Polished concrete floors in Jacksonville are becoming more and more popular, but many homeowners don’t know how to do it themselves. This is something that can be done with basic tools in your garage or driveway. This article will show the easy steps to get polished concrete floors without the expense of hiring a professional contractor.
Concrete Grinding Vs. Polishing
One of the first steps to polished concrete floors is deciding whether to grind or polish your existing concrete floor. The two are similar in that they both create a smooth, polished surface on top of the regular concrete slab.
Grinding does this by using machines with diamond abrasives that shave away layers until it creates a polished finish underneath. Polishing polished concrete floors is done with a machine called an impregnator polisher.
This machine applies a thin layer of sand and resin, which coats the flooring surface after heating it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Polishing gives it a polished look without grinding off any more layers from the concrete’s original thickness.
Steps To Polishing Concrete Floor
1. Preparing The Floor
First, there is a need to clean the concrete. Cleaning is done with a pressure washer. Alternatively, one can scrub it down with TSP (trisodium phosphate) and water.
Ensure that all dirt is removed from cracks and crevices so they do not become polished too. Be careful when using power washing equipment on polished concrete floors. The power washing equipment can scratch the polished concrete floors Jacksonville.
2. Mark It Out
Polished concrete floors Jacksonville recommends marking off the area that you want polished with painter’s tape. Lay down drop cloths or tarps around it so that the polished concrete floors do not get stained from oil in garage flooring or dirt on driveway pavement.
3. Mix the Polishing Components
Mix up the concrete polishing compound according to the instructions on the package. Ensure that it is done in a well-ventilated area. Polished concrete floors Jacksonville advises using gloves while mixing to prevent their hands from drying out. It’s also important not to let children or pets around while mixing these chemicals as they can be harmful if ingested.
4. Application
Apply it to the polished concrete floors Jacksonville with a squeegee. Ensure that all surfaces are covered and let dry for at least 20 minutes before walking on them again. Concrete floor polishing Jacksonville also recommend letting polished concrete floors dry overnight before applying a second coat.
5. Fine Tune the Application Process
Remove excess polish by using the squeegee again and vacuuming up any residue with an industrial vacuum cleaner. It is suggested not to use the household vacuum for polished concrete floors in the kitchen or bathroom as this may leave tiny particles of dust behind that would ruin polished concrete floors.
6. Protecting The Polished Surface
It is crucial to protect polished concrete floors from staining to avoid losing their polished luster. Applying a sealer on your polished concrete floors will add an extra layer of protection and also help prevent stains in the future.
For homeowners with polished concrete floors at home, it’s best not to use vinegar or ammonia to clean polished concrete floors. Vinegar and ammonia are chemicals that will break down the sealer and cause polished concrete floors to lose their polished luster.
Don’t forget that polished concrete floors look great as polished concrete flooring in bathrooms, polished concrete garage floor tiles, and polished concrete patio pavers!