Polished concrete, epoxy coatings and cement overlays have many decorative possibilities for garage and basement floors, restaurants, commercial kitchens, retail stores, showrooms and offices. Concepts in Concrete based in the Philadelphia area specializes in all 3. They serve home and business owners in Pensylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
As the economy continues to roar, home and business owners are investing in resurfacing their drab concrete floors with concrete polishing, epoxy coatings and decorative overlays.
You've likely seen polished concrete at many retail stores, restaurants, bars and grocery stores. Garages and basements are popular uses in residential homes. Each one you see is different. There are no two ever the same. That's one of the unique characteristics of decorative concrete. They are unique to each owner.
Polished concrete is the process of grinding and sanding the surface. The finished result can be shiny or matte finish. Concepts in Concrete who serves the Greater Philadelphia area and New Jersey starts by grinding the floor with coarse diamond blades. They use heavy duty vacuums to capture all the dust as they proceed. Then they repeat the steps with different levels of polishing blades.
Frequently there are 8 steps starting with coarse blades at 25-50 grit, then 100, 200 and 400. After the 400 grit level, they apply a liquid densifier. Densifiers react with concrete to tighten and close the pores in the cement surface. Minimizing the tiny pores in the surface enhances the polish and light reflection The next steps include 800 grit polishing pads. You can also use transparent stains and dyes for an amazing natural finish.
Not all cement floors are ideal for polishing. Some floors have blemishes that show through the polished finish. For example, if there was carpet tacked to the floor at the edges, once removed there are divots every 12 inches. Even if filled in, the blemishes will show. Blemishes like these can be throughout a floor. When this happens, the solution is an overlay.
There are different types of overlays. There are cementitious overlays and epoxy or polyaspartic coatings.
Due to the demand for polished concrete, manufacturers are constantly improving thin concrete overlays when the raw concrete surface is not ideal. Overlays are typically 1/16th - 1/8th inch thick. Thet are spread over the surface. They come in white or gray. Pigments can be added in any color. Stains and dyes can be added topically. They can be polished and sealed. They can be seamless or saw cuts can be created in tile patterns of any size.
Epoxy and polyaspartic coatings are another overlay alternative. Epoxy coatings have been available for many years. Typically used on industrial floors, decorative solutions are now available. In garage floors, acrylic chips are added to the wet base coat. This serves two purposes. First it builds a thicker, more durable surface. An alternative is to add colored quartz. Colored quartz is like multi colored sand. Both solutions create a thicker, more durable floor. The second benefit is a decorative result. Once either the chips or quartz are added, a urethane top coat is applied.
Polyaspartic coatings as mentioned are very similar to epoxy. Polyaspartics are typically used to resurface garage floors, basement floors, commercial kitchens, bathrooms and bar areas in restaurants. Polyaspartic coatings cure extremely fast. They can be applied in 1 day and used the next. Epoxy takes a few days to cure and a few more days before full use.
Due to the rapid cure time, it's very difficult to resurface large floors over 1,500 square feet unless you have a large crew or work in sections.
One more option available are metallic coatings. Metallic pigments can be applied to both epoxy and polyaspartic coatings creating the look of marble or stained, polished concrete.
For more information about garage floor epoxy and polished concrete solutions in Philadelphia, visit http://www.philadelphiaconcretefloor.com/flooring-types/epoxy-garage-floors
