FAQ

What is the difference between polished concrete and ground and sealed concrete?

There is a common misconception that all shiny ground concrete is polished concrete. But what is the difference? For one, the process is much more labor intensive to polish concrete, therefore the average price per square foot is higher. But its what you get out of polished concrete that makes it worth the extra price. Polished floors are extremely durable, visually beautiful and a much lower maintenance cost and routine. To learn more about the process, differences in costs compared to other sealers and options, or if polished is the right direction for your floor, drop us a line and we’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

Will there be dust from the grinding?

We employ some of the most modern dust collection systems on the market, OSHA approved Hepa filter vacuums capture up to 95% of air borne dust down to the smallest particles. We do our very best to create a seamless and clean job site.

Can I get different sheens on my floor?

Of course, whether it be polished floors, honed concrete, glossy coatings or a matte acrylic sealer, there’s an option for every floor in terms of sheen.

What’s the difference between cream polish, salt and pepper finish and full exposure finish?

These are varying depths of grind on the floor that is going to be polished or sealed.
Cream polish is just what it implies, we harden the floor thru a densification process and then continue with polishing process giving it a creamy finish.
Salt and pepper grind is when just the sand in the slab is exposed to reveal a “salt and pepper” look. The sand will have black, white, pink, browns and tan sand in it typically.
Full exposure is a deeper grind exposing more aggregate in the slab. These aggregates can vary from pea gravel size (3/8-1/2”) to full size stones (1/2-1”)

How long do I have to stay off of my new floor?

72 hours is usually a good amount of time for the slab or coatings to be fully cured. However in some case the floor can be opened up to light foot traffic early then 72 hours.

Will my floor be slippery?

Most polished floors have a coefficient slip resistance in line with industry standards. Coatings and sealers can have non-slip additive added in or broadcast into the wet coating to create a textured surface for non-slip. Outdoor concert sealers can also have sand embedded in the sealer. However if the floor is wet or there is a spill, please use caution when walking on it and clean spills up as quickly as possible.

Can the floor be colored or stained?

Coloring a floor is a wonderful way to enhance the look of a floor, there are many options and colors to choose from that will give depth and a custom look to your project.

Whats the difference between floor dye and acid stains?

You may be familiar with acid stains but not so much with micro-pigment dyes. So what’s the difference?
Acid stains have been around for many years and still serves as an option on some projects, however the newer option of dyes is a leading industry standard. The downfall of acid stains is the extra time on site to apply, clean and neutralize a floor as well as limited color palette (8-10 colors).
Where as dyes have wide range of color choices as well as an almost immediate turn around time to continue processing the floor, be it polishing or sealing.

What power requirements are needed to have a floor ground or polished?

Depending on the size of your project and which machine we need to use will depend on the power source. If it’s on the smaller size (1,500 SF and smaller) we will need 220v single phase power. We can plug into a dryer or stove outlet, a turtle power supply or hard wire directly into a power panel. Larger jobs require a large machine which in turn needs more juice. In this case we will bring a towable generator to the site that will supply us with a massive 480v 3-phase power.

How do I care for my new floor?

Depending on the type of flooring, the maintenance routine will vary slightly. But with floors the basic routine of sweeping and mopping is the same. The cleaning products and application will vary between polished floors and sealed floors. We will provide you with literature and timeline for each process at the end of the project. We also offer a maintenance package if you don’t have the time to do it yourself.

Do you clean and seal exterior concrete?

Yes we do! We have all the equipment to deep clean exterior concrete as well as a very durable and dependable acrylic sealer that is UV stable and we have been applying for over 25 years (secret recipe).

Which type of flooring would work best for a garage or workshop vs. a high end showroom

This can be a bit tricky…. It really depends on the end use of the floor. If it’s going to be a harsh environment with fork lifts, mechanical fluids, cutting fluids, gas, transmission and brake fluids, then I would urge you to look at polyaspartics and epoxies. They are quite scratch resistant and can resist corrosive chemicals day after day.

Which type of flooring would work best for retail environments, like a restaurant or high end showroom?

Polished concrete will be the direction to go for high end retail or a dining room setting, where there is high foot traffic and chairs sliding in and out. With incredible abrasion resistance and good stain resistance, the low cost maintenance floor will pay for its self in no time and look stunning day after day, year after year. There’s a reason large grocery stores, retail showrooms and home improvement stores all use this as their floor of choice.

Do you recommend polished concrete for residential applications

We’ve seen time and again that the warm look and natural feel of concrete in custom home applications become the show piece of the house. A practical choice for an easy cleaning, hard wearing and long lasting surface. 

How to pour a floor to be polished in the future?

If you know you want to pour a floor to be polished this is an ideal scenario. Not only can you choose a colored concrete from the batch plant, you can spec in certain aggregates, mixes and finishes. Also there can be beautiful aggregates and stones seeded into the slab during the pouring and finishing process to be revealed when its ground and polished. Slabs should be poured according to ACI standards in traditional casting method. The slab should be finished as flat as possible in a medium hard slick finish with no curing compounds or densifiers. Saw cut control typically polish better and look cleaner compared to hand cooled joints, BEWARE OF IN-FLOOR HEATING PIPES