Decorate Home with Polished Flooring and Give a Different Look
Concrete treated with chemical densities and honed with finer grinding tools like diamond grinding tools to a high gloss finish are called Polished Concrete. Polished concretes are new and ultimate designs which have no wax and no coating flooring materials. Highly durable materials with concrete strength, these are new choice of floorings for even commercial purposes. Even people opting for shining, smooth and lustrous looking homes are opting for such floors which have the look of a polished stone.
The Technicalities:
• Diamond grinding tools and polishing pads are used to polish the concrete. Most often they are 100 mm thick and specified with under floor heating.
• Stains and dyes are used to get a polished look. Scoring, borders, bands, creating radial lines, grids, and other designs can also be applied.
Benefits of Polished Floor:
1. Sustainability: Concrete floors are a viable design flooring option as most of the current buildings are often built using concrete slabs, and the same can be used by getting the exposed concrete polished for a better look. These floors also eliminate the consumption of new materials and energy making it a greener option. Sanded down and polished or sealed, polished concrete can provide the choicest look of a traditional or a modern living room.
2. Maintenance: One of the easiest to maintain, the concrete needs just your daily cleaning or weekly mopping with warm soapy water. Polished concrete does not allow mould growth and it also reduces allergen and dust mite problems. It is also said to reduce lighting needs by improving natural lighting and its high coefficient of friction makes it a non slippery surface.
3. Economical: At about $2 to $6 per square foot to polish a plain gray slab, the cost of concrete floors is one of the lowest and highly economical. Also, along with the polished lustrous sheen, concrete’s own tonal differences, subtle cracks and aggregates gives a natural stone like feel.
4. Longevity: Polished concrete flooring properly hardened and maintained can last over 100 years or more. It has extremely long life compared to other forms of flooring.
5. Versatility. Superior durability and high performance of polished concrete makes it a better and worthy flooring alternative to marble, granite, tile, linoleum, or coated concrete. Also making it highly versatile to suit the needs of exterior application or different looks to go with living rooms to kitchens. For example different textured polishing can be used for a better indoor-outdoor transition. For exterior usage, a non wet look can be made by using silicone-based penetrating sealers. Concrete can also be made to looks nice with choice of walls from actual stone veneer walls to wooden finishes. It can be made to accentuate the rustic appeal of an aged mansion or provide the due luster of a marble finish for a modern home.
Important fact about Concrete Polished Floor
Concrete is incredibly hard hence dropping something or falling over can be a painful affair. Polished concrete flooring also tends to be cold underfoot. Different floor coverings like rugs can be used as per needs to give it a warm and textured feel. And the stony feel and coldness can be easily handled by combining it with under-floor heating.
Polished concrete is tough, durable, easy to maintain, without dust and mites and improves with age. With proper stains and dyes and range of sheen from satin to high gloss, concrete can be a crafty choice and a bargain that gives your office, warehouse or your home a warm, durable and lifelong floor.
