Residential Concrete Polishing
Concrete is, quite literally, the foundation of almost every home. Traditionally it has been concealed beneath carpets, tiles and wood. In recent years, however, people have begun to wake up to the aesthetic and functional benefits of concrete.
By mechanically polishing concrete we can create a beautiful and unique floor to compliment your home’s style. The design choices are near limitless, with numerous ways to control the colour, finish and decorative aspects of your floor. Polished concrete works extremely well with underfloor heating as there are no additional barriers to heat distribution.
Polished concrete is an increasingly popular choice for extensions, new builds and self builds. The floor’s design can be agreed with architects and contractors to ensure it creates the space you desire. Existing concrete floors can also be polished. The quality and features of the concrete will, to some degree, regulate how the finished floor will look. There are, however, numerous ways to alter the floor’s colour and appearance.
Clients often choose to have part of their home, such as a kitchen, diner, utility concrete polished. Increasingly, though, our clients are choosing to have polished concrete throughout their homes, creating a continuous design element.
Existing Concrete Floors
An existing concrete floor, whether it is old or new, can be polished. The type of finish, however, will be regulated by the concrete mix design, as well as the current surface condition.
We will normally visit your property to advise what types of finish are achievable. We can also consult remotely providing we have information regarding your floor with the added benefit of pictures/video. Often, we find small cracks and damaged areas, which require repair. We have a wide range of products and techniques to provide a repair comparable to the concrete’s finish. Alternatively, some clients elect to turn the repairs themselves into a feature, adding decorative elements to their floor. We can also control the colour of the floor using concrete dyes should you wish to change the current tone of your concrete floor.
- Reflective and decorative finish
- Colour options with the use of concrete dyes
- Hygienic and easy to clean
- Extremely high quality and durability
New Concrete Floors
If you are intending to have a polished concrete floor added to your home as part of an extension or a new build, we can help.
We can either support your building contractor, helping them to place a concrete floor ready for polishing or we can design, place and polish the concrete floor ourselves. It is important that we become involved in the project as early as possible so we can find the right time in your schedule to concrete polish the floor or to help make key choices that are vital for the design and finish.
When placing a new concrete floor, there is an almost limitless amount of design options. We can create a bespoke floor in a range of colours, designs and finishes. Many clients are opting for the popular grey Rustic style finish. Others are taking a more maximalist approach with high-gloss floors featuring decorative aggregates, often set in coloured concrete. We will help you to find the best design mix for your home, resembling your own personal interior style. To help you make an informed choice we can craft and polish samples to suit your design. We can also offer these samples using materials from your local concrete plant, using aggregates within your geographical area.
These personal samples give you a physical guide of the concrete tone and texture to help visualise how the finished floor will look when it is in your home. Please note, Precast samples will be manufactured using naturally occurring materials (aggregates). Other ambient conditions and manufacturing and finishing processes can also result in slight variations in appearance and texture.
- Ideal for use with underfloor heating
- Aesthetically pleasing
- Various colours and design options
- Matt, Satin or Gloss finishes
Concrete Overlays
There are some homes where concrete polishing is not normally achievable. This can be due to insufficient time in the program for curing, floor depth or a substandard floor condition due to either deterioration or poor workmanship upon placement of the concrete.
In these cases, we can use an overlay to achieve the polished concrete look. Overlays can be laid in as little as 10mm depth. We can mechanically polish the overlay after as little as 24 hours after placement. The overlays have numerous design options which we will be happy to plan with you. If you have concerns about the viability of having polished concrete in your home, this may be the answer you have been looking for. These overlays, very different to a micro-cement offer most benefits polished concrete offers and possibly more.
- Outstanding Clarity & Gloss
- High Strength
- Interior/Exterior: Durable in dry and wet areas
- Ready for concrete polishing, just 24 hours after placement
- Lower environmental impact, far less CO2 than portland cement.
- A range of colour and design options
Benefits of polished concrete
Energy saving
Reflective and
decorative finish
Low maintenance
Hygienic and easy to
clean and maintain
Durable
High-quality durability and
withstands the toughest use
Finish Options & Colours
Rustic Style Finish
Aimed at the residential sector. An attractive, characteristic style without the need for the initial surface grinding. Achievable with either a new concrete floor, or an existing floor that has a surface in excellent condition. Requires a high standard, power trowel finish to achieve this option.
Variable Finish
Offered where functionality is a priority. It is carried out with an initial light grind of the concrete surface, before mechanically concrete polishing. The amount of fines sands and aggregates visible will be regulated by how much of a grind is required to prepare the surface for concrete polishing.
Exposed Aggregate Finish
Created by a heavy initial grind of the concrete to expose the aggregate. Multiple grinding & mechanical concrete polishing stages are then required to finish the process. This option has the most amount of refinement stages to the concrete surface to offer a high quality and extremely durable floor.
FAQS
How deep should the concrete be?
On a typical non structural floor we would recommend an average 100mm depth.
Can it be used with Under Floor Heating?
Concrete is a good conductor of heat and the majority of our projects have wet under floor heating installed.
Will it crack?
We take many actions to try and reduce the risk of random cracking such as requesting reinforcement mesh, sufficient depth, solid sub-base, concrete fibres, quality mix design, cutting of control joints, curing procedures, admixtures and under floor heating commissioning advice. With that said its not possible to guarantee a cementitious concrete floor not to crack but we feel we have minimised the risk as much as possible. If a crack does appear it can always be repaired with a subtle appearance.
How long does it take from start to finish?
Based on a typical residential concrete placement and polishing of a large kitchen/diner (80m2) then It would generally take the following time in the construction program. 2-3 days for concrete installation. 21 days curing in which other trades will be able to proceed with works above the floor whilst under cure such as plaster boarding, plastering, painting etc. Once the 21 days has passed (it can be left longer) we would require an additional 3-4 days for the polishing process.
Do I need to have control joints?
If you want to reduce the risk of random cracking then control joints should be cut into the floor. We will advise the boundaries of when/where these should be placed as per industry standard. We will also incorporate where we feel stress points are whilst being mindful of symmetry and aesthetics. The joints will be cut with a straight edge and filled with a decorative joint filler to keep them clean, sharp and subtle.
Is it slippery?
Although some of our projects appear slippy they are actually deemed as a low-moderate slip rating. This is due to a high coefficient of friction. Many of our projects are in industrial factories where they have had to pass a strict health and safety report.