Comments on: Diamond Polishing Concrete Slabs

By: illiam

illiam — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:11:34 +0000

What company in the Mid-West?

By: illiam

illiam — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:06:34 +0000

Costs for the diamond-grinding floor polishing process would be worth it in the long run. Not only do you densify during the early stages, but once it is brought up to 800, the stain has already been applied to the concrete floor, prior to the actual shine. Then the 800. Polished diamond-grist may go as high as 3000. Following this step, the floor gets burnished, cleaned scrubbed, so as there is no dry concrete dust streaked upon the floor, and finally sealed. Advantages; Non-Slip Surface(safety issues, lawsuit prevention), Stain Resistant, Low Maintenance(no chemicals required to clean), gives a Show-Room Shine, hardens the concrete for longevity. The process requires patience, and the final results are well worth it.
just a little insight for those considering!

By: Todd

Todd — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:36:32 +0000

@ Andy –

1. Polishing concrete isn’t very noisy at all (at least my experience with the equipment I’ve seen). Most polishing is done either wet (need to clean up the slurry) or with a hepa filter vac attached. In either case it’s really not a big impact on neighbors. The skill level isn’t that bad either. I’d be surprised if you can find the equipment to rent honestly.

2. It’s always polished on the virgin concrete. No need to add more concrete. However, during the process several different sealers and hardeners are applied. $7/sf doesn’t sound outrageous if you have a small area and the concrete is fairly rough to start with.

3. Hard to say on the bathroom without seeing the room. The floor isn’t really the issue. The issue is where the water goes, floor drains, baseboard etc.

Good luck.

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:11:38 +0000

Hi, Todd,
I am a concrete lover currently renovating my own studio in an 1960s inside-outside concrete condo. Polished shining finish will be the best but I accept the traditional naked concrete or cement finish simply like the one seen in school classrooms or home depot. My researches turn out that this finish can be more expensive and complicated than tile or hardwood, which doesn’t make sense to me. Hopefully I can get your advices. Many thanks in advance.
1. Is it possible to DIY considering rental tool availability, noise and dust level which may disturb my neighbours, and requirements on skills?
2. I will remove the existing laminate floor. The concrete is a bit rough. Some local contractor told me it needs to be coated / primed before polish, but he quotes $7 per sf. Do you always anyways polish the concrete directly or apply a 1/2” or so coat first and then to polish? What will be the coat material? Is self-levelling durable enough as the surface finish and can be polished?
3. For the bathroom, I like epoxy as I learnt this finish material provides water proof feature, without extra membrane underlay. Is that correct?

By: Chad

Chad — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:30:18 +0000

Thanks for the article. We polish concrete in the midwest and I believe we are in the educational stages of polished concrete. People are having a hard time believing you can achieve such a sheen without a coating.

By: Todd

Todd — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:58:00 +0000

@ Wells – The floors were done with a dry grinding first with a hepa vacuum attached followed by wet grinding. A commercial floor washer (like a Zamboni) was used to clean up the wet tailings. There was no damage to the drywall system. All and all the job went amazingly well and the final product is stunning!