Does a Concrete Floor Need to bo Polished?

[SkyHook]

I am considering painting/staining a new concrete slab floor in a studio I am getting built.

Do I need to go to the (considerable) expense of getting it polished first?

What about just filling any imperfections, then painting/coating it as is? Or are there any cheap D-I-Y ways of polishing/sanding it to an acceptable level?

The house is a beach cottage, and the room is only about 16 sq. m. I intend to almost completely cover it with rugs.

Thanks

SkyHook

[echnidna]

A concrete floor doesn't need polishing before painting

[artme]

No polishing needed as our spikey friend says.
Small imperfections can be filled with grey tile grout. Anything really big and bad may need an expert.
Clean and vacuum well before painting. Plenty of good hardwearing paints for concrete are available.:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[forunna]

wouldnt it be like anything else?
if you want a perfect mirror finish then you need to start with the same, surely.

[SkyHook]

Thanks everyone for the advice. And Craig - if we don't start saving trees from wood-chipping soon, the whole planet will be getting a very warm feeling

[prozac]

Polished and sealed concrete floors can look very attractive esp. in coastal situations. It is necessary to specify the mix prior to delivery. There are also feature additives that can be added to the mix before it is poured.
Have a look here for ideas -http://www.concrete.net.au/viewpdf.php?pdffile=pdf/Briefing05.pdf

If looking to do it cheaper get river stones as the aggregate. They look good sealed for a lower cost build.

prozac

[SAISAY]

A few years ago we did our kitchen floor.
It was pretty rough but we bought some powder stuff that was self levelling (at the hardware shop or the paint shop, I think. I have forgotten precisely where we got it from) and poured it over the floor.
It was mixed with water to a thin paste consistