What Are the Different Types of Polished Concrete?
One of the things that often surprises our clients is the sheer range of finishes that they can can choose from for their polished concrete flooring. The WoW factor finish, which tends to get shared most widely on social media, is the high-gloss polish. It’s not for everyone, though, and the DirectStone flooring specialists are always delighted to have the opportunity to show off the full range of finishes we can offer.
1. Bronze Polished Concrete
This is also known as a ‘Cream’ finish. It’s distinguished by the fact that the polishing process celebrates the natural texture and colouration of your concrete slab. Instead of grinding back the surface paste, the top layer is simply polished using diamond pads. A creamy gloss is achieved, which enhances and draws out the unique blend of colours and textures of your flooring.
In order to achieve the cream finish, the slab needs to be strong, even and undamaged. An uneven floor would require grinding to remediate the surface, and this would start to expose the aggregate. Our flooring experts will take a look at your flooring, prior to offering a quote, and let you know whether this finish will be possible. We can always offer an alternative, if it’s not.
2. Silver or Full Aggregate Finish
The full aggregate flooring finish requires a deep grinding processes, producing the most durable concrete polished floor. The surface paste is ground back to a depth of between 1mm and 3mm, until the larger stones in the concrete slab are exposed. The surface is not polished. Instead it is left as a matt surface finish.
Our flooring team will apply grout, densifiers and professional sealant to finish the floor, and protect it for between 2-5 years. The polish can be maintained easily. The most important factor in its maintenance is keeping the surface dust-free, and regularly cleaned using a soapy detergent.
3. Gold or Salt and Pepper Polished Concrete
Exposing the aggregate beneath the surface paste reveals a unique patterning which can be polished to your desired sheen. Using HTC Superfloor™ grinding machines, we remove the top 1mm to expose the sands and aggregates. The floor is then polished using the HTC Twister™ machine to achieve a high gloss finish.
Once the grinding process is complete, our flooring specialists will assess the condition of the surface. We may need to apply an advanced grout to fill aeration holes. Concrete is a porous material so we apply professional sealant which protects the surface from stains caused by spillages.
4. Platinum Finish
This finish requires the same depth of grinding as the Silver finish, to expose the ballast in the concrete slab. The resulting pattern is then polished to the most brilliant gloss we offer. A platinum finish is not only intensely durable, it also reflects light off the glossy surface which gives it a glorious glow. No wonder this is one of our most popular polished concrete finishes.
DirectStone Creates Beautiful Polished Floors
We work with a range of clients to produce polished floors for homes, offices, public spaces, heritage properties and refurbishments. Despite the durability and strength of concrete as a flooring material, it’s surprisingly flexible when it comes to creating an aesthetic match to its surroundings. One of our most recent jobs created a daring juxtaposition between ancient oak timbers and a high gloss concrete floor – the outcome was stunning!!
Looking for a polished concrete floor to match your commercial or domestic interior? Call DirectStone on 01525 20863920 to find out how we can help.
