Concrete Polishing FAQ

Homeowners, facility managers, and business owners have lots of reasons to choose polished concrete floors in Houston. Polished concrete creates the ultimate low-care floor system that’s very easy to maintain and clean. Polished concrete works very well in industrial and commercial settings, both in warehouses and factories as well as public areas of your business like a lobby. It’s easy to customize polished concrete to fit your budget and aesthetic goals with customizable sheens, colors, and effects.

Polished concrete is also a permanent floor system that can last a lifetime. While your concrete will crack over time, these cracks can be repaired or left as-is to add rustic charm to the floor’s appearance. The concrete polishing process also makes your concrete less porous and denser to better resist everything from chemical exposure and stains to impact and heavy loads.

We polish concrete in a series of steps. After making repairs, we proceed through grinding, honing, and finally polishing to give you beautiful, flawless results.

Rough grinding is the first step that begins with a 16 grit diamond disc. We use progressively finer grinding products to create a smooth surface. The grits we use are based on whether your concrete has coatings, whether waves in the surface need to be leveled, the condition of the concrete, and whether you want exposed aggregate. After grinding, we apply a liquid densifier that hardens the concrete’s surface and makes it less porous.

The next stage is honing which gives your concrete a satin sheen. Honing continues until we reach an 800 grit disc. During this stage, we also add concrete stains and dyes if you want custom colors. The last stage is the actual concrete polishing process that continues to a 1500 or 3000 grit disc.

One of the biggest reasons facility managers and property owners opt for polished concrete is it’s easy to clean and care for. Polished concrete in Houston can maintain its bright appearance and smooth surface even in high-demand commercial applications and it never needs to be waxed or sealed.

To keep your polished concrete in great shape, we recommend dust mopping every day to remove grit and grime from the surface. Over time, grit can cause scratches in the surface, especially when combined with vehicle traffic. You can also wet mop the surface as often as necessary using a neutral-pH cleaner. Avoid floor cleaners that are very acidic or alkaline as they may dull the surface or damage the concrete. Make sure you mop up the cleaning solution with clean water as you go. Finally, isolate and clean up spills as soon as you can to lower the risk of stains.

It’s possible if the oil was wiped up quickly and the concrete is very dense. As a general rule, no. Before concrete grinding and polishing, we degrease your concrete floor to remove oil stains that can otherwise interfere with the polishing and leave noticeable blemishes.

Most consumers are familiar with gray polished concrete but polished concrete floors can also be colored and even given unique, custom patterns and effects. We can stain new and existing concrete with a variety of options. If new concrete will be poured, integral color is a good option. For existing concrete, we use water- and acid-based stains and concrete dyes. The effect will depend on the type of dye or stain.

Concrete dyes produce the most intense colors. Water-based stains produce solid colors in a wide range of shades. Acid stains create a mottled effect with a range of earth hues. These stains can also be combined. With saw cutting, we can add unique effects or patterns to your floor. Depending on the look you want, your polished concrete floor in Houston can have color that is mottled, vibrant, translucent, or monotone.

We can polish almost any concrete slab that’s in good structural condition. Even if your concrete has spalling, cracks, or stains, there’s a good chance it can be degreased and patched before concrete grinding and polishing. Still, keep in mind not all concrete should be polished. If your concrete requires extensive patching or repairs or the surface is very porous, we will not recommend polishing.

All concrete cracks. While there are steps to reduce cracking, such as adding the right amount of water to the concrete mixture, allowing the concrete to set correctly, and installing control joints, there’s no way to prevent all cracks. A concrete slab will crack as it cures initially and then over time.

Some cracks are caused by improper installation such as adding too much water when mixing the concrete or allowing the concrete to dry too fast. Even when installed perfectly, concrete cracks as it absorbs moisture which freezes inside the concrete and causes surface cracks. Concrete also expands when it’s hot and pushes against objects that get in the way, cracking when these objects don’t yield.

Our concrete polishing process is permanent. In many applications, polished concrete lasts a lifetime and never needs to be repolished. In heavy-duty applications, repolishing may be necessary down the road. Unlike softer surfaces, polished concrete will not dent or chip naturally. Your polished concrete will crack as all concrete does but these cracks can be repaired or left alone. With proper maintenance, a polished concrete floor can give you up to 100 years of service.