There are so many benefits of getting polished concrete floors in Creswick if you are renovating, building or refurbishing a residential, retail, commercial or industrial property;

• Durable – Polished concrete is extremely durable and can last for many years with little maintenance. This makes it a good choice for high traffic areas and can withstand lots of wear and tear. It is the most durable flooring option available on the market today for residential, commercial and industrial floor spaces. Polished concrete floors can last up to ten years with a basic, regular maintenance schedule. 

• Low Maintenance – Once polished, concrete requires very little maintenance which is perfect for residential, retail, commercial or industrial use. It is so easy to clean and maintain as it doesn’t require any special products or treatments. Simply sweep or mop with water on a regular basis and any spills will be easy to wipe up. 

• Value for money – Unlike timber hardwood floors, laminates, tiles and vinyl flooring; polished concrete is just as cost effective on a price per square metre basis when you take into consideration the ongoing costs involved in maintaining the other materials types as well as adding up the cost to buy them, lay them and seal them.

• Aesthetics – Polished concrete can be made to look extremely sophisticated. It can also be stained or etched to create a unique look that will complement any interior styling.

• Safety – Polished concrete is non-slip and easy to clean, making it a safe choice for businesses or families to use in any property type.

• Cost – Polished concrete will usually have a higher upfront cost than other flooring options, but it can actually save money in the long run because it does not need to be replaced as often as other types of flooring.

• Eco-friendly – The floors are non-toxic and eco-friendly making them ideal for families with children or pets. Having polished floors can save on your energy bills by creating more light in your home by up to 30% in daylight hours.

  They also stay warmer in the colder months and cooler in the summer months due to the concrete’s thermal mass; which works as a natural insulator. New builds can also have hydronic heating installed in the concrete floor if the client has opted for this kind of heating option.

• Healthy – this type of flooring is hypoallergenic which means it doesn’t harbour dust or other allergens. Polished concrete floors emit no mould or mildew and are allergy free and harbour no dust mites. 

• Sound – The floors are noise absorbent which makes them ideal for areas where you want to keep the noise levels down, such as bedrooms or studies.

The polished concrete floor process in Creswick is really simple. There are 3 common scenarios that we work with;

1. New construction – if you are planning on building a new structure we can provide advice for what is required during your concrete pouring phase to have the ideal slab that is ready to be sealed or polished.
2. Existing concrete floor – Mark can provide advice and suggestions for the available options for your existing concrete floor area based on your usage scenario, the type of concrete it is and the condition of the floor.
3. Existing polished concrete floor that needs repairs – Mark can inspect your site to determine what preparation work will need to be done to repair the existing concrete floor. In most cases it involves removing the existing sealant with a concrete grind and then completing a new polishing service to repair the floor.

Where do you begin?

1. Decide what type of floor you would like e.g sealed or polished
2. Decide what type of finish you would like (see some examples in our gallery here)
3. Contact local concrete polishing contractors to arrange a site inspection and written quotation
4. Select your preferred contractor
5. Prepare the room by removing everything that is in it so it is ready to be worked on
6. The concrete polisher will mask up the walls, doors and other areas to protect them from damage
7. The floor will be prepared with a concrete grind
8. The floor will be sealed or polished depending on what level of service was chosen

The whole process can normally be completed within a few days. You don’t have to wait for materials to arrive, for installers to be available etc. Mark will come to your location with the equipment required to polish your floors. This is what makes the process so simple compared to other flooring options that may take weeks to have completed.

There are more polished concrete floor pros than cons. Getting your concrete floors polished is one of the smartest decisions you can make if you are building or renovating. Concrete is a material that is sustainable, eco-friendly, durable, tough and means you don’t have to use other materials on top of your existing floor surface. 

That means there are less chemicals, less layers and other complications to deal with compared to using carpet, tiles, timber etc. This type of flooring doesn’t collect dust, doesn’t have any grout or join lines to worry about.

