"Concrete polishing is not simply a method for protecting a concrete
floor-it is a process for making any concrete floor dense, smooth and
aesthetically pleasing. It is the concrete equivalent of fine sanding
hard wood. Concrete polishing delivers an incredibly glossy, smooth,
easy to clean, dust-free concrete floor that resists wear and marking
for a beautiful, long term finish.
The polishing process consists of a series of abrasive smoothing
steps that, when completed, produces an impressive concrete floor
surface, both beautiful and durable. When the grinding and polishing
steps are combined with the application of a compatible, liquid
chemical densifier, the result is a smooth, glossy, durable and highly
reflective floor. It produces an almost mirror-like floor that is exceptionally resistant to wear, dusting, marking and abrasion", Courtesy of Concrete Perparation Services, Inc.
Concrete is actually manmade stone, therefore, the technology for polishing stone applies to concrete (for the most part). And like stone, the grade of the concrete affects whether it is a good candidate for polishing, not all slabs are created equal. Sometimes slabs must be resurfaced before they can be polished which presents some other challenges.
Poor candidates can be aggessively ground to expose the aggreate, this removes the imperfections and gives the concrete the look of terrazzo (well plain concrete terrazzo, not the colored).
If the concrete is simply a weak pour no amount of grinding will change a bad slab for polishing.
Poor man's polished concrete is sometimes an acceptable alternative to the expense or feasibility of polishing. This is simply applying a clearcoat sealer or clear epoxy topping over concrete, it looks like shiny polished concrete but its not.
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