Videos: How to Polish Concrete Floors

Get an overview of the origins and history of polished concrete as well as a detailed summary of the floor polishing process. Learn about planetary grinders, wet vs. dry grinding, chemical densifiers, diamond tooling and burnishing diamond impregnated pads (DIP). Get advice on which diamonds to use for each step: grinding, honing and polishing.

See what’s possible with polished concrete—looks that can be achieved include saw cuts, combinations with different mediums like stamping or wood planks, elaborate designs, embedded decorative aggregates, special colors and customized designs. See project examples to get ideas for polished floors.

Can this concrete floor be polished? Watch this video to find out. Many variables determine whether your concrete can be polished. Look specifically for surface blemishes and imperfections such as cracks, scratches, streaking, or cure lines so you know what you’re up against. Discover why slab flatness (FF) and levelness (FL) are also crucial to polishing success.

Get advice on how to repair minor floor imperfections prior to polishing. Repairs may include rebuilding joints, dealing with craze cracking, filling pits and voids, color matching with dyes and more. Learn which concrete repair products are best and discover the difference between repair products and joint fillers. Finally, get tips for making your repairs blend with the surrounding concrete so that the patches will be virtually unnoticeable after the floor is polished.

Compare the four classes of aggregate exposure and three levels of gloss outlined by the Concrete Polishing Association of America. Learn the differences between a topical or cream finish, salt and pepper finish, and exposed aggregate finish. See examples of polished concrete floors ranging from honed to highly polished.

See how stencils, stains & dyes, decorative aggregates, score cuts, sandblasting and more can be used to create logos, custom graphics, medallions and other decorative effects on a polished concrete floor. Also, get ideas for creating decorative edges using a microtopping and stencils. See examples of polishing projects that have customized graphics that take the job over the top.

From surface preparation through grinding, honing and polishing, this video provides an overview of the process of polishing overlays. Learn about concrete surface profiles, crack repair, priming, overlay application and thickness, tools that are commonly used, decorative embeds, and what grit sequences to use to achieve the final polish.

See an example of a floor that is not suitable for polished concrete and discover the decorative options available for such floors. Learn how cement based toppings can be used to resurface the floor, creating a new canvas. Compare microtoppings and macrotoppings, such as stampable overlays. In addition, see how self-leveling overlays can be polished to create a look similar to traditional polished concrete. Plus see how stencils, dyes, borders, epoxies, metallic pigments and saw cuts can be used to add special designs to a floor.

Get advice for polished concrete maintenance in both residential and commercial environments—includes information on daily cleaning, more involved maintenance procedures and how to maintain a floor treated with a topical guard. Also learn what types of floor cleaners and abrasive pads are good to use on polished concrete and which ones to avoid.