Concrete polishing is a fast and inexpensive method of grinding and polishing pre-existing concrete floor surfaces using our diamond sharp disks in order to create a super smooth beautiful floor. They create a very contemporary look, while being exceptionally hardwearing with very low maintenance requirements.

Polished concrete floor textures will vary greatly because it depends what you ask a concrete polishing company to do. If you simply seal your concrete then the texture will literally be whatever you see on the floor. Sealing just puts a top coat over it to protect the surface.

If you get mechanically polished concrete then the textures can vary greatly depending on how heavy the grind is. The heavier the floor is polished the more aggregate is exposed and therefore more texture.

The other variable that has to be considered is the type of concrete that was poured when the slab was formed. The amount and type of aggregate can vary so to the colour of the concrete. So together with the depth of the grind, the texture can vary between properties. While most homes or businesses will have a standard ‘grey’ concrete, some may have slight colour variations.

Have a look at our photo gallery of texture samples to see what we mean

Many people we speak to think the only choice of surface finish colour light grey, have a look at our gallery to see different types.

Our company offers a choice of finishes for a concrete floor that is polished in Gisborne. You can create a modern interior design style with a very smooth surface or you can choose to have a more organic, rough, look which exposes more of the aggregate. 

Your choices will also depend on what mix was used to pour the original slab, so existing locations may be a little more limited compared to a brand new build where colours or even underfloor heating can be considered. 

We can also make sure you get the right finish for the right location, we consider whether the surface will be indoors or outdoors to make sure you have the right texture to suit a wet area around a pool or outdoor living area.

Concrete polishing is a fast and inexpensive method of grinding and polishing pre-existing concrete surfaces with equipment that has diamond sharp disks that cut into the cement to create a smooth, attractive and a choice of shine levels. Believe it or not, even old, existing slabs, can be ground and polished to create very hard wearing, scratch and stain resistant floors that are easy to maintain or won’t be scratched by high heels or furniture.

To achieve a smooth, glossy surface, Mark is a concrete polisher that will start by using a floor grinding machine with rotating diamond-abrasive heads to remove the surface layer of the concrete to make it perfectly level. This can also remove any deep scratches or even cracks in some cases. 

Following the initial stage, finer diamond-abrasives are progressively used (usually starting at 40 grit going up to 3,000 grit) to reveal or expose the aggregate in the slab – either new or existing – and this is done to the level that you want depending how much aggregate you want to see.

Typically, concrete is not considered polished before 400 grit which is known as honed concrete. Polished concrete is normally finished to either the 800, 1500, or 3000 grit level depending on the shine and reflection you desire. Polished concrete is measured in grades and finishes: the higher the grade, the larger the exposed aggregates; similarly, the higher the finish, the shinier the polish.

During the process we do add treatment chemicals that can increase the density of the surface to help harden the concrete even more than its original state.  Further grinding with progressively finer diamond polishing pads then creates a very smooth surface and depending how much is done you will get a sheen on it because it is so smooth. You have the choice of sheen that can match your interior design requirements from a satin to a high-gloss, very reflective finish that reflects lots of light & looks amazing. 

Concrete floor polishing is very versatile and is suitable for lots of different building types whether they are single storey homes, a retail store, a shopping centre or even a warehouse. Some of the most common places you will see polished concrete floors include;

• Restaurants
• Hotel foyers
• Garage floors
• Living Room areas
• Warehouses
• Retail stores
• Office buildings
• Car dealership showrooms

For any of these locations it doesn’t matter it it is an old concrete floor or if you are installing a new one, the choices of textures, colours, and finishes are nearly limitless. Texture and finish are determined by the grade of concrete that was used in the slab, how it’s poured, and the polishing process you choose.

You can achieve different colours if pigment is added into the wet concrete when it is being poured to get a specific colour tone or you could add coloured aggregates like stones, marbles or even pieces of glass. When the concrete is polished these will show through the surface. 

It means you can have a surface that looks smooth but dull with not much aggregate visible through to a deep polish that cuts down to expose more aggregate which looks a bit like Terrazzo depending how large your aggregate pieces are.

