Generally acknowledged as one of the most stable building products available, concrete certainly is the most popular, with worldwide usage of it being twice that of steel, wood, plastics and aluminium combined.
Its applications are myriad, from the purely utilitarian through to the highly artistic and, again, its durability definitely speaks to its popularity. However, even concrete can suffer from ongoing damage.
“A concrete floor is subjected to wear from the day it’s laid—chips, scrapes and general abrasion wear—which can leave the surface looking tired and sub par,” says Jason Torbet, Director of Polished Concrete and developer of the MegaFloor system.
“Through a multistep process, we are able to refurbish your concrete floor to give it a new lease of life and in many instances leave it looking better than freshly laid.”
The team from Polished Concrete refurbished this retail environment with High Street, MegaFloor's most preferred diamond polished finish.
Diamonds are a floor’s best friend
Using diamond-tipped grinding pads, Polished Concrete’s team of experienced refinishers remove the top wear layer, along with any contaminants, including glue, coatings or uneven concrete latency, from the surface.
“Using progressively finer grinds—30-grit, 60-grit, 120-grit and 160-grit—we hone the concrete surface, removing anywhere from 2–3mm up to 5–10mm of the worn surface, depending on the client’s requirements and how much of the aggregate they wish to expose.
“We then apply MegaFill polymer filler to any holes or divots and ensure an absolutely smooth and flat surface. MegaHard potassium densifier is applied, which reacts with the free lime already in the concrete to create a granite-like hard surface.
“Then we begin the polishing process, using diamond-tipped resin polishing pads to achieve the level of finish required, from 50-grit up to an ultra-fine 3000-grit for a high-gloss finish,” says Jason. “The final step is the application of MegaGuard, a penetrating stain protector to further safeguard the newly refurbished surface.”
The result of all this honing and polishing, says Jason, is a surface similar in appearance to a granite benchtop with three levels of finish—matte, semi-gloss or high-gloss—possible.
“Because we achieve this level of finish through mechanical polishing rather than a polyurethane coating, the refurbished surface not only looks better for longer it is also more robust and better withstands day-to-day rigours. Additionally, it can be easily buffed at a later date, say for example, if the homeowners are moving on and want to zhuzh up their floor prior to selling.”
During the grinding and polishing process, a 3–5mm surface layer was removed to reveal the underlying aggregate.
An environmentally sensitive, high-end look for residential and commercial settings
Another benefit of mechanical polishing, says Jason, is that you’re not putting a toxic finish onto the concrete and therefore don’t have to worry about off-gassing or other VOC-related attributes.
“Likewise, there are no extended periods needed for drying or anything like that, the floor is ready for use immediately after the Polished Concrete team is finished. Also, there can be minimal disruption if required, with the team being able to work around BAU activities if given sufficient time to plan.”
For a standard residential project, Jason says the usual process takes two days with the honing component being completed on the first day and polishing on day two. However, the facility does exist for a job to be completed in one day. For commercial jobs, the process is obviously dictated by the size of the project but again, the team can typically complete honing an area of up to 500m2 per day.
“In all instances, we work closely with the architects and clients to ensure that the work schedule is maintained,” says Jason.
The MegaFloor system mechanically polishes the concrete surface rather than relying on potentially volatile chemicals to impart the gloss finish, meaning the floor is ready to walk on immediately after being finished.
Avoiding the ‘cowboys’
“The concrete grinding and polishing industry is unregulated and unfortunately not everyone involved is dedicated to providing the highest level of service, which means the end result is only ever going to be as good as the installer.
“That is why we came up with the MegaFloor system, to ensure that we stood out from the rest and consistently delivered the highest standard possible. It’s our way of self-regulating and I’m proud to say that MegaFloor, a New Zealand-developed system, is internationally recognised and awarded,” says Jason.
