Polished Concrete

[Azmotorhead]

After doing my last 3 garage floors with epoxy. And being less than pleased after a couple of years of hard use.
I decided to go a different route.
Took about 50hours to do 2400 sqft. But so far I am impressed.
Even though it looks slick it has a good adhesion even when its wet.

I used Consolideck LS/CS and LS guard from Prosoco

 

[BackNBlack89]

Looks very nice.What did you use to polish it with?Did you seal it with something?

 

[FakeName]

Tell us more, please.

 

[PeterT]

Looks great, I really wish I had done something like this. I did an epoxy that is peeling in many places.
Now I have to rip it all up. I guess the best method is just get out a scraper and scrap the pieces that peel up. Than get a diamond bit grinder, and grind out the rest?

 

[miketyler]

What products did you use previously and how didnt they hold up?

 

[skyking]

Wow ,Beautiful. 50 hrs. for many years of great floors. Thats what we all want.

 

[Azmotorhead]

Previous garages I had used Hydropox II. A water based 2 part epoxy,which I sourced locally. The epoxy always went down easily and looked great,even color,good gloss. I never had a problem with peeling or lifting.Just after working on it awhile (I do auto restorations and repair) it would start dulling and get all scratched up from moving equipment. So this time with my final garage I decided to go a different route.
The process for this floor was Grind with a diamond grinder. A HTC 500 was used i really could have used a bigger machine but the price to use this one was right(free). I started with a 16 grit then went to 40>80>100>200. after the 200 grind I had to sweep/ vacuum/mop the floor to get it really clean and free of dust then the Consolideck CS/LS was applied. this is a densifier and hardiner. after that dried,it dries within a hour. I ground with 400>800 I could have kept grinding with higher grits 1500,3000,4000 but I was happy with the sheen at 800. After another round of sweeping /vacuuming the LS guard was applied. Then I went over the floor with a hi speed buffer a couple of times. That is the end result.
It's a very time consuming job, not hard by any means just a slow process of grinding.
At the start

Done

 

[Azmotorhead]

If you go to a walmart in your area take a look at their floors they are done like this.

 

[Azmotorhead]

Looks great, I really wish I had done something like this. I did an epoxy that is peeling in many places.
Now I have to rip it all up. I guess the best method is just get out a scraper and scrap the pieces that peel up. Than get a diamond bit grinder, and grind out the rest?

A diamond grinder will remove the old paint & epoxy. Start with a 16 grit so It'll remove the epoxy and the concrete paste that is it top layer of your concrete.
The grinding process is very slow. You are basically doing a slow shuffle across your floor behind the grinder.
The Prosoco site has videos of their product being used

 

[miketyler]

That looks pretty good! I generally stay away from the water based products and the Sherwin Williams solvent based epoxy stuff is really all I have used. No, it doesnt hold up to welding and makes tiny burn spots but is pretty forgiving for most all else. I have a very light duty electric floor scubber I use maybe once a year and it always looks nice. Admittedly, it doesn't have the original gloss it did in the traffic areas but is holding up well otherwise.

 

[ConCretin]

That looks fantastic. Great job. I'd say your floor guys did a good job as well - that looks pretty darn flat with almost no waviness.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Great looking floor. Good idea to stop when you did. Full ascension will prove slippery when wet.

 

[thegarageguy]

A polished garage floor in the North East won't last past a winter

 

[Jose G]

i dont have a polished garage floor (too expensive for me) but i live in quebec, Canada (north east) and there is a lot of polished commercial flooring around here and they last.

 

[veedubman91]

looks great! i live in Pennsylvania and polished my floor as well. we went to 2000 and i can tell you i have no issues with slipping. i can also say that it has been 3 years of use with this finish and it still looks that same it did when i finished it. my garage is a working garage too, not a fancy show piece.

 

[thegarageguy]

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

 

[veedubman91]

not as of now no. perhaps it may down the road, but in 3 years it still looks the same it did after we finished it

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Veedubman:

A coat of polymeric wax will help protect the floor and better your chances against the salt. The salt inevitably will harm the finish.

 

[veedubman91]

Veedubman:

A coat of polymeric wax will help protect the floor and better your chances against the salt. The salt inevitably will harm the finish.

thank you for the advice, i will have to do that. i know that the floor will not look like this forever, but it is holding up very well, im pleased thus far

 

[spchiv]

I have polished concrete floor too. It's also polished to an 800 grit finish. We had a party in the garage a few weeks ago and someone spilled some lemonade that didn't get wiped up for several hours (it was under a table) and it etched the floor. So if you need a refreshment in your garage, I recommend beer.

 

[thegarageguy]

Hey veedubman21 give of some pics

 

[Td_20]

nice floor!

 

[joes169]

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]

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]

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 ****. 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]

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]

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?