polished concrete

[brwbier]

Can you do polished concrete as a DIY project? Even if not fully polished, can you rent the machine to do it? I wouldn't expect it to turn out as if a professional did it but I would like to try .
brwbier

 

[Falcon67]

When my slab was poured, I asked for it to be as smooth as they could make it. They used a powered "trowel" that runs like a floor buffer. I assume you could rent one for that purpose.

 

[Scramblur]

Power trowel wont do it. Yes you can do it yourself and you should check with your local rental shops. I couldn't get the economics to work out for me in Salt Lake. You need to rent the grinder, but nobody here had the array of grinding stones I needed to polish my floor available for rent. You can buy the stones for the machine you rent, but it was kind of expensive. It's like sanding wood... 60 grit, 100 grit, 150 grit... up to somewhere betweeb 800 and 1800 grit. Also need densifier, should be easy to get. I do think it's the best looking, most durable floor you can do.

 

[Small_words]

Second "Scramblur's" comment about power trowels. I'm a General Contractor and just came off making a concrete parking structure. Power trowels are great to use after the concrete has been screeded (leveled). The next step is to use a bull float to get it smoother still. Then, any tooled edges should be done and lastly is to cut the control joints about 6-24 hours after pouring (depending upon heat). After the concrete has fully cured, about 7-10 days, then you can grind it. So, if you want polished floors and you want to have it done inexpensively, you should do all the other work with a few friends' help on pour day and have a specialty company grind it for you. Otherwise you'll be spending a lot of weekends on your hands and knees grinding (floor sanders for wood floors aren't heavy enough to effectively grind).

 

[Scramblur]

I should have been more clear. I didn't mean you use wood products, just the same process, only with diamond stones in an Edco or similar grinder.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Generally not that stain resistant, and doesn't handle impact that well. Can look nice if maintained well.

 

[tncatadjuster]

They are really nice, but not what I would call an industrial floor, not even a shop floor except for those special few.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I take umbrage with the grinding comments.
Polished concrete, when done correctly, is extremely hard and will be resistant to gasoline, oil and diesel. We offer the densifier and the burnisher with stainguard.
Take a look.http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/concrete-polishing-c-22.html
-Scotty