Polished Concrete Benefits
Polished concrete is beautiful and has a certain kind of charm that can’t easily be achieved with other types of flooring. But the question remains, what are the benefits outside of its aesthetic appeal?
Durability
A concrete floor that has been refined with diamond abrasives and chemically treated will cost less per year than almost any other flooring option. This is one reason why it has gained so much popularity in the last 30 years.
Cost-effective
Polished concrete is typically an economical choice because it uses the concrete that was already placed during the construction of the building.
Slip Resistance
Many people assume polished concrete is slippery. This is not the case as a properly polished concrete surface has the static coefficient of .50 which meets the required OSHA standard.
Low Maintenance
Concrete floors can be easily maintained by using simple PH neutral cleaners. This alleviates the waxing and stripping cycles that are so prevalent in facilities today.
Ambient light reflection
High gloss polished concrete will increase light reflectivity, reducing the amount of lighting required, in return reducing the building operating costs.
Design possibilities
There are endless options for concrete floors that can be achieved through the amount of aggregate exposure, adding color and adjusting the level of sheen.
Are all Concrete floors equal?
Absolutely not. The reason we say this is because the concrete polishing industry has grown leaps and bounds within the last 20 years. Many new systems have come to the market. There are two main divisions of polished concrete floors, one is achieved with the application of chemicals, and the other is a mechanical shine. The difference is substantial.
Chemical shine looks great for as long as the chemical retains its luster, usually 1 – 3 years. Typically the traffic areas look dull far more quickly than the perimeter areas.
Mechanical shine is accomplished by mechanically refining a floor with multiple grit levels of diamond abrasives to the point where the concrete actually becomes the shine. This type of floor will last anywhere from 10-40 years depending on the application.
