Polished Cement

What is Polished Concrete and how is it done?

Keywords: polished concrete, concrete, polished concrete flooring,

Polished concrete is a flooring option that allows the home or business owner to choose a durable, long lasting, eco-friendly and low maintenance material that can be made to look like far more expensive materials.  Polished concrete flooring is not only beautiful in design, it also qualifies as a LEED certified material, earning between 19 and 28 points in order to meet that criteria.

After a concrete flooring is installed, it is polished using a heavy duty polishing machine and progressively finer grits of a diamond-impregnated segmented disks.  Once the desired degree of shine or smoothness is reached, the flooring is typically protected with a penetrating sealer so that it will remain beautiful for even longer.  The sealer also gives additional luster to the floor.  The first level of grinding and polishing will be done to remove minor damages and flaws from the concrete surface, such as pits, stains or existing coatings on older floors.  After this level is accomplished, additional grinding or polishing is done to reach the level of shine and beauty that the customer specifies.  For commercial applications, a compound is spread on the surface of the floor and then the machine is used to spread it and work it in.  This compound will not only clean any residue that is left on the flooring but will also leave a dirt resistant sealed finish as well.

Polished concrete takes the look of industrial concrete flooring to a whole new level with beautiful colors (way beyond gray) and other design options that can be made to look like tile (only quicker and more durable), hard woods and even marble in some cases.  It can reduce the amount of the project’s total cost and has a number of other advantages to it as well. Some of these benefits include lower cost for both the flooring but also the cost of the lighting that is needed in the facility as well.

Natural Wonder Flooring system is available in several levels of shine from a low, almost matte shine with a soft reflection all the way to a level five, high gloss shine that is almost mirror like in its appearance.

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Do you own a warehouse or show room? Are you looking for a new floor that is easy and cost effective, but durable and good for the aesthetic ambiance of your space?  Either way, concrete polishing is the way to go.  Concrete floor restoration and installation is an up and coming process that is highly environmentally sustainable, cost-effective and gaining popularity. And it provides gorgeous results.  Although the polishing process’s results speak for themselves, Perfect Polish is an established company that can make concrete polishing in your home or business even more successful.  “With our seven years’ experience and proven methods, we can make refinishing your floor so easy that you might not even notice we are there.“ 

Our Natural Wonders system is our most popular flooring, and there is no doubt as to why.  It offers a vast variety of finishes that will fill any of your flooring needs.  There are four different Natural Wonders finishes, ranked based on the shine of the finish.  Each one involves diamond finishing to smooth out the floor’s texture, and as they progress, each successive plan has more polishing processes attached.  All of them yield incredible results, but NW4 has the shine you might want in a car showroom or a ballroom, whereas NW1 may be more appropriate for a warehouse or grocery store.  You can decide which level of sheen is right for your space. 

There are many creative things we can help you do with your polished concrete in addition to a perfect shine that is guaranteed to make your room look beautiful.  There are aggregates, such as stone or seashells, than can be added to the concrete to make patterns in your floor.  There are also different etchings and lines that can be used for visual effect.  If you want, we can even make your polished concrete floor look just like tile, only it will be more durable, better for the environment, and far easier to clean than tile could ever be.  Staining and dyeing are also commonly-used processes in concrete-polishing that produce lovely effects after the floor is shined and sealed. 

Polished concrete is one of the most environmentally aware things you can do in your building process.  Not only does polishing your concrete only use the concrete base of your building, getting rid of the material waste and excess energy use that accompanies installing hardwood, vinyl, carpet or coatings, but it also reduces mold, dust mites and allergens in the indoor environment of your building or home, providing an excellent environment for working and living.  Many of its attributes make polished concrete a contributor to LEED certification.  The LEED project (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a ranking system used to rate the relative environmental benefits of building projects.  If your structure is LEED certified, you may be eligible for tax exemption or subsidies from your local government. 

Perfect Polish can help you achieve all of these things and more with your space.  Let our expert concrete polishers revolutionize your home or business. 

The LEED Project (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system designed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993.  The rating system is based on six significant aspects of structural integrity including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design processes.  The LEED project involves not only the rating system for building standards, but also a great deal of programming related to the spread of sustainable building techniques in the contracting and building market. One of the greatest new sustainable technologies for green building is no doubt polished concrete, as it contributes to several of the LEED rating categories. 

LEED-certified buildings use resources more efficiently in the building process.  Additionally, because they use less hazardous materials and processes, LEED-certified buildings are healthier for employees to work in, improving overall employee satisfaction and subsequently the quality of their work.  LEED incentive programs, such as tax-free basic materials (one of which is concrete) have made building green structures less expensive, and therefore more popular and common.  Polished concrete eliminates the waste of resources by using only the base concrete of a building rather than external materials such as carpet, vinyl, hardwood, etc.  Additionally, polished concrete flooring improves the atmosphere inside a building by eliminating dust, mold and other allergens from the environment.  The lack of hazardous chemicals and substances involved in the concrete-polishing process and concrete floor staining also improves the indoor environment.  Polished concrete is an innovative process as well, so that contributes to its LEED status too.  

If you are in the process of planning a new building project or renovation, it is a great idea to make the LEED project part of your planning process.  Many states have introduced tax incentives and rewards for businesses that choose to build according to LEED standards.  The higher your building’s LEED certification, the higher your tax exemption or subsidy.  In addition to being great for the environment, a lot of green building processes, polishing concrete specifically, are less expensive than more common, more dangerous and wasteful methods of construction.  Adopting LEED standards and earning certification not only helps to preserve the environment, but it may also save your company money in many ways. 

Polished concrete is an excellent innovative new option for flooring.  It makes use of the concrete base of your building, grinding it down and then shining it for beautiful and effective results.  Some people add paint, stain or other embellishments for visual effect, which are then sealed with epoxy or urethane for preservation.   is cost-effective, efficient, aesthetically pleasing, long-lasting, easy to care for, and clearly one of the most environmentally friendly construction options available right now.  Choosing to make polished concrete flooring part of your business plan right now and choosing to go for a LEED certification will be a positive decision, the effects of which you will feel for years to come, whether you are building a business or simply re-designing your home.