Polished Concrete Floors

Overview:

Many homes have concrete basement floors that would really look better if they were polished concrete floors and painted with a durable paint. A polished concrete floor does not require carpets or other floor covering to make the room look comfortable. Polishing a concrete floor is a relatively easy DIY project.

Polished concrete floors are accomplished by grinding the top layer of concrete and leveling any imperfections in the floor. After polishing a hardening agent is applied that changes the chemical composition of the concrete. The agent penetrates into the concrete surface about a half an inch, enabling it to be harder, stronger, and more resistant to water, oil, and other contaminants.

Sanding and polishing concrete floors is much like sanding and finishing wood. The big difference is a finer diamond tool is used for concrete grinding rather than sandpaper. The polishing will create a shiny and long lasting surface that requires only minimal maintenance. The only cleaning necessary can be done with mild soap and water.

Any color concrete paint can easily be added during the process. Epoxy paint is used with the fine finish cement to create the color of your choice.  A polished concrete floor will reflect light about 35% more than unfinished or raw concrete. The concrete polishing process involves several steps which can be quite expensive if done by a contractor but it can be done by a DIY homeowner. 

After the first pass by the diamond grinder there are tiny air holes that appear on the concrete surface. These are easily sealed with an acrylic adhesive, which is mixed with cement powder and spread on the floor with a trowel. A faster alternative is spraying the adhesive on the surface to seal the holes.  

After the surface holes are sealed a concrete mix is poured evenly over the floor. When it is dry the floor is polished to a fine finish. The edging is somewhat problematic as it must be finished separately as in a wood floor.  A small angular grinder with a dust shield is used for getting into corners.

That is all there is to creating a polished concrete floor. Most DIY home supply centers rent heavy duty polishing machines with diamond grinding wheels to do the job. The task is a little messy but when it is complete you will have a beautiful polished floor that does not require any carpet covering.

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