Floor Polishing Adelaide: What You Need to Know About Concrete Floor Polishing
Concrete floors add a contemporary, sophisticated aesthetic to commercial and industrial spaces while being more eco-friendly, sustainable, durable, and easier to maintain than carpet. However, for optimal results, they must be professionally prepared and polished to achieve a high degree of gloss and smoothness.
Concrete floor polishing Adelaide is a mechanical process using heavy-duty grinding machines with finer diamond abrasive grits to achieve smooth surfaces. Skilled professionals understand when to move from one finer grit to the next for best results.
Tools
Concrete floor polishing is a complex process that requires specialist tools for optimal results. From diamond pads to dust collection equipment, all the essential materials must be in place in order to complete this job successfully.
A concrete grinder/grinder is an essential piece of equipment in any polished floor project, from handheld grinders that fit easily in tight spots to larger walk-behind and ride-on grinders that use aggressive grinding to remove coatings or uneven surfaces, as well as fine grinding to prepare the floor for polishing.
The best concrete floor grinders feature pads with differing grit levels for surface preparation (16 to 100 grit) and finer diamond segments embedded in resin (200 to 300 grit). Furthermore, an enclosed dust collection system will help reduce cleanup time while improving air quality for your workers.
Preparation
Before polishing and coating a concrete floor, its surface must first be properly prepared. The preparation process can be intricate; professional service providers experienced in polishing concrete should take over this task.
It involves assessing the current condition of the floor, establishing what your desired finish is and selecting equipment accordingly. Selecting the appropriate diamond type, bonding material, and grit size equipment is key in creating your desired finish.
Before concrete floor polishing Adelaide begins, the concrete surface must be completed using a power trowel and thoroughly cured to ensure full strength and durability. It helps prevent the cracking of the slab.
If dye is to be applied, it should be used at the 400-grit level and densified afterwards. Dye manufacturers recommend applying their product at this stage because its water-soluble formula allows polishing or scrubbing without reactivating or smearing its colour; layering multiple light applications of dye will give more varied and deeper colour intensity than one heavy application alone.
Polishing
Concrete floors can be polished using diamond pads that produce various finishes. Aggregate exposure, reflection clarity and dyed colour affect a floor’s physical characteristics, so these should all be carefully considered when making design decisions.
As part of the polishing process, the first step involves grinding with industrial-strength diamonds to remove existing coatings, adhesives, and any blemishes on a concrete floor. Grinding may range from light to heavy depending on aggregate exposure level or flatness standard requirements.
The lapping process must occur after your floor is ground to achieve its final lustre. Professionals refer to this step as “lapping”.
Once your floor has been smoothed and densified, it can be stained to add style and branding to the floor. Working with a team with the appropriate equipment and experience can ensure you achieve the desired look.
Sealing
Once a concrete floor has been ground and polished to an acceptable sheen, sealing it becomes necessary to protect and facilitate its maintenance. Sealers help safeguard floors against water penetration while making cleaning simpler.
If your concrete floors have already been coated with glues, paints, epoxy resins, mastic or carpeting, it must first be stripped off using a mechanical floor prep machine equipped with metal diamonds.
The dye can be added at this stage to add colour to the concrete floor, offering a wider colour palette than acid stains and nonreactive with concrete, giving more predictable and less mottled results than acid stains do. Furthermore, this provides an opportunity to apply a densifier if required if there is still sufficient openness in the slab for such treatments.