Concrete polishing is notorious for appearing to be a simple
and easy process to outsiders but in reality it can be complex and
nuanced. This project illustrates that point very well as we started
with a brand new concrete floor and in theory it should have been
relatively easy. As it turns out the floor was extremely hard and very
challenging to polish and that doesn't include the poor workmanship
problems we inherited from the concrete contractor that installed the
floor. This floor required more than double the time normally needed to
complete a project of this size and challenged the knowledge of our most
experienced foreman. The end result was still an exceptional polished
concrete floor.
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This particular floor was the worst starting point of any polishing project that we have
attempted. The building prior to being acquired by the new owner, a photographer, was
used by a machine shop and auto repair shop so as one might expect the concrete was
saturated in oil and other chemicals and was in extremely poor condition. The surface
was so uneven and rough that it took 10-12 heavy grinds with Nufinish 20R and 35R
tools just to get the floor to a usable starting point. A standard polishing process
followed the initial heavy grinding and while the floor looked good in places there was
still oil returning to the surface in other places. We addressed the oil issue by applying a
guard or micro coating on the floor to lock in the remaining oil and it successfully
prevented oil from reaching the surface. At last check the new owner had almost a year
of productive use of the floor with no problems.
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In this project we were given a good concrete floor that had seen epoxy contractors
come and go over the years, applying different types and colors of epoxy that stood little
chance against the heavy forklift and steel wheeled traffic. Starting with a Nufinish 20R
tool we ground off multiple layers of epoxy and contaminated concrete exposing a new
layer of fresh concrete. We followed the 20R with our standard polishing process for
industrial level polished concrete which involved grinding the floor six more times and
applying a lithium densifier. The end result is a beautiful, durable floor that is sustainable
and green while only requiring basic maintenance.
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