Important things to Consider with Diamond Polished Concrete Flooring
Thanks to the big box superstores and their demand for low cost and durable polished concrete floors, homeowners have a new flooring alternative; diamond polished concrete flooring. Traditionally the large stores and warehouses use a polished floor that is treated with an epoxy finish for easy cleaning. Hotels and high end department stores have developed the process even further using a diamond polishing process. The result is a high gloss, durable surface that rivals the look of polished marble and granites for a fraction of the cost. The cost of polished concrete floors ranges from $2/SF to $4/SF depending on how smooth a surface is desired and if coloring is used.
The high sheen finish is derived by polishing the concrete using a large floor polisher and series of sanding grits, starting with a rough grind. A densification chemical is applied to the surface to harden the concrete. Polishing continues through a sequence of grits until the desired sheen is achieved. Some contractors will add a "guard" to the surface. Guards are basically wax product which were developed to are used to make the floor appear shiny without the time and labor of a true diamond polished floor. Waxing the surface defeats the purpose of an easily maintained floor as you would have to reapply the wax to maintain the sheen.
When choosing the color of your floor there are two options, acid stains and dye. There are only 8 standard acid stain colors but there are 20 dyes available today. Acid stains are reactive within the concrete and actually become part of it. This makes it a good choice for indoor and outdoor use. Dye on the other hand, has no chemical reaction with the concrete; it just soaks into the pores of the concrete. Dyed colors can only be used on interiors surfaces, away from the sun and other elements.
Now that you know more about diamond polished concrete floors, you should it much easier to get the look that you want without spending a whole lot of money.
About the Author
George Pettit is a SEO and home improvement specialist from Australia. He writes about various home improvement topics such as polished concrete, concrete grinding and concrete sealing.
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