Polishing the concrete is an easy and practical way to revive the floor’s natural beauty. And with advanced techniques nowadays polishing suits both indoors and outdoors. Is polishing good for every concrete condition? Natural causes bring flaws to durable material.
Ergo it would help if you had concrete polishing Tampa to refinish the look of the floors. It would be best if you weighed the good things and bad things.
Concrete Flooring Pros and Cons
Even though that concrete flooring cemented its spot as the top choice for flooring, there are pros and cons that you need to consider. In doing this, you will be able to reap the best of its benefits.
Here are some of the best things to remind us about concrete flooring:
- Durable floors
- Long lifespan
- Aesthetic adaptability
- Low maintenance
- Cost-effective and cost-efficient
Meanwhile, here are a few notable cons of concrete floors that you need to be aware of.
- Compared to other materials, concrete has a less tensile strength
- Concrete’s weightier than it is stronger. This is why concrete needs reinforcement
- Salty concrete or forms efflorescence that weakens the surface
- It needs major expensive repair if reinforcements get damaged
Having an open eye to see what happens beyond the surface lets you practice proper care and maintenance.
Polishing: A Quick Look
Nothing can be simpler than having a no-wax floor. The polished look on the surface comes out using a method called grinding. A specialized machine has diamond grits running over the surface that make it smooth, even, and fine-looking. It looks as if the floors are waxed or sealed with a shiny coating.
To Polish or Not: Benefits of Polished Concrete
Now that you got a closer look at concrete and weighed its bad and good sides, you can decide better if polished concrete is for you or not.
Here are the notable good sides of the polished concrete:
Polished concrete helps brighten up the space!- Polished concrete reduces required maintenance
- Slip-resistance increases with polishing
- Polishing outdoor concrete helps maintain vehicle’s tires
- Mechanical polishing revives the life of old floorings
- Polishing is both time and cost-efficient
- Polished concrete is environmentally friendly
- Concrete polishing Tampa is sustainable compared to other types of flooring applications
Polished concrete helps brighten up the space!Disadvantages of Polished Concrete?
Looking at the smooth and glimmering surface, it seems like there is nothing wrong that comes with it. There are a few disadvantages when you have polished concrete, though. But if you’ll examine closely, the pros will still outweigh the cons.
Now, what are these disadvantages that you need to see to know how to manage them?
- Vulnerable to Moisture
Polished concrete is still concrete, and you need to seal the surface whatever application you choose.
- If Not Sealed, will acquire Deep Settling Stain
Many users may not make an effort to seal the concrete since a polished finish is simple and quick to achieve.
But then, there comes the big problem. A polished concrete without proper sealing and finishing will have its pores open to all sorts of damaging elements. If liquids stain the surface, these materials will soon seep into the tiny pores of the concrete.
Chemicals and any liquids expose the concrete to stains. When they seep in deep into the core of the slabs, these stains will be difficult to remove. And worse is they will become so apparent on concrete surfaces for everyone to see.
- Limited Aesthetic
This last disadvantage can also be used as its advantage. However, a polished finish will limit their options for those who need more to decorate the floor.
It is so because the apparent reason that polished concrete appears is plain and simple. No other decorative additives come on it.
So, choosing polishing will benefit those who need practical solutions to enhance the floor’s function. Finding and exploring more decorative applications will be your next step if custom designs and aesthetic appeal are what you want to take on the floors.
In the end, it is best to seek a professional contractor. Someone who would not only help you understand what needs to be done but bring out a polished finished product.