Polished Concrete
Detailed Description
Polished concrete is a multi-step process where a concrete floor is mechanically ground, honed, and polished with bonded abrasives to cut a concrete floor’s surface. It is then refined with each cut to achieve a specified level of appearance. (Wikipedia)
Polished concrete floors are low maintenance, as they are durable and easy to clean. Its high coefficient of friction can make it non-slippery. Polished concrete reduces dust mite and allergen problems, and does not support mold growth. Anecdotal evidence suggests highly reflective polished concrete reduces lighting needs and can improve natural lighting. Polished concrete is easily maintained with the use of clean water or a neutral balance pH cleaner. There are also many cleaners designed for the proper maintenance of polished concrete available. There is never a need for wax to be added as it will only dull the finish. A concrete floor that has been hardened and polished will have an extremely long-life expectancy compared to other flooring types. (Wikipedia)
Although if properly laid and grinded, there is not much need of any chemicals for polished concrete, however there are some guidelines, if followed correctly, the polished concrete can be executed properly and have a much longer life as a floor compared to other traditional methods.
1. Selection of the right concrete mix design: Having the right mix design with the appropriate strength of the concrete is of the most importance in this case. The concrete at the time of placement should be flowable and well settled and should have a high compressive strength (At least 6500 PSI). Ressichem has a variety of concrete admixtures in its Max Flo P range which can help in achieving these properties. Ressi SBR 5850 can also be added into the concrete mix to improve the compressive and flexural properties.
2. Colored polished concrete: If the polished concrete is required in a slightly colored form, Ressi Pigmented Hardener (Cementitious colored hardener) can be used. Ressi Colored hardener is sprinkled over the green concrete when the bleed water has been dried. A power float should be done over the laid concrete to embed the color into the concrete surface. Please refer to the product datasheet for further information. Please refer to the technical datasheet of the product for further information.
