Can polished concrete floors get scratched?
- Type of site: Living room
- Size of area: 70 sqaure meters
- Services: Grind and re-seal cost $5,000-$6,000
- Time required: Approximately 3 days
This living room was about 70 square meters squared in size and cost 6000 dollars to get done which took about 3 days to do
It is possible to scratch polished concrete flooring, even in residential properties particularly if they are a coating system or grind and seal. Depending on the quality of sealer used and how well the floor is treated is how long the floor will last looking good without scratches and scuff marks.
That’s why you will see some floors look incredibly shiny & others are dull and faded. Polished concrete floors are a little bit similar, if the floor was ground grouted and densified correctly, then your floor should last around the 5 to 7 year mark before dulling may occur in high traffic areas.mechanical polished concrete floors are highly scratch resistant but care does need to be taken to keep them looking 100 percent from scratches.
You may not notice them if there is furniture in the way or the room doesn’t get a lot of bright lighting. So you might be able to get away with it and let’s not forget it will be harder to scratch a polished concrete flooring area compared to cheap laminate timber floating floorboards or cheap floor tiling.
How can you prevent scratching your polished concrete floor?
For every piece of furniture you can place rubber or felt tips on the feet so that there is a soft surface between the furniture piece and the polished floor surface. Using felt can make it easier to slide furniture around the room as well without sharp edges, screws or nails scratching the sealant.
The other alternative to reduce the chance of scratches is using large floor rugs under your furniture pieces so that the area is always protected.
Of course the best way is to use a professional concrete polishing company so that you get a high quality flooring finish that will withstand the toughest conditions for many years and reduce the chance of it getting scratched in the first place.It is definitely not a DIY job for most people.
Why did we grind and seal this living room in Melbourne?
The owners of this property had noticed their floors were starting to show signs of ageing with quite a few deep scratches and marks. They wanted to get it repaired but weren’t sure quite where to start. They had considered doing it themselves but after a couple of attempts using chemicals from Bunnings they realised it is better to get a concrete polishing company to take a look at it.
We spoke on the phone and I knew straight away how to solve their scratched concrete flooring problem. After providing a quote we booked in a suitable time to do the repair work.
What is the difference between a mechanical concrete polishing service & a grind and seal?
In really simple terms they are two completely different level of work. It is like choosing between ‘simple’ and ‘detailed’ or ‘standard or ‘deluxe’. Mechanically polishing a floor requires more labour, more time and multiple passes over the surface area to create an incredible smooth shine on the floor that can be mirror-like.
A grind and seal performs a similar task, but not to the same intricate detail, so the finished surface isn’t as deeply processed. So for this grind and seal our process included;
- Grinding the concrete with concrete floor surface grinders to remove any contaminants and sealer from the existing slab.
- Cracks and divots in the floor are patched with patching material as necessary.
- Depending on your floor goals (i.e. desired finish and durability requirements), the concrete may be ground again with finer diamonds to further smooth the floor. If the concrete is soft, porous or free of contaminants, a second pass may not be necessary.
- The surface is properly cleaned.
- Your sealed concrete floor is sealed with a topical sealer. Depending on your floor goals, requirements, and your space there are different sealers you can use.This is common in residential homes in Melbourne.
How did we repair the scratches in this polished concrete floor?
The first step was to remove all the furniture from the room and mask up all the wall trims, cupboards and walls so that dust, debris or polishing material didn’t splatter everywhere. We then began grinding the whole floor area so that the old sealer could be completely removed from the surface. By getting down to the raw concrete slab we can make sure any imperfections are smoothed over and any trace of the previous chemicals are removed completely.
Once this was completed we could begin our mechanical polishing process for the bare concrete floor with this home owner choosing to have a low gloss matte finish applied to finish it off. You can see the difference in the photos from a rough, patchy floor to a beautifully smooth new surface for them to enjoy.
The owner was very happy and now they are considering having the kitchen redone and the hallway.
