Polished concrete is mechanical grinding, honing, and polishing, combined with chemical densification to produce a dust-proof, light reflective, stain resistant, durable, and easily maintained finish. Polished concrete addresses many problems associated with bare concrete and traditional coatings (acrylics, urethanes, and epoxies).
Some of these problems include:
- Concrete dusting, porosity, erosion and wear properties of bare concrete
- Multiple reapplications (and associated costs and downtime)
- Scratching, peeling, chipping, discoloration, tire marking, slipperiness of coatings
- Coating bonding affected by moisture
- Environmental concerns
The perfect solution to these problems is polished concrete. Some of the many benefits are listed below:
- Hardening and abrasion resistance (300-400% increase)
- Permanently dust-proof (eliminates efflorescence, the natural dusting of concrete)
- Virtually eliminates tire marks
- Lowest maintenance costs
- Can be used in conjunction with dyes to create architectural and decorative concrete
- Not affected by moisture
- Increased reflectivity and greater ambient lighting
- Higher coefficient of friction than coatings
- Decrease in wear and tear on forklifts, due to uneven joints, etc.
- Decrease in floor maintenance due to the smooth dense surface
- Available to foot and forklift traffic immediately following the application, unlike coatings
- The lowest 10 year life cycle cost of any flooring on the market (see chart below)
- No need to strip and wax, eliminating significant costs and downtime
- No VOC’s
- Environmentally friendly and sustainable, contributes to LEED Accreditation
| 10 Year Life Cycle Cost Comparison* | |
| Polished Concrete Has the Lowest Per Square Foot Life Cycle Cost of Any Floor Covering or Coating | |
| Polished Concrete | $4.00-$6.50 |
| Polished Concrete w/dye | $5.00-$7.50 |
| Acrylic | $5.20 (minimum) |
| VCT | $16.00-$20.00 |
| Epoxy | $16.50-$20.00 |
| Carpet | $17.50-$20.00 |
| Terrazzo (epoxy) | $18.00-$25.00 |
| Terrazzo (cementitious) | $19.00-$26.00 |
| Linoleum | $18.00-$25.00 |
| Porcelain Tile | $23.00 |