Polished Concrete Flooring Systems
January 31, 2021

POLISHED CONCRETE FLOORING SYSTEMS

Adding a polished concrete flooring system may be the best solution for your flooring project.
Polished Concrete Flooring Systems

Polished Concrete Flooring is an Excellent Solution for Commercial, Industrial, Institutional and Residential Floors

When you run a business – whether small, big or something in between – you have to make decisions every day. To be successful, those decisions must be good ones. Additionally, many of your choices will be long-term, affecting the company for years to come.

For example, you may need to select a floor for your commercial space. Conventional flooring, such as ceramic tile, vinyl, wood, or bare concrete, may look bland, be challenging to keep clean and sanitary, or become significantly damaged within a year or two of installation. It's an expensive process for your business if you have to re-install flooring every few years.

Therefore, adding a polished concrete floor system may be the best solution for your flooring project. Certified installation experts begin by grinding the surface until it is smooth. You can choose anything from a high-gloss finish to a softer, satin look. This flooring system ensures durability, style, and an outstanding long-term value for your financial investment. That's just good business!

You may have never heard of a polished concrete floor system and have no idea whether you should have one installed. Polished concrete can look beautiful, be less expensive, and is environmentally friendly.

Read on to learn more about polished concrete floors to make the best decision for your company.

    What Is Polished Concrete?

    Because it uses materials already present, polished concrete is considered a great sustainable flooring option and has become very popular for commercial and industrial spaces. Modern structures and buildings are built on concrete slabs and have poured concrete floors. Using the exposed concrete and polishing it instead of applying another covering, labor and material expenses for installing carpet, tile, vinyl, etc., are eliminated. This becomes a greener and less expensive solution for the building.

    The concrete surface is smoothed with special equipment, and the finished look can vary from a high gloss to a low luster. Similar to sandpaper, the grinding equipment uses diamond abrasive disks. These disks grind the concrete's surface to take out bumps, pits, and rough or uneven patches until it is smooth. Once the grinding is complete, a concrete densifier and hardener is applied. This hardens the surface to create a more durable and abrasion-resistant floor. Once the hardener has dried, additional fine grinding is done to give it the finish you've chosen.

    Depending on the environment, a water and oil repellant can be applied. If you want a custom look, a dye or stain can be added as well. Polished concrete is low maintenance, attractive, and lasts longer before it needs to be polished or repaired again.

    More Polished Concrete Benefits

    Not only are polished concrete floors considered "green," they do not support mold growth and reduce allergen issues and dust mites – making these floors cleaner and healthier for employees and customers. It also reduces energy and staff costs as a low maintenance flooring system. 

    Lighting costs are reduced because many facilities report that polished concrete's light reflectivity means using less electric lighting. Overall, polished concrete floors are very cost-effective.

    Visually Appealing

    You've probably spent hours selecting other decorative elements such as paint colors, office furniture, window treatments, etc., for your commercial space but may have overlooked the floor. A polished concrete floor system for your retail space, showroom, or business can create additional visual appeal. Designs and colors can be customized for your business, too. 

    You have the option of having the floor polished to a glossy mirror-like finish or a soft satin sheen. Design combinations for patterns, colors, and aggregate exposure are nearly infinite. The amount and size of stone correlate to aggregate exposure during polishing. The surface appearance ranges from salt and pepper look with fine-grained sand to a rougher look with larger, one-inch-sized pebbles exposed.

    A Polished Concrete Floor System is Durable

    Whether it's snow, ice, and salt tracked in from the outdoors, dropped boxes and tools, or forklift tires digging in, everyday activities can severely damage a commercial floor and create safety hazards. However, applying a special concrete coating offers durability against spills, moisture, impacts, abrasions, and other damage to keep your floors beautiful and adequately functioning for many years.

    Lower Maintenance and Healthier

    Tile, bare concrete, carpet, and wood planks have cracks, crevices, and chips into which dirt and moisture can settle. It's not acceptable or safe for a business to have floors that allow grime, oil, and water to collect. Polished concrete does not support mold growth and reduces dust and dust mites, reducing allergen issues overall. Because a polished concrete floor system is more durable, it's also much easier to keep clean. This floor needs minimal effort to maintain through daily sweeping, spot cleaning, mopping, or occasional pressure washing.

