Polished Concrete is one of the most durable, and reflective flooring finishes.  But achieving that level of sheen is challenging when the existing slab is coated.

Firstly, polished concrete utilizes the existing concrete slab.  Which can be great for new facilities.  It eliminates the need for epoxy coatings or trowel applied material.

And when the concrete slab is new, it would be very easy to polish the floor.  But when the slab is old, coated, and deteriorated, then the entire process will require much more detail and workmanship.

Coating Removal.

When a customer wants to polish a coated floor, then the challenge starts with the site visit.  Because it’s impossible to know how hard or soft the concrete is when it’s coated.  And without this information, the applicators won’t know which grinding bonds to use when polishing.

Additionally, not knowing the thickness of the coatings can start the project off on rocky grounds.  Coating removal needs to be a delicate process.   Because if you the grinders are too aggressive, then that can damage the concrete.  And if the concrete gets damaged, then the concrete will require more patching and repair work.

So, pricing out a polish job can be difficult when demo is involved.

Floor Grouting

And when you do run into the coated floor, there’s a strong possibility that you’ll need to grout the floor.  Becuase when you remove a coating, excessive grinding is used, which can cause damage to the concrete.  This damage needs to be addressed immediately, so that all divots and pinholes are filled.  Otherwise, the finished floor will be left with unfinished divots and craters.

There’s a variety of material and methods that can fill in the divots.  But regardless of which method you use, you’ll want to ensure that the material is well adhered into the divots.  Otherwise, as you continue into your copper and resin bonds, there’s a possibility of popping the material from the divots.

But not only does the material need to be well adhered into the divots, it also should match the surrounding color of the slab.  And it’s difficult to match discolored existing slabs.  So one of the best methods to try is to match the compound with the dust from the concrete slab.

But overall, as long as these considerations are made, any facility can benefit from the longevity from polished concrete.