The Expectations of Polished Concrete Floors is something every concrete polishing contractor should go over with a potential customer. Polished concrete floors are pretty much indestructible. Now that I’ve said that, I feel the need to refine that sentence.
Polished concrete floors can be damaged in a number of ways. Someone drops a steel beam on it while remodeling is a good example. Someone decides to hit it with a hammer is another example. While it may sound absurd that someone would do such a thing, it happens.
In this article, I’d like to talk with you about the expectations of polished concrete floors. How long do polished concrete floors last? What are the maintenance requirements? We’ll go over this and more. You can learn more about our concrete polishing services here.
How Long Do Polished Concrete Floors Last
The answer to this is simple. A polished concrete floor will last as long as you’re willing to maintain it. Your expectations of polished concrete floors will strengthen as the floor ages.
Once you stop maintaining a polished concrete floor, it will eventually start to lose its beautiful shine. You can see this in action at some of the smaller commercial stores. If you walk into a store with beautiful polished concrete floors, they’re undoubtedly taking good care of them.
Polished concrete floors should last a minimum of 20 to 25 years. As long as a good maintenance program is in place. We have a separate article on how to properly maintain polished concrete floors.
Let’s move on.
Do Cracks Go Away with Polished Concrete Floors?
While we do everything possible to minimize the aesthetics of cracks, cracks do not go away. Hairline cracks in polished concrete floors are less visible, but the larger cracks, even when repaired, can still be seen.
We cannot magically make cracks disappear. While we do have a really good system for making them less noticeable, they will always be there.
If your expectations for polished concrete floors is to have existing cracks disappear, polished concrete would not be the best option. The only thing that can make cracks completely disappear is a properly installed coating. Assuming the cracks have been repaired properly as well.
Do Those Square Tile Lines Go Away Once My Concrete Is Polished?
Those tile lines are referred to as ghosting. It is a term used to describe the darker lines left behind once floor tile has been removed. Ceramic tile, linoleum tile, and carpet squares all have a tendency to leave behind ghosting once removed.
So what causes it, you might ask. It is a result of moisture being drawn from the concrete. In most cases, ghosting does not go away. You cannot remove it by staining the concrete and you cannot grind it off. The further down the concrete is ground, the wider the lines will become.
We have done extensive testing to try and remove tile ghosting. One of our latest attempts was when we polished the concrete at Bass Pro Shops in Rogers, Arkansas. It remained.
For reasons we’re still not sure of, we have had tile ghosting removed once the concrete was ground down. A handful of times. It’s not because we ground down the concrete and it went away. It was the concrete itself. It could have been the mix design of the concrete itself or the age of the building. We simply do not know.
Edges of Polished Concrete Floors
If you have existing polished concrete then you’ve had edges done. Edging for polished concrete floors is an art. While we make every attempt to make the edges look like the rest of the floor, sometimes they just don’t look as good as you would expect. There are many reasons for this.
Concrete finishers will often use too much water when finishing their edges. The result is concrete discoloration. It will literally turn white in most cases. You can try putting color on the concrete to darken it up, but it may just backfire and highlight the area instead.
A good concrete polishing company will typically do a great job blending it in, but it all depends on the concrete.
I See Scratches On My New Polished Concrete Floors
Scratching usually happens when a concrete floor is extremely uneven. Most concrete polishing companies will have a technique for removing most of the scratches.
Although scratches can be removed, an extremely unlevel slab can be a challenge. You may still see a few minor scratches on your polished concrete floors, but they should be greatly reduced or even invisible to the naked eye.
I See Rocks (Aggregate) In My Polished Concrete Floors
When a concrete floor is being polished, the higher spots in the slab will typically be ground off. The result is the aggregate showing through. If the slab is wavy, you may see several places where the rock is showing through.
With polished concrete floors, there is no real way to avoid this unless a cream polish is desired. The photo on the right was taken on a Glossy Floors job in Branson, Missouri.
We polish thousands and thousands of square feet of concrete each year. 95% of our polished concrete floors are flawless. The remaining 5% is challenged by things out of our control.
At NWA Concrete Polishing, we give our absolute best when polishing concrete floors. We guarantee our craftsmanship and our goal is to leave as friends and your expectations of polished concrete floors high. If you have any questions or comments about our article on the expectations of polished concrete floors, please feel free to drop us a line on our contact page or call us any time.
NWA Concrete Polishing
Serving Northwest Arkansas for more than 25 years.
Our services include:
Polished Concrete Floors
Stained Polished Concrete Floors
Polished Concrete Logos
We service commercial, industrial and residential customers in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas.
NWA Concrete Polishing offers a 100% Price Match Guarantee. If one of our competitors is offering their services at a lower price for the same services, NWA Concrete Polishing will match that price. Just show us a written bid!
NWA Concrete Polishing is the premier concrete polishing company for Northwest Arkansas, including Bentonville, Arkansas, Rogers, Arkansas, Springdale, Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fort Smith, Arkansas and Little Rock, Arkansas. We also proudly service customers in Southwest Missouri and Northeast Oklahoma. Your concrete polishing company.
