Polished Concrete

[thegarageguy]

Hey veedubman21 give of some pics

[Td_20]

nice floor!

[joes169]

Originally Posted by thegarageguy

So the salt intrusion doesn't affect it at all, right?

Did you miss the part where he said what the use of the shop actually was? I don't see him, or his customers, dragging much salt, or any de-icer for that matter, into his shop. Odds are the first thing they do to a dirty car is wash it down the drain anyways, wouldn't you think????

[thegarageguy]

Originally Posted by joes169

Did you miss the part where he said what the use of the shop actually was? I don't see him, or his customers, dragging much salt, or any de-icer for that matter, into his shop. Odds are the first thing they do to a dirty car is wash it down the drain anyways, wouldn't you think????

You sound like you are taking something against me very personal....please step away from the cpu, take a deep breath and relax....

[Theo911]

What did you do with the expansion joints and other cracks before the grinding/sanding started? Floor looks fantastic! Is there a specific grinder model that is preferred for this process? or type of abrasive pad? It seems like it may even be worth buying one if you are in need of future upkeep or buffing. or not?

[LegacyIndustrial]

Salt, milk, lemonade, pickle juice, etc...will all do harm to a polished floor if not cleaned up right away. This is why it is not recomended for a garage.

[Chucktown]

Originally Posted by LegacyIndustrial

Salt, milk, lemonade, pickle juice, etc...will all do harm to a polished floor if not cleaned up right away. This is why it is not recomended for a garage.

Is there any way to seal a polished floor to prevent that? Would higher psi concrete make any difference?

[dcs Inc]

The higher the shine, the tighter the surface. Bring it up to a 1500 or even a 3000 grit and the surface is really tight. Doesn't mean it's full proof on acidics. It will soak stains a lot slower if at all, depending on the product that's spilled.

Most polished floors are spec'd at a 400 or 800 grit. Looks great but the lower the grit, the more maintenance needed to keep that shine.

[thegarageguy]

Just visited a restaurant this weekend I did little over a year ago....the dining was spec'd 3000 grit polish and I convinced the owner to go designer epoxy in the entry way foyer, bathrooms and in the service area we did a quartz floor. The tile guy was pissed. ...anyway, my point. .....the owner used a degreaser on the floor and pulled all the color and shine off the floor. Unfortunately the floor looks like shit. The owner didn't know that only ph neutral cleaner can be used on polished concrete floors. Btw, the epoxy floors in the entry way, bathrooms and service area....PERFECT! The quarry tile cracked already and grout cruddy. Point of the story. ...do not use degreaser or heavy duty cleaner on your polished concrete floor. Read your maintenance guidelines and adhere to it.

[steve in nj]

Good to know LI and garage guy. For an unfinished bare concrete floor, is salt something that should be guarded ?

[gpalmer77]

Originally Posted by LegacyIndustrial

Salt, milk, lemonade, pickle juice, etc...will all do harm to a polished floor if not cleaned up right away. This is why it is not recomended for a garage.

What? I can't eat pickles in my garage now? Well, that's just great.

Okay, I jest. But what would be more useful to me, as someone who is considering a polished floor, is how well it stands up to garage spills. Brake fluid, oil, grease, diff fluid etc. I know walmart floors hold up well, but they wax them a lot I would bet.

[thegarageguy]

Salt will eat away at the concrete and eventually deteriorate it prematurely. As far as home depot or walmarts, they are not waxed but auto scrubbed on a nightly basis as well as re polished on a monthy basis. In the Walmart I frequent, they seal the entry area with an acrylic as a sacrificial layer for the winter. By mid winter its completely delaminated and looks like hell but it helps preserve the polished floor from the rigors of winter slush and salt that gets dragged in, I guess. Next time you guys are in Walmart or Home Depot, notice where they stock liquids and let us know how stained they are. You'd be surprised. Again, in my opinion, polished concrete is not a good choice for a garage. Brings me to a garage job I just closed on and will be installing the first week of October. The client wanted polished concrete because he heard how great it is.....had someone make him a sample in his garage, 4 squares, 3 with color and one natural. I said, wow, looks great...I lightly dampened a rag with acetone and gave his beautiful polished sample a quick swipe. Pulled the color completely off and dulled it out. I closed the deal on a grind, hone, stain and epoxy - polyurethane seal. I'll post pics when I'm done.

[Fastback]

A buddy of mine has been the concrete floor guy for the build of a few walmarts, those are not technically "polished floors" but are in fact over troweled to the point of overheating the surface to close it up and create that swirl in the intergral color.

I had him do my humble little shop floor like that and I can demonstrate how to destroy the look......and now to bring it back. I cannot imagine pickle juice being more harsh than reducer,thinner, clear coat and various blends of auto body solvents spilled all over the floor. I guess cure & seal is some amazing stuff.






Satin seal/finish for less slip.



Now if I could get my lift clean.

[thegarageguy]

Just note, I'm an installer, not a seller of products...I do not have ulterior motives....just a guy trying to educate consumers

A great article came out today. Keeping the Shine: Training in Maintaining Polished Concrete Floors

[toolman82]

We have polished floors in the garage at work, and haven't had any problems from the salt. The garage is mainly just for storage of cars, so in the winter we pull in the cars full of snow and ice, No drains either.

Its held up for 2.5 yrs+ so far. Not as shiny, but then again I haven't cleaned or buffed it the whole time its been in. Sweeps up nice and is still pretty reflective.

[Chucktown]

Originally Posted by toolman82

We have polished floors in the garage at work, and haven't had any problems from the salt. The garage is mainly just for storage of cars, so in the winter we pull in the cars full of snow and ice, No drains either.

Its held up for 2.5 yrs+ so far. Not as shiny, but then again I haven't cleaned or buffed it the whole time its been in. Sweeps up nice and is still pretty reflective.

Any chance we could get a picture?