Polished concrete, being a natural and fundamentally sustainable material, excels in comparison to other flooring system choices because it shares the greatest features of those systems while minimizing the worst. Polished concrete floors are aesthetically pleasing, long-lasting, and low-cost, as well as relatively eco-friendly to maintain.
Enhanced grinding processes have made it possible to create even more appealing finishes, which has contributed to the meteoric rise in popularity of polished concrete floors in recent years.
Are you thinking of installing polished concrete flooring in your home? Continue reading for additional information that will help you make a wiser decision.
What is Polished Concrete?
Polished concrete is a kind of concrete floor which has been chemically processed and then ground down to a seamless and lustrous surface using diamonds of successively finer grit sizes. After the concrete has been suitably broken down, a distinct sealer is used to give it a natural appearance and protect it against heavy stains caused by oils and spills. This sealer penetrates 2 to 5 mm into the concrete’s porous structure.
There are a variety of methods that may be used to improve the visual appeal of a polished concrete floor. Some examples of these methods include the use of stains, dyes, ornamental aggregates, accents, scoring, and stencils. With these techniques, you can make concrete seem like marble, river rock, or even wood.
Health Benefits of Polished Concrete Floors
There are potential environmental downsides or even threats associated with flooring systems. For example, polyvinyl chloride releases volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when it is initially placed. There is also concern that the off-gassing from certain carpet glues might be harmful to humans. Polished concrete eliminates all of these issues.
Concrete flooring is easy to install and refine on-site since it has no odour, is fireproof, and is non-toxic. Plus, since it is resistant to mould development, polished concrete makes it simple to maintain a clean and healthy environment.
Since alternatives like carpeting is a breeding ground for allergens like pet hair, dust, and dust mites, the American Lung Association recommends polished concrete floors.
Read Also: 8 Reasons Why You Should Use Polished Concrete For Your Floors
How Can Polished Concrete Floors Decrease Floor Maintenance?
Concrete is a substance that is both strong and very long-lasting. Polished concrete floors can take a beating from heavy furniture and constant foot traffic because of their excellent durability. It works well in residential settings with high foot traffic.
The robust surface of polished concrete only requires minimal tools for upkeep, such as an auto-scrubber with suitable bristles and a non-toxic cleanser, or even just a wet mop or dust mop, in certain cases. The only thing that is necessary to clean it is a weekly wash with warm soapy water, which represents significant time, energy, and effort savings in comparison to the cleaning of other kinds of flooring.
Over the course of a building’s lifespan, polished concrete floors also demand fewer maintenance costs. The cost to maintain a polished concrete system is often far lower than that of a surface treated with a topical material, such as a plastic resin coating, floor covering, wax, or protection.
The Visual and Functional Benefits of Residential Polished Concrete Floors
Concrete floors may be buffed to a smooth and shining surface that replicates real stone or terrazzo, which are popular with homeowners. This material is durable and resistant to wear and slippage. However, natural stone isn’t sustainable since it requires extra maintenance and shipping costs.
Comparable to manufactured stones like terrazzo, polished concrete has a longer lifespan than natural stone but instead needs less upkeep. Residential polished concrete floors may take on a variety of looks to suit your specific design needs too.
Dye colours may be applied throughout the refining process to provide a wide variety of visually pleasing patterns and colour schemes. Integral colouring and the addition of aggregate to fresh concrete are also viable options.
Invite Spaciousness and Light into Your Home
One further advantage of polished concrete is its gloss, which is established by the degree of polishing refinement and accounts for the floor’s characteristic sheen. Gloss units (GU) are used to quantify the degree of reflectivity of a floor, with 100 corresponding to the perfect reflection of black glass.
Mechanically refining and polishing concrete enhances its reflectivity, which in turn decreases the need for artificial lighting inside a given space by virtue of its ability to contribute to the existing illumination.
Unlike natural stone, residential polished concrete floors do not need as much upkeep to keep their glossy appearance when used regularly. It is possible to apply a stain-repellent that penetrates deeply, which results in a flooring system that is resistant to stains and has a long lifespan.
Engage in Sustainable Homeownership with Polished Concrete Flooring
Although concrete might not be a very eco-friendly material, polished concrete offers several advantages over epoxy floors in terms of longevity. Polished concrete doesn’t need to be transported over long distances, and it uses a lot less energy to set up and keep up than both wax and epoxy.
When compared to the energy required to create epoxy, the energy required to install and maintain polished concrete is 30 times lower. Regrinding a broken polished concrete floor requires a thousand times less energy than maintaining an epoxy floor. The cost and effort involved in getting the epoxy to the location where it would be used are not accounted for here.
The epoxy topical coating has a GWP 189 times that of polished concrete floors, mostly because of its energy consumption.
Summing Up
Although each concrete slab is different, there is one constant: the use of best practices results in resilient flooring. The density of concrete may be affected by several factors, including the local climate and the amount of humidity in the atmosphere on the day it was poured. Superior performance can only be attained by meticulous concrete pouring, finishing, and inspection.
The first step in following best practices is having a seasoned contractor assess the demands of the building owner and then carry out each stage in the most time and cost-effective way possible. If you’re thinking about installing polished concrete floors in your home or business, please contact us right away to discuss your options.