    So Versatile

    A polished concrete floor system is the ideal solution for your flooring needs, no matter what kind of business you have. You can choose from various colors, designs, finishes, type of surface appearance, amount of shine, and more. This flooring choice works well in these settings:

    • Retail spaces
    • Showrooms
    • Warehouses
    • Big Box stores
    • Factories
    • Hair salons/barber shops
    • Office buildings
    • Bars
    • Hotels
    • And more

    Most business environments aren't easy on concrete floors. They can become significantly damaged because of caustic chemicals, dropped items, heavy foot traffic, scraping chairs or table legs, and machinery weight. Concrete floor coatings are specially designed to stand up to daily wear and tear and extreme conditions and are an excellent choice for all kinds of businesses. Consider having your logo, business colors, or a specific pattern printed into the floor to make more of an impact.

    Satisfaction Guaranteed

    You can be confident in your flooring choice because warranties always protect floor coatings. Your financial investment is safe, and your satisfaction is guaranteed.

    Unmatched in the industry, Creative Maintenance Solutions (CMS) offers up to a 5-year limited warranty on floor systems. This covers all workmanship and material performance.

    An Example of A CMS Commercial Flooring Solution

    Recently, CMS installed a polished concrete floor system at a Brookfield facility, Wisconsin. This building, which currently houses research and development, had been used for heavy manufacturing for many years. The old floors were covered with VCT (vinyl composition tile) and damaged by heavy foot traffic, machinery, and continuous abuse. Once the tiles were removed, the underlying concrete needed to be patched in several places where it was pitted and cracked before anything else could be done.

    The customer requested that CMS match the hallways with the rest of the facility's flooring. Together, they decided that the best solution was to install a polished concrete floor system with exposed aggregate.

    This type of concrete flooring uses a more heavily ground surface to expose larger stone pieces (approximately one inch in size) in the floor.

    This finish is often chosen when custom aggregate has been seeded in the substrate. However, older concrete may limit how deeply the floor can be ground down.


    This finish will protect their floors for years. It will also set their space apart from the rest of the buildings in the complex. Here are the steps CMS took to install a more beautiful, durable, and low maintenance floor:

    Step 1: CMS removed the existing vinyl composition tile (VCT) floors and mastic after setting up proper protection for the walls and ceilings.

    Step 2: Under the VCT flooring, CMS removed some existing epoxy flooring hidden underneath.

    Step 3: To expose the aggregate and smooth out the floor's surface, CMS began the diamond grinding process.

    Step 4: To create a smooth surface, they filled in cracks and divots and patched all joints.

    Step 5: CMS continued the grinding process up to 200 grit. A concrete hardener and densifier were applied to the floor, which creates a harder surface with more abrasion resistance and durability.

    Step 6: With resin discs up to an 800-grit finish, they began the polishing process for a satin-like sheen.

    Step 7: CMS applied a water and oil repellant to protect the floors from potential staining.

    Step 8: Once the surface was dry, CMS allowed employees to use the hallways again.


    Before and After

    Before the new flooring application, this facility's floors were dingy, scuffed, cracked, and dull. When the process was complete, the surfaces were shiny, clean, durable, and easily maintained. The client was thrilled with both the process and the outcome.

    After
    Before

    About Creative Maintenance Solutions

    Make a great business decision that will continue to be the right one for many years. Creative Maintenance Solutions (CMS) can provide your company with a super-durable polished concrete floor system for your office space, warehouse, school, or wherever you need a new floor.

    Since 1989, the CMS staff has worked alongside clients to design ideal flooring solutions for their work environments. CMS listens to their client's requirements and offers various design and color options to improve their floors' cleanliness, durability, safety, and looks.

    CMS also offers a diverse and wide range of flooring types. This includes surface preparation and concrete sealer, decorative concrete, urethane cement, polished concrete, epoxy floor coatings, and more. Every project may have its challenges and issues, but CMS works diligently to provide solutions to fit their client's needs.

    Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, CMS has a top reputation nationwide for providing state-of-the-art, quality floor systems to businesses throughout the US. The entire staff continues to educate themselves on safety issues, business needs, and new products to serve their clients, ranging from homeowners to Fortune 500 companies. CMS is committed to offering outstanding customer service, high-quality installation, and the industry's best guarantees.

    For more than 30 years, the skilled and professionally trained staff has supplied their clients with expert and real solutions with top-notch flooring. These solutions span various needs, deadlines, and budgets and lay the foundation for a productive and safe work environment.

    Contact CMS Today!

    Does your business have flooring needs? Find out which of the CMS concrete flooring systems is best for you. Find out why CMS is the preferred floor coating company for hospitals, manufacturing facilities, offices, and more all across the country. They provide outstanding service to businesses who want long-lasting, beautiful, and durable concrete floors.

    Creative Maintenance Solutions has the best flooring solutions for your business. Make a good business decision.

    Contact Creative Maintenance Solutions for an assessment and free estimate of your project today!