Polishing Concrete


JoshC1501

Recommended Posts

I tore up the carpet that was in my finished basement yesterday.  Around 1000 ft2, I am a bit sore today.  The worst part was getting it out of the basement.

 

I am not a big fan of carpet.  I am thinking the best option for appearance, utility, and moisture concerns would be polishing the concrete. This is basically a man cave/rec room.   I really like the look they can get using stains, especially if they grind down to the aggregate.  

 

I have some experience with the polishing process, access to knowledgable people, and almost free access to the equipment.

 

What I don't know anything about is the grinding, anybody have any experience with this?  What should I look for when renting the equipment?

 

Anyone know the Price ft2 to get this done by a contractor?  I found a local contractor that I am going to call Monday.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did not purchase the pad so that is my caveat. I have used a diamond grit pad on a floor buffer to do a small amount of grinding on a slab. I don't know how much you are talking about trying to remove but you can rent a floor buffer in most places. It might be worth digging today if you would rather try it yourself than spend on labor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Your probably looking for a terrazzo grinder, I'm not sure this is a home owner project it's an intensive process that starts with the concrete mix (color, cement sack per cubic yard count), aggregate. When finishing regular concrete the fines and cement slurry is brought to the surface by the many troweling operations if you take that layer off you will find a lot of voids, air pockets and the aggregate that is used isn't usually anything all that special. On terrazzo concrete the concrete is colored with dyes special aggregate is cast on the surface this is worked into the surface of the concrete slab once the concrete has cured it is than ground to expose the aggregate any voids are filled with a colored mix and than polished to a high sheen very labor intensive. I would stay away from the grinding process if the finish is rough I would lean towards leveling the top with a patching product. Than go with a paint or epoxy finish. 

polished-terrazzo-1024x768.jpg

9717.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the process I am talking about.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDtOdhsq2zI.   You use an acetone or water based dye and a high speed burnisher with diamond pads.

 

Yesterday I was able to locate the tool that removes the mastic and a grinder.  Plan to check them out this week.

 

 

I love the look and can't think of a better surface for this space.  Acid staining is amazing but more than a DIYer should probably tackle, and I don't think it takes a polishing real well afterward.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.