Concrete polished: advantages and general characteristics

Polished concrete floors today are quite common and well-known. They can be seen in shopping centers, large halls and airports both in Russia and abroad. This technology of production of floors has proved itself to be economical and reliable, it attracts increasing attention of experts in the production of floor coverings. Polished concrete at the moment has already turned into a separate area for building materials, which has acquired a dynamic development. Let's look at its advantages, production technology, varieties, and also refute a number of misconceptions that exist on the Russian construction market and lead to irrational money losses.

A bit of history of polished concrete

Technology came to our country from abroad. It has been practiced in the US and other foreign countries for thirty-five years already. Abroad, no object under construction is complete without the creation of a floor made of such material. It is very popular polished concrete. Photos and other images of such coatings are impressive with their beauty.

The technology is used almost everywhere, regardless of the purpose of the future object: concrete (polished) is a suitable material for premises with a large flow of people: shopping complexes, warehouses, business centers. It also found application in country houses and apartments, where it is used as a final covering and is for the domestic homeowners a new kind of flooring.

Development of material in Russia

At present, the technology for the production of polished concrete has already been strengthened in our country. It is becoming more popular every day. Certainly, in its development in the domestic market, it experienced some difficulties. One of the main reasons that has long prevented the formation of polished concrete as an alternative to other floor coverings is its poor quality. For a long time it was not considered as the final material for sex. Therefore, its quality was not subject to extensive requirements, such as strength, density and aesthetic appearance. This prevented the active promotion in the domestic market of such material as concrete. The polished floor is now actively used. It is not a draft warrant, the attitude towards its qualitative characteristics is gradually changing.

Required Properties

Concrete for flooring must first have a brand strength of at least B22.5, be well vibrated and rubbed, have any filler except limestone rocks. An important condition is the time that has elapsed since the installation of the concrete base. It should be about twenty-eight days, no less.

The remaining conditions will primarily affect the speed of work:

• The concrete is subjected to an equalization operation to eliminate the differences;
• Such coatings can be restored to smooth out chipped or cavities;
• Old concrete floors can be partially restored.

But such operations require additional financial costs and free time. Only by observing the above properties can we achieve high quality of such material as polished concrete. Sex, subject to all requirements, will differ from other coatings with durability and aesthetic appeal with low monetary costs. Of course, you can use alternative materials: decorative polymer concrete, which does not require a ten centimeter tie or reinforcement, if you do not want to do a lot of mechanical work. But then the final price tag of such sexes will increase.

Common Errors

After obtaining a concrete base, it is necessary to proceed to work on its polishing and polishing. And it is at this stage that most mistakes are allowed. Let's look at the main ones.

1. Mashing with "helicopters" to give concrete shine. Indeed, with this method of smoothing the gloss will be present, but will be short-lived and will still disappear during operation.
2. Grinding with CO or GM machines. Using this tool, you can not achieve the desired brilliance. A lot of tests were carried out using the technique, which showed that the surface is only matte. These grinders do not have sufficient rotational speed to produce a durable gloss and they do not have a planetary mechanism to achieve a high-quality surface.
3. Polishing by the "Bulgarian". Its use is not recommended, as the result will be bad due to the lack of sufficient weight, ability to observe the horizon and its very low performance. "Bulgaru" is best used to perform auxiliary work on the perimeter (it is perfect for polishing hard-to-reach places).
4. Application of lacquer coating to obtain gloss. This method was used in the nineties, covering ordinary stone floors with wax or varnish to give them a shiny surface. The use of varnish changes the whole essence of the material: it is incompatible with polished concrete. The technology of its production implies a natural sheen achieved by proper machining. Moreover, the lacquer coating is quickly erased during operation and all aesthetic beauty deteriorates.

Consider the procedure for the correct polishing of concrete, as well as the tool used for this.

How to polish concrete?

First of all, it is necessary to conduct preparatory work to study the area to be treated for the absence of foreign bodies and fittings, to make measurements of brand strength, to analyze the presence of chips, cracks, and various differences with their further correction.

For the execution of works it is recommended to involve specialists in repair of premises. But it's also possible to get polished concrete with your own hands with sufficient effort and attention. What is polished concrete? It is best to use highly professional equipment - grinding machines that have a planetary mechanism of operation.

They allow you to carry out all the preparatory work, as well as basic surface polishing. All grinding usually occurs in a dry mode, without the use of water. Therefore, even an industrial vacuum cleaner is needed to remove fine dust. For good processing of the perimeter of the surface and hard-to-reach places, it is better to use special edge machines or "bulgark".

In addition to mechanical work to obtain a quality concrete surface, you need to use special chemical compounds that allow it to "dust" and harden. One of the best types of such chemistry in the domestic market is Ultralit.

Stages of formation of a floor from the polished concrete

First of all, to obtain an ideal concrete surface, it is necessary to carry out its alignment and rough grinding. The purpose of such actions is to remove large irregularities. The second stage includes works on the restoration of potholes and caverns. Their result should be to obtain a uniform flat surface. Here, it is dedusted and hardened.

The third stage is the final grinding or polishing. There is a removal of micro-scratches. And, finally, work on final polishing, which is also called fine grinding, is done. Their goal is the process of caramelization of the surface, through which it acquires a steady luster.

Finally, it is possible to treat concrete polished with various chemicals to give it additional properties, for example, anti-skid. It is important to understand that the main parameters in the production of such concrete will always be the volume of the consumed material, its mass and the speed at which the final product is obtained. And the right combination of indicators will make from a normal floor a wonderful "mirror." However, concrete, polished and shiny, can be used not only for flooring. It is also used during the creation of other surfaces.

Manufacture of concrete countertops. Preparatory stage.

The worktop is a necessary attribute in the arrangement of any apartment. And it can be made with your own hands made of concrete, which then needs to be polished to obtain aesthetic appeal. Consider the technology of manufacturing a countertop with a "marble" coating.

For work you will need only a grinding machine with a planetary mechanism of operation and attachments to large, small grain and suede, and also a screwdriver. First of all, you need to collect the wooden formwork for the future countertop. It is very important to choose a stable and strong frame to it. To do this, you can use regular bars in the size of fifty to fifty millimeters. To test the strength of the construction, resort to tricks - the frame must withstand your weight.

The main stage of the work is the production and polishing of concrete

To get a concrete solution you need to stock up a bucket of cement and water. The ingredients are mixed, then add a couple of buckets of sand to the mass and the same bucket of buckwheat. The prepared mortar should be slowly poured into the frame to the desired height and left for ten days to freeze. The surface must be smoothed out so that there are no unevennesses. After the necessary amount of time, the formwork is carefully removed - work begins on finishing and polishing the concrete. They have already been described previously, so we will not dwell on this in detail. It is worth noting only that the polishing is first made by packing for a large grain, then fine-grained, and after suede with the addition of impregnation. After carrying out all the necessary work you will get a great worktop made of polished concrete.

Finally

Finally, it should be noted what properties should have a high-quality polished concrete (surface) and this must always be remembered:

• It should not be dusted;
• Surface is not a film material;
• It has an attractive appearance through a steady gloss;
• Durability and ease of operation;
• With ease is restored.

The domestic market has already adapted to the technology of obtaining concrete coatings. And now you can meet a sufficient number of masters in this field, ready to offer their services.