How To: Prep, Grout & Polish Concrete

Polished concrete is a great treatment for floors that can be kept clean, dry, and have minimal exposure to staining or etching chemicals. The surface is best left free of any topical sealer so the naturally abrasion resistant concrete is inexpensive to maintain. The benefits of mechanically polished concrete are possible because of all the work that goes into creating them. This video gives a good overview of the process, and why it’s cost to purchase is relatively higher than conventional floor coverings. The cost of ownership, however, is usually much less because of its long term durability.

Grinding begins the process to remove any topical contaminants and expose the base slab. As this process takes place the floor becomes more flat. Following this first grind, a second process is done to remove the preceding step’s scratches (similar to refinishing wood).

Grouting is done to fill the concrete’s inherent surface voids. Concrete is like a dense sponge. Every slab will have small holes that, when polished, will detract from the surface reflection and durability. Some slabs have excessive voids while others might only have small pinholes. Here the choice was made to grout because this level of aggregate exposure means large holes will be opened.

The polishing process proceeds to remove the excess grout and the previous steps’ scratches. At this point the floor is starting to exhibit a smoothness similar to a honed stone. There is little reflection, but the surface displays a uniformity not usually expected of concrete. It’s at this time that the floor should be inspected for any missed scratches.

The densification process is done to make the bonds between sand aggregates stronger. This simple process introduces a chemical that grows small crystals between the fine aggregates. This is how the surface becomes more difficult to scratch. It also helps the polishing process to achieve a better result, but the primary reason is the long term durability that’s achieved.

Finishing the process includes progressively finer grits that make the surface more reflective. Once this is complete, a burnisher or auto-scrubber is used to remove all the fine dust. The process at this point is finished.

If some stain resistance is required, there is the option of a penetrating chemical that will give some protection. Applying a topical product (usually referred to as “guard”) is not recommended. The whole purpose of a polished slab is to provide a long-lasting and easy-to-clean surface. Any topical material will eventually wear and add cost to maintain.
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