By Awais Ahmed
The concrete slabs under those expensive marble and wooden tile coverings can be enhanced to look like refined finishes and reflect a mere respect for the environment, fortunately in lower costs.
The process of concrete polishing eliminates the need for highly expensive marble and granite tiles and even those wooden tiles which tend to compromise on earth’s natural resources and sustainability. There has been a renewal of interests in concrete grinding and polishing which is observed by many services like gkservice.dk and gulvkanonen.dk
However, one must know the steps to concrete grinding and sealing. The steps may vary according to quality of finished concrete you desire. On a basic level, there are four steps involved. Here is a brief description.
1. Surface preparation
You can either prepare a new concrete slab or work on an existing concrete slab. A new slab requires less cost since some of the initial steps are included in mixing and pouring of concrete.
When it comes to an existing slab, you need to clean them and replace it with a new topping. The topping can be as decorative as you want to see on final polished surface.
2. Surface grinding
Once the topping is hardened and is ready to work upon, the process initiates with a diamond grinding machine. The process is repeated as we progress. However, you need to judge that how many grinding process are to be repeated. You can increase the grit number in order to make the concrete surface refiner.
Grinding and then the polishing can be done in two ways, either dry or wet. Wet method has gained more popularity in the past few years to avoid negative impacts of dust powder on our health.
3. Surface sealing
Before polishing, sealing solution is added during the grinding process to fill up the cracks or any distortions created on surface due to initial grinding process. A hardener solution is also added to surface to strengthen the surface. It is basically a densifier, which goes into concrete and increases its density to make it liquid-proof.
Once you have achieved the desired level of smoothness, the polishing begins with 50 grit diamond resin pad. The polishing is repeated a number of times in grinding. The concrete must achieve the level of gloss that can be compared to commercially available surfaces.
Polished concrete has become commonly popular in the past few years as a floor finishing option because of its economical nature. It is not only a nominally cheap option but it is pretty clear that there are elements of sustainability. Polished concrete is also considered a convenient option due to the low maintenance it requires. It is very easy to clear. Due to its natural feature, concrete is impenetrable by most of the liquids. You just need a soap and bucket of water to maintain its gloss throughout the year. It even has a life-span that most of the other finishes do not have. Most importantly, it is beautiful.