Choosing the Right Finish for Polished Concrete Floor
Choosing the right option from a range of polished concrete finishes is an important decision. With the right polished concrete, your flooring will last longer, look better, function better, and be easier to maintain.
Here at Designer Floors, we know what it takes to get a concrete finish perfect. As the leading concrete polishing business in Perth, our expert team are experienced in offering a variety of different finishes to suit your needs, preferences and specific applications.
So how do you know what sort of flooring polish is right for your concrete? Let’s dive into the options below.
Understanding Different Types of Polished Concrete Finishes
HiPERFLOOR Mechanical Polished Concrete
HiPERFLOOR mechanical polished concrete is a comprehensive and high performance polishing system used across both residential, commercial and industrial applications.
It is accomplished through grinding the concrete surface with heavy-duty machines and the use of abrasives to remove any imperfections, coatings or contaminants. Any cracks or holes are repaired as well to leave a smooth and flat surface.
Next, a liquid chemical hardener, called a densifier, is applied. This helps the concrete form a harder, denser surface. From there the actual polishing can take place to achieve the desired aesthetic and feel. Additional applications, such as stain guard protection can be added as well to ensure the longevity and aesthetic of the concrete.
HiPERFLOOR polished concrete offers numerous benefits.
1. Durability – this polished concrete finish is hardy against heavy foot and vehicle traffic.
2. Aesthetic – the polished concrete matte finish brings out the natural beauty of the concrete and can be customised to suit your preferred style of high gloss, matte or semi-gloss finishes.
3. Low Maintenance – easy to clean and minimal maintenance makes this a practical concrete finish solution.
4. Hypoallergenic – its hypoallergenic quality also makes it a comfortable and useful option for applications where loved ones or visitors may suffer from allergies.
5. Safety – properly polished and treated concrete floors can offer greater slip resistance and reduce the likelihood of accidents.
Nevertheless, HiPERFLOOR mechanical polished concrete does incur an initial financial cost as well as some ongoing maintenance costs. Nevertheless, its long term durability more than makes the return on the investment worth it.
Acrylic Polished Concrete
Acrylic polished concrete is a cost-effective polished concrete floor finish. With this flooring, the concrete surface is first cleaned thoroughly to remove dirt, grease and other coatings. Then it is repaired to get rid of surface imperfections and ground down to achieve the desired aesthetic and feel.
To harden the surface, a chemical concrete densifier can be used as well before finally the application of the topical acrylic sealer takes place. This is to achieve a polished concrete look.
This acrylic sealer can be applied by brush, through a spray or with a roller and adds a protective as well as an aesthetic layer.
Acrylic polished concrete floors finishes offer a number of benefits as well.
1. Cost-effective – As one of the more affordable polished concrete finishes, acrylic sealants are a great choice.
2. Aesthetic – Apart from its ability to bring out the glossy, attractive finish quality inherent in concrete, it can also be tinted to achieve various colours and decorative effects.
3. Easy maintenance – This polished concrete offers easy and simple maintenance to keep it looking and functioning beautifully.
4. Fast application – relative to some other options, acrylic concrete is not just cheaper to install but also quicker and simpler to apply.
5. UV and moisture resistant – the special acrylic coating helps to protect your concrete flooring from the damaging effects of both UV rays and moisture.
One note to consider with acrylic polished concrete is the need for a topical sealer to be replied every three to seven years to maintain its appearance and durability.
Honed Outdoor Polished Concrete
Honed outdoor polished concrete is another great option. Similar to the acrylic polished concrete option, honed concrete’s installation process begins with the thorough cleaning of debris, dirt and contaminants. Once done, the surface layer is ground down using abrasive materials and grinding tools to achieve a smooth composition. Here the process differs slightly.
Continued honing of the surface, a process which is less aggressive and finer than grinding, achieves a thoroughly smooth and aesthetically matte finish. Depending on particular preferences for texture and visual style, one can achieve a variety of looks and feels based on the extent to which the honing takes place. Once this is achieved the chemical densifier is applied to harden the surface and ensure its long-term durability.
There are a number of benefits to honed outdoor polished concrete.
1. Versatility – A honed polished concrete finish is perfect for use in everything from driveways to footpaths and from alfresco areas to patios.
2. Outdoor durability Among all the polished concrete finishes, honed concrete offers a unique set of characteristics such as family-friendly slip-resistance, UV and weather resistance, pet friendly material and stain resistance.
3. Smooth aesthetic – the smooth and attractive finish of honed concrete blends a sophisticated matte-look with a perfectly complementary style for outdoor environments.
4. Easy maintenance – this choice of polished concrete flooring requires minimal maintenance with just clean water and mild detergent.
5. Light reflectivity – Thanks to the lack of a high-gloss finish, this concrete option balances the right level of light reflectivity required of an outdoor space at night without overwhelming brightness during the day.
Honed polished concrete can be converted after installation into honed outdoor polished using existing washed aggregate at a later stage, if one so chooses.
Choosing the Right Polished Concrete Finish
If you need help finding the right option for you, ask yourself the following questions:
• How are you intending on using the space?
• How much traffic are you anticipating the floor being exposed to?
• What is your budget for initial installation and ongoing maintenance?
• What aesthetic do you prefer?
• What outdoor conditions and environmental factors do you need to consider for your choice of finish?
Check out our gallery today
To see what our range of polished concrete floor finish options look like in real life, why not check out our gallery here. After all, seeing really is believing.
But we think hearing is believing as well. Here are just some of the reviews we here at Designer Floors have received from past clients.
“All I can say is wow… I am so pleased with the outcome.” – Lauren
“Very professional. Honest. Excellent job done on my house concrete polishing. Highly recommend[ed].” – Leila
“I can say without any hesitation that [Designer Floors] has been above and beyond the most professional person I have met.” – Andrea
Explore our polished concrete finish options today
The Designer Floors team is ready to help you with all your polished concrete needs. Whether you’d like to check out our range of finishes, view our portfolio of work or get in contact with us for a free consultation and quote, make sure to click here today.