concrete. While some repairs and patching are normal and don’t impact the integrity of the floor, concrete requiring extensive repairs or very porous concrete should not be polished.