A lot of people think of concrete as really boring, grey and just used for footpaths on the street. It is the most common building material used around the world and if it is polished or sealed it can look stunning. Believe it or not concrete has been used to construct buildings since the early Roman times making domes, aqueducts, drainage systems and even amphitheatres.

It is simply the most durable material that you can use and it is why so many historic buildings are still standing today.

For most homes or businesses you won’t even realise that you have a concrete slab as your sub floor. If you remove the tiling, carpet or floor boards you can actually use your existing slab, get it polished and make your floors look amazing. There is no need to add another layer of flooring at all. 

So polished concrete can look incredible but also be very economical over its lifetime because it needs little maintenance, doesn’t have to be replaced and is so hard that it will probably outlast you.

There are certain industry terms that apply to the types of concrete polished floor finishes you can get. It starts with a hazy, paste like finish which is normally a sealer through to a very deep polish where large aggregate is exposed and can be made to shine in different levels.

Salt and pepper polished concrete floor
This is when a fine aggregate exposure is produced by removing a very thin top layer of the concrete during the initial grinding process to expose some of the sand aggregate. The exposed sand resembles salt and pepper and provides a nice colour accent to the concrete so that the floor has a bit of texture to it.

Light aggregate exposure polished concrete floor
A medium exposure grind will reveal the top side of the aggregates. This concrete floor style will show a bit more of the aggregate in the cement mix for larger texture shapes on the floor surface. The spacing and sizes will be a bit more random compared to the salt and pepper finish because it is cut deeper into the mix. 

Heavy or full aggregate exposure polished concrete floor
Heavy exposure or a full grind will reveal the maximum amount of aggregate in your slab.This finish cuts very deeply to really show off the elements mixed into your concrete slab for the most amount of texture in the surface being shown.

A lot of people ask us if polished concrete is slippery, but it is just like walking on floor tiles in your bathroom really. Polished concrete floors may have a shine or gloss to them but you can still comfortably walk on them without slipping, just like you would in a bathroom, laundry or a kitchen. If the right processes are applied when the floors are getting polished then a newly polished concrete floor can meet or exceed Australia standards for slip resistance.

Just like tiles, timber or even lino if the concrete floor gets wet then it will be slippery just as any other hard surface would be.

If the polished concrete is outside for a pool surround or patio then a pavilion finish can be applied so there is more texture to the surface to help reduce the chances of slipping.

We often get asked what is the difference between a grind and seal vs a grind and polish?

Grind
The grinding stage is the same in both instances because the concrete is worked on to make sure it is smooth. What will differ is how much grinding is needed to get the floor to be level and smooth enough to work on. Some floors might have glue, adhesive or small cracks that have to be repaired, so more grinding might be needed in those situations.

Seal
This is where a chemical sealant is poured over the concrete but no other work is done to the surface. It is simply covering the floor area with a protective coating. This is the simplest form of protecting your concrete floor.

Polish
Just like polishing shoes or a car, when you polish a concrete floor there is work involved in grinding, then polishing the service to achieve the desired texture and level of sheen you want. This is a more intensive amount of work to make the floor totally smooth & very shiny like in a museum for example.

This is normally called a mechanical polished concrete floor service where heavy machinery is used to polish the floor area.

If you grab a corner of your carpet in one of your rooms and lift it up, most likely you will see concrete underneath (unless the building was built on piers and timber floor boards)

This cement foundation is a big slab that the structure has been built on. If you pull all the carpet up you can replace it with either;

• Floor tiles
• Vinyl
• Floating timber floor boards
• Polished concrete

The existing concrete slab underneath any floor material can get a grind done to it so it is flat and smooth, then can either be sealed or get a mechanical concrete polish to be made shiny.

Our company can provide a mechanically polished concrete service in Creswick and surrounding areas.

Mechanically polished concrete is a better choice compared to standard concrete sealing. It is higher quality, even more durable & creates highly decorative finishes in a wider array of colour choices.