Polished Concrete Flooring - Metro Mix Concrete
-
Upload
metromix-concrete -
Category
Business
-
view
575 -
download
1
description
Transcript of Polished Concrete Flooring - Metro Mix Concrete
Polished Concrete Flooring Process, Features and Benefits
Metro Mix Concrete (Vic) Pty Ltd.
http://www.metromixconcrete.com.au/
Metro Mix Concrete Page 2
CONTENTS
Polished Concrete Flooring – Intro …3
Process Of Concrete Polishing …4
1. Grinding
i. Wet …4
ii. Dry …4
Few Reasons To Perform Concrete Grinding …4
2. Polishing
i. Identify The Condition Of Concrete …4
ii. Prepare The Surface …6
iii. Begin Polishing …6
iv. Densification Of The Concrete …6
v. Final Polishing …7
vi. Protecting The Polished Concrete …7
Features Of Polished Concrete Floor …8
Common Places Of Installation …8
Benefits Of Polished Concrete Floor …9
Metro Mix Concrete Page 3
POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORING – INTRO
Polished Concrete Flooring is the ultimate no-wax flooring material used to obtain glossy, mirror
like finish to the flooring surfaces. Machines with diamond-segmented abrasives used to grind
down the surface of the concrete to desired degree of shine and smoothness.
The competitive advantage that the polished concrete floors offer over other types flooring
options make the homeowners, big-box stores, retailers, medical and educational facilities to
choose it to create the aesthetic appeal.
Figure 1 Polished Concrete
Concrete was first emerged in the year 1998, but has been used as a building material for 5000
years. This was originally developed for old concrete surface restoration and the process was
developed from marble concrete techniques.
Metro Mix Concrete Page 4
PROCESS OF CONCRETE POLISHING
1. Grinding
i. Wet
In this method water is used to cool the diamond abrasives and the
grinding dust is eliminated. Water acts as a lubricant and hence reduces friction
and increases the life of the polishing abrasive.
The disadvantage of wet cutting is the cleanup process which leaves a tremendous
amount of slurry (semi- liquid mixture of water and cement dust) that should be
collected and disposed in an environmentally friendly manner.
ii. Dry
Dry method is faster, more convenient and environmentally friendly. Dry method
doesn’t use water and instead dust-containment systems are used by contractors to
eliminate the mess. 99% of the dust is extracted by the equipment from concrete
polishing and hence the worksite becomes clean and ensures the safe air quality.
Few reasons to perform Concrete Grinding
Removing the surface of the concrete to make it level or even.
Preparing it for the application of paint, stain, epoxy or seal.
To achieve a polish finish.
2. Polishing
i. Identify the condition of concrete
It is important to access the condition of the concrete surface you are dealing
with before the start of the polishing process.
Metro Mix Concrete Page 5
Look for the spalls at joints, high or low spots, cracks or blemishes, existing
paints, sealers or epoxy coatings, adhesives or mastic remains after the
removal of floor coverings.
Minor surface imperfections and coatings can be removed with the diamond
grinding.
Only structurally sound concrete floors can be polished and there are few exceptions.
With respect to existing floors,
Extremely soft and porous floors or one that needs extensive patching. (Use a
screw driver or coin to scrape or abrade the surface of the concrete and test its
hardness at several spots.)
Badly spalled surfaces (Scarifier can be used to remove the surface layer of
the concrete)
Figure 2 Concrete Flooring
With respect to the new concrete surfaces,
The concrete should be allowed to cure in order to attain sufficient hardness
before polishing the new ones.
Metro Mix Concrete Page 6
ii. Prepare the Surface
Removing the existing sealers and coatings is the first step involved in polishing
the surface of the concrete. The heavy coatings with thick elastomeric
membranes, mastics, epoxies and urethanes can be removed with more aggressive
grinding head of 16 or 20 grid diamond tooling.
For the concrete polishing heads to move easily on the floor, it is significant to fill
any cracks and control joints with an epoxy or other semi-rigid joint filler.
Initial rough grinding can be started for floors with minor blemishes or very light
coating.
iii. Begin Polishing
This initial rough grinding of the concrete surface prepares it for the final
smoothing and depending upon the condition of the concrete the process is
split into two or three steps.
Start the grinding with 30 or 40 grit diamond segment bonded in a
metallic matrix.
Repeat the process with finer 80-grit and 150-grit metal bonded
abrasives.
An average of two passes is required for each diamond grit step depending on
the density of the concrete.
The polishing process can be started for good condition floors, Clean, leve l
and blemish free, with an 80 or 150 grit metal bonded diamond.
iv. Densification of the concrete
Once the initial coarse grinding process is complete, chemical hardeners are
applied on the surface to solidify it and make it dense by altering the basic
characteristics of the concrete like the hardness and porosity.
Metro Mix Concrete Page 7
The chemical hardeners are commonly made of sodium-, potassium-, or
lithium based silicates and reacts with the calcium hydroxide present in the
concrete to from hard, crystalline structure.
Steps involved in the process
o Saturate the surface with the hardener using stiff-bristled broom.
o Allow it to penetrate into the surface for 30 minutes.
o Remove the excess with a squeegee or floor scrubber.
o Proceed to the next step after letting the hardener cure for 12 to 24
hours or as specified in the container.
o The polishing can be started shortly after densification as
recommended by the hardener manufacturers.
v. Final polishing
In this process start by polishing with 100-200 grit resin bond diamond, or a
combination of the two.
Then with finer grits like 400, 800 etc., and for high-gloss finish go up to
1500-3000 grit resin bond diamond depending upon the sheen level required.
Different grit levels offer different sheen,
With 400-grit finish, the floor will softly reflect side lighting
800-level clearly reflect side and overhead lighting
3000-level will be wet and glossy providing a mirror- like finish.
vi. Protecting the Polished concrete
After the polish and the look are attained, protect the surface with commercial
stain-guard product, especially if it is exposed to grease, oil, or chemicals.
They are applied using pump sprayer or wax-applicator.
The solutions will make them resistant to absorption of stain and dirt.
In order to maintain the effectiveness they must be reapplied every few
months.
Metro Mix Concrete Page 8
FEATURES OF POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR
Easy to install and maintain
Long- lasting
Increased strength and Durable
Decrease in floor maintenance
No waxing and stripping
Elimination of dusting
Little or no down time
Increase ambient light reflection
Non-slip surface
Decrease tire wear and tear
Cost-effective and Economical
Beautiful and aesthetic
Health option
COMMON PLACES OF INSTALLATION
Figure 3 Polished Concrete Floors
Metro Mix Concrete Page 9
The most common places in which the polished concrete is used include:
Private residences
Retail stores
Office buildings
Warehouses and outlets
Auto showrooms
Hotels and restaurants
BENEFITS OF POLISHED CONCRETE FLOOR
Cost effective
More resistant to high foot traffic
Longer life-cycle savings
Less maintenance
Resists transmission of moisture
High light reflective
Sustainable flooring alternative
*********