Polished Concrete
Following the grinding process that prepares the concrete surface a spray-on densifier is used to harden the floor. This is then followed by a series of passes using fine-resin-bonded diamond polishing tools to bring the surface up to the desired shine or sheen. When the floor is finished and a burnisher may be used to put the finishing touches onto what is a durable ready-to-use polished concrete floor that will provide a durable low maintenance surface that will add a individually patterned appearance.
Benefits
Benefits of polished concrete
Low maintenance: Unlike most floors, a polished concrete floor does not need to be scrubbed, stripped or waxed, saving you time, huge maintenance costs related to cleaning equipment and labour. Any oil or paint spills can be easily wiped, as the concrete is resistant to stains and abrasions.
Reduce tyre marks from heavy duty equipment, cars, or trucks as the polished concrete transforms porous concrete into a densely packed surface that resists water, oil, and other contaminants
Ready to use – you can put polished concrete to use right away as the absence of toxins and hazardous materials makes it safe in the food industry, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and other medical supply corporations.
Cost effective - As one of the most economical, cost-effective flooring available, you can save costs related to energy, low wear, and tear with this low maintenance surface.
Aesthetics – Polished concrete is beautiful yet durable
Long-lasting – Polished concrete is incomparable when it comes to long life and if it needs to be renewed, all that is needed is a re-polish at a negligible cost, extending its life.
Energy efficient –Polished concrete reduces the cost of lighting by enhancing ambient lighting and saving energy costs since you need fewer lights.
Environmentally friendly - cool in summer and warm in winter, polished concrete is fully recyclable. Polished concrete could be your best option as an environmentally friendly flooring option while meeting all the parameters you would look for in quality flooring like durability, cost factor, maintenance and looks.
Save time – Ready for further treatment HTC’s Superprep™ method means you can remove one or more old floor coverings, and the floor is flat and clean. Immediately after grinding, you can start a new floor covering or perhaps simply continue grinding and polishing the concrete into an ‘HTC Superfloor™. More traditional methods such as scarifying or blasting work vertically against the floor and are also very effective at removing coverings. The disadvantage is that as the covering is removed, the underlying floor is damaged so that self-levelling compound or a great deal of extra floor covering is required. Using self-levelling compound is time-consuming and a lot of subsequent grinding is often required.
Save money – Less material consumption Grinding is gentle on the floor, unlike other methods, where both the floor and the old floor covering are scraped away. Following scarifying or shot blasting, the floor is always uneven and requires a lot of extra covering in order to fill in the irregularities in the floor (see page 12-14). In addition, an uneven surface needs to be filled up to the highest point of the floor. With grinding, you can save up to 40% of floor material costs, such as self-levelling compound and extra floor covering. As around 17 kg of dry self-levelling compound is required per m² to achieve 10 mm, unnecessary transport and set-up time is avoided.