When it comes to commercial concrete flooring, there are several options to choose from, each with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Your existing concrete slab could be polished, ground, sealed, or coated with a commercial coating such as epoxy. Among the attributes to be considered with each of these options are appearance, durability, longevity, ease of cleaning, the time required for the process to be completed, and cost. The following article should help you determine which of these options is best for your business.
POLISHING
Polished concrete is a highly attractive and popular surface for many commercial spaces. It is also versatile since it can be stained to almost any color. The finished product is achieved by making many passes (typically six to eight) with a concrete grinder over a slab of concrete. Much like sandpaper, the diamond-studded tooling for a concrete grinder comes in many different grits. The process starts with a 40 grit tooling and continues until the concrete is ground to a 1600 or 3000 grit finish. The result is a high gloss, smooth floor that is easy to clean.
The downside to polished concrete is that the finish will dull over time and will need to be buffed or re-polished over time. In high-traffic areas, this deterioration can happen for just a couple of years. Polished concrete also lacks stain/chemical resistance. The surface is susceptible to stains from industrial chemicals, motor oil, salt, and everyday acids like soda. A spilled can of cola that isn’t cleaned up quickly can seep down into the concrete and cause discoloration that will be very difficult to get rid of.
Concrete polishing is also a long and labor-intensive process that can disrupt your business for a longer than an acceptable period of time. This time-consuming process also results in a high cost.
GRIND AND SEAL
A concrete grind and seal system is similar in appearance to polished concrete but has several key differences. The grind and seal process starts the same way as polished concrete but instead of making six to eight passes with a concrete grinder to achieve a 1600-3000 grit, it is only ground three to four times to a finish of 80-160 grit. After the grinding is completed, one prime coat and one top coat of a clear, urethane-based coating are applied. This results in a smooth finish that can be had in a high gloss, satin, or matte finish and can be stained in a variety of colors. Several levels of a traction increasing additive are also available to be applied to the topcoat.
The advantage of this process is that it is more durable/longer lasting than polished concrete thanks to the hardness of the urethane and can easily be brought back to a like-new appearance after years of wear by applying another coat of urethane. The urethane coating is just as easy, if not easier to clean than polished concrete and greatly exceeds polished concrete in stain resistance.
Grind and seal concrete is also less costly and requires less time than polished concrete since the number of grinding steps is cut in half.
EPOXY
An epoxy coating is a great solution for high traffic, industrial areas that see traffic from forklifts or other machinery due to its thickness and durability. An epoxy is also an excellent option for old, damaged concrete since it fills in divots and cracks of the slab and is self-leveling. The concrete only needs to be ground once before the coating is applied. The number of coats varies based on the design that you choose. Solid colors, metallic finishes, vinyl flake, and colored quartz granules are all options.
New and well-maintained epoxy floors are easy to clean, although the relative thickness of the coating makes it prone to deep scratches that can trap dirt and other contaminants. Epoxy does well in chemical resistance although it isn’t as strong in this area as urethane coatings. A clear urethane coating can be applied over an epoxy coating to improve chemical resistance if needed.
Epoxy floorings are sought-after as they offer plenty of benefits. They can completely transform your spaces as there is a wide range of colors and designs available. Redwop has a repute for offering top-grade epoxy floorings that make a huge difference to the aesthetics of your house. These floorings are easy to maintain and don’t cost a lot of money or effort as they are not quite maintenance-intensive.
Redwop has carved a name for itself in the realm of flooring material and solution manufacturing. Owing to our range of solutions, expertise, and innovative products we have earned the trust of thousands of distributors and customers across the world map.
To learn more about our coating solutions, contact us today.