Can any concrete floor or concrete screed be polished?
Vanessa Ashmore • July 30, 2021
Polished concrete is be coming increasingly popular but there is a misconception in the market that any exposed concrete surface can be polished to the extent that you can remove tiles from an existing floor and polish whatever is exposed. Unfortunately, it is not that simple.
Customers who enquire about a polished concrete floor generally have an idea of what the finished product should look like based on floors they have seen. Without knowing what constituted the concrete mix of the exposed slab, how it was floated, the depth and strength of the slab there is no way to know what type of finish will be possible beforehand. The possibilities range from a cream finish with almost no aggregate exposure to a speckled salt and pepper look or full aggregate exposure; three vastly different and distinct finishes. Removing the tiles also lowers the floor level which is potentially problematic for thresholds. The final finish that can be realised for a concrete floor is different too what is achievable with a concrete screed. The bigger aggregates used in a concrete floor make it possible to achieve a finish with at least some aggregate exposure, something the smaller aggregates used in concrete screed cannot accommodate.
Removing the tile glue and bringing the floor to level is time-consuming and labour-intensive to the extent that it may become onerously expensive when compared to other flooring alternatives. It is also possible that removing stubborn tile glue may damage the floor ultimately rendering it unsuitable for polishing.
We would propose stripping out the existing floor bed and replacing it with a suitably designed and floated concrete mix. The possible exception to this is suspended floors that will be subject to structural engineering approval. With a concrete mix designed specifically to achieve your aesthetic vision, we will be able to guarantee a finish that matches your vision.
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