Polishing
Have you ever considered polishing your concrete? The process involves grinding down the material with increasingly fine grits until the concrete has an impressive shine. Polishing concrete is a method that is typically reserved for indoor concrete and can set basement floors apart from their raw counterparts. At Brush Brothers Coatings, we offer concrete polishing services in the Ogden, Utah area.
Should You Have Your Concrete Polished?
Whether or not you should have your concrete polished is entirely a matter of preference. The results are very impressive with an almost mirror finish. Polishing concrete makes the material more durable and able to hold up under physical impact and strain (such as carrying the weight of the family’s vehicles).
Polished concrete has other advantages, such as high light reflectivity, stain resistance, and easier maintenance and cleaning. Generally a polished concrete floor only needs to be cleaned with a dust mop. Any heavier cleaning can be completed with a wet mop and water only.
Unfortunately, polished concrete is not impervious. While some highly viscous fluids can be cleaned up quickly without leaving a trace, other fluids like gasoline, brake fluid, and coolant can leave stains and even damage. Acidic-based fluids can etch even polished concrete. All cleaners should be of a neutral pH like water.
To have your concrete polished, contact a member of our team. We can be reached any time at 801-436-5110.
How Do You Polish a Garage Floor?
Polishing concrete is a nuanced task that requires experience and delicacy. The general idea is to grind down the concrete with progressively finer grits until the concrete positively shines, but the process doesn’t just require turning down the settings of the sander as you go along. It requires a series of grinding, honing, and polishing.
The polishing process uses a grinding machine with metal-bonded diamond grit discs. The coursest grits are used first to even out the concrete surface, removing any ridges or burs in the slab. The grit of the initial disc is a matter of professional judgment based on the initial state of the concrete and how much aggregate you prefer to be exposed. With each circuit of the room, the grits employed become finer and finer, and they serve to buff out grooves and scratches in the surface of the concrete made by the previous discs.
The purpose of the grinding stage is to open the concrete’s pores. Once a sufficient number of grinding passes have been completed, a liquid densifier is added to the concrete’s surface. This hardens the concrete in preparation for polishing by minimizing water penetration. We may apply the densifier more than once if the concrete is particularly soft.
The next step is to hone the concrete. This is accomplished with several passes with resin-bonded diamond discs. Backtracking just a bit grit-wise, honing produces a satin sheen that increases in glossiness with each pass. If the customer has asked for it, this is the stage in which the concrete stain is added. Adding a concrete stain can be an additional step to really make your garage floor pop.
Once the honing is done, polishing can begin in earnest. The grits used during the polishing stage are significantly higher than for the other processes, and the glossiness of the floor is directly proportional to the grit used.
Once the concrete has been polished to perfection, the customer has the option of a stain guard. The penetrating sealer has an incredibly thin topical coating that helps block liquids and chemicals from penetrating the concrete and staining it. It is a wise addition if you want to keep your concrete looking shiny and beautiful for a long time.
Lending a Helping Hand
As mentioned above, it is common to add compounds to concrete during the polishing process. Stain guards are a highly-recommended addition as they help keep out liquids that would stain the concrete material. The coat of stain guard is ultra thin and breaks down when exposed to strong chemicals and solvents.
Over time, stain guards become faded, losing their luster if not properly maintained. When this happens, they can be reapplied or burnished with a buffer to restore their finish.
Polished Concrete or Epoxy Coatings?
Polishing concrete yields an impressive finish, but how does it compare to other ways of finishing concrete? Many consider polished concrete to be easier to clean than other types of floor coatings, and it is typically less slippery when wet than the other options. Polishing concrete makes it tough and enduring, resistant to damage. Because nothing is added to the concrete’s surface, a polishing job won’t scratch or peel off.
That being said, polished concrete does not enjoy the benefits of a protective layer between it and the environment. This means that polished concrete can stain or corrode when exposed to chemicals and solvents. Salt, often used in Utah winters to make the road less slick, is particularly detrimental to polished concrete, even more so than it is to epoxy and polyaspartic coatings.
A Polishing Contractor You Can Trust
Because the process of polishing concrete is so nuanced, it is always best to leave it to the professionals. But how do you know who you can trust with your concrete? The polishing process can’t be undone once it has begun.
At Brush Brothers Coatings, we are here to help you have the concrete floors of your dreams. This is true whether you want them polished or covered over in polyaspartic. Our goal is always to put our customers first, making sure they feel included in all discussions about their property so they know they are getting what they are looking for.
When you work with Brush Brothers Coatings, you can be sure you are receiving the benefits of experience, top-of-the-line tools, and high quality materials. We know that quality speaks for itself, and we want you to have the very best. If you are considering treating your garage floors, by polishing or another method, let Brush Brothers Coatings make the process easy for you.