Introduction
Concrete is one of the most used materials Polished concrete London in the building sector both to create external and internal structures. Concrete is a material that gives solidity, easy to treat and to cover with tiles and grouts. Before polishing the concrete surfaces , rough or already smooth, these must be refined. Only then can we apply the shade of polish we want. This guide contains some indications on how to polish concrete surfaces, let's see together what it is.
What is polished concrete?
Concrete slabs have an inherent natural beauty, but until recently, residential and retail facilities preferred floor coverings, such as vinyl composite tile, decorative tile or terrazzo, to make up for the dull finish of concrete’s natural state. However, the benefits of natural concrete, such as cost savings and high-traffic durability, have long been a familiar solution for industrial sites.
Polished concrete is concrete that has been chemically treated and then finished with fine grinding tools to provide a clean polished surface. Polished concrete flooring is fast becoming an architectural choice for residential concrete floors as well as it provides all the durability of concrete with a cutting edge modern style.
It is extremely tough wearing and long lasting, easy to clean and maintain, making it a very cost efficient yet stylish solution for home owners.
A wide range of finishes are available – from river stone, granite, and black basalt aggregate mixes, to a simpler polished cement finish. Other colourings or decorative aggregates such as seashells, or glass chips can be added into the mix to provide a truly unique and customised surface.
Necessary
• Fine, double-grit sandpaper
• Orbital sander
• Sponge and brush
• Drill
• Sandpaper disc
• Drill soft toy
• Mural painting, stucco and flatting
Do some subsequent finishing
Not everyone likes the effect of polishing on concrete surfaces. In fact, many prefer to keep the finish of the rough laying of the concrete. After the first coat of concrete they pass directly to the plastering of the surfaces and then to the painting. In this way the particular scratched effect is obtained, also known as orange peel. On the other hand, those who want to polish concrete surfaces cannot avoid doing some finishing touches after the first coat of concrete.
Polish already smooth concrete surfaces
If desired, already specially smoothed concrete surfaces can also be polished. We are talking, for example, of those made with already smooth blocks. In these cases we have two possibilities of intervention. The first is to use sandpaper or an orbital sander. Thus we will eliminate all the
porosity present on the concrete surfaces. Then we lightly soak a sponge and clean the area to remove all the deposited dust. Finally we paint the wall with antique stucco or directly with a glossy paint. The second provides all the precautions of the previous one, with the addition of a coat of insulating paint. This is transparent and is used to compact the concrete wall. In this case, we will use flatting to polish, applied with a brush or spray.
Go through the painting phase and go to polishing the surfaces
If we prefer to keep the natural color of the concrete, we can skip the painting phase and polish the surfaces directly. Following the instructions, we will first have to sand the surfaces with double-grain sandpaper. Then we can proceed with the polishing. This phase is a bit cumbersome. We take a drill and attach a very fine-grained plastering abrasive disc suitable for sanding to one end. To complete, replace the abrasive disc with a soft toy. This makes the concrete surface look like a mirror.
