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Polished concrete has become a popular flooring option for many commercial and industrial environments. it provides a presentable finish, that improves lighting due to increased reflection, and also offers an easy to clean, coating-free, flooring solution for many industrial and commercial environments that are not looking for a coating.
However, regardless of the impressive presentation, the work and effort required to install the polished concrete floors vastly outweigh the ease of impression. Recently, PennCoat, Inc. installed a 19,000 square foot polished concrete floor for a Lancaster, PA manufacturing company.
The building was a recently built with a new concrete slab. So the project had to wait 28 days after the slab was poured, so that it may fully cure.
Polishing Concrete with Diamond Metal Bonds
After the slab had a chance to cure, our installers first dissected the slab into separate phases, then attacked with metal diamond bonds.
The polished concrete process requires a series of diamond metal bonds to grind the substrate, and with each series increasing in finer and finer diamond grits. Most concrete substrates will require 3 successive sweeps with diamond metal bonds. But sometimes, if the concrete is extremely hard, then it may require 4 steps, with the 1st step becoming a more aggressive diamond bond.
Polishing the concrete with copper polishing bonds
Once the floors have been ground with the metal diamond bonds, the installers then continued the process with copper bonds. The copper bonds are a reduction in hardness compared to the metal diamond bonds, but still offer enough strength that they can continue the polishing process, and level out the floor.
Apply Densifier over the Floor
Once the floor has been prepared with the copper polishing bonds, it’s now time to apply the densifier. The densifier should be applied with a pump sprayer, and spread evenly over the slab with a micro-fiber mop. The micro-fiber mop will allow the densifier to be evenly distributed and worked in to the conrete slab, without leaving any puddling or over saturation. The purpose of the diensifier is the densifier is to strngthen, harden, and ultimately make the concrete more dense. The densifier is fillied with lithium silicates. This chemical reacts with the conrete, slowly increasing the density and hardness of the top of the concrete. The lithium sillicate reaction is a slow process, and will gradually become more harder months after it is applied.
Final polishing steps
The final polishing steps require more passes with the polishing machine that conclude with either an 800 diamond resin finish, or a 1500 diamond resin finish, depending on the owner’s requests. Once the polishing process is complete, the floor then receives 2 coats of a semi-penetrating lithium sealer, which then gets burnished into the floor with a high-speed burnisher.
Ultimately, polished concrete is an excellent flooring option for industrial and commercial locations. They can provide an aesthetic appearance, while offering durability, and easy maintenance. Contact PennCoat, Inc for polished concrete options.
PennCoat, Inc. has been providing industrial painting, commercial painting, epoxy flooring, and polished concrete services for nearly 30 years. Our experienced installers are trained and equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to ensure that every installation is installed efficiently and safely. PennCoat, Inc. provides service to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. And we cover York, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Chester, Montgomery, Baltimore, Harrisburg, Dauphin, Bucks, Berks, and other counties in the surrounding area.
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