Polished concrete: advantages and general characteristics.
For decades, concrete surfaces have been polished. Even after many years this processing method is the most effective. In this article you will learn how to make polished concrete with your own hands in order to discover the true beauty of this building material. In addition, after the operational development, its operational properties are significantly improved.
Tip: after completion of work, treat the concrete surface waterproofing impregnation.
Polished concrete coating is used not only in new buildings, but also when eliminating defects on old surfaces in:
- office space;
- public buildings;
- private construction.
Benefits and General Features
Polishing a concrete floor today is the most effective and less costly method of finishing work.
Consider the advantages of the process:
- ease of maintenance and cleaning;
- high strength;
- durability;
- low cost;
- beautiful view;
- long service life.
Pre-polished concrete floors are also used for:
- factories;
- factories;
- warehouse facilities.
Tip: if reinforced concrete structures come across on the surface, reinforced concrete cutting with diamond circles will help to remove them.
Milling of concrete floor
In that case, if the depth of the defects on the floor exceeds 5 mm, milling is used. Polished concrete surface has a mirror effect, which allows it to reflect natural light, significantly increasing the illuminance of the premises.
If you compare it with a polymer, it has the ability to absorb water vapor. Due to this, the microflora of the room is improved. In addition, due to its origin, concrete has a high pH level, significantly reducing the possibility of reproduction of fungi and bacteria. If you consistently carry out all the instructions, it is possible to independently carry out finishing processing of the material.
Surface polishing
Remember that it is possible to grind concrete only after final hardening of material. The process of final processing consists of several stages, the number of which can reach 15.
Whatever goal is not carrying a polishing (repairing old or installing new coatings), preparatory work should be carried out.
But, first take care of the necessary equipment and means of protection, you will need:
- a machine for grinding with corundum or diamond coating of segments, the price of the latter is more expensive;
- milling equipment with carbide tools;
- brushes with corundum spraying;
- diamond polishing equipment for concrete;
- protective glasses;
- respirator.
Tip: deep wave defects cannot be removed by milling. In such cases, you have to pour additional concrete layer. If stripes remain after milling, remove them by sanding.
| Preparation period | It includes cleaning the surface from dirt and paint stains. What is best to use milling. You must remove any unevenness from the concrete surface. |
| Grinding process | This removes the top layer, which is formed by hardened cement milk. It, in turn, limits the penetration of the compactor into the molecular structure of concrete. Grinding makes it possible to bare fillers (crumb and rubble). |
Tip: before starting the grinding work, the concrete should be kept for 1 to 3 weeks. During this time, the concrete surface reaches the required strength, as the filler (crushed stone, gravel, limestone, crushed granite) is retained in the structure of the material.
The choice of grinding tool depends on the type of concrete. It should be noted that with self-processing there will be a quality result if it is M300 or higher. If there is no special equipment available, you can perform grinding with metal brushes.
Tip: do not forget that all the preparatory work should be done with dry concrete.
Stages of work
The instructions below will tell you how to polish the concrete with your own hands:
- Clean the old floor from dirt and debris using milling.
- Eliminate cracks, dents and shrinkage using epoxy masticy You must ensure full surface leveling so that the grinding head can work smoothly.
- Perform rough grinding in the first step. (use diamond discs with grit up to 37 microns).
- Take an industrial vacuum cleaner and remove dirt and dust from preliminary preparation from the concrete floor.
- Conduct chemical treatment of the concrete surface using a special reinforcer.. After that, the reaction of its elements and calcium hydroxide, which enters the concrete, will begin, which will increase the strength of the floor.
- Process after the end of grinding work surface impregnator.
- Sand the floor with grit sizes above 37 microns.
- Polish the surface with diamond-coated grinding wheels with a grain size of 5-10 microns.
If the floor area is not too large, you can use a regular grinder for self-polishing. Although this process will be quite time consuming.
Most often, it is better to handle hard-to-reach places. At the same time, remember that there are cases when it is necessary to attract specialists to work.
Tip: if you are not able to drill a reinforced concrete structure using a conventional drill, diamond drilling of holes in concrete with the help of modern crowns will help you.
Conclusion
From the article you learned how to independently make polished concrete on the floor. To do this, it is necessary to prepare the appropriate equipment, where the basis is made of special diamond and corundum circles for concrete.
The video in this article will help you find additional information on this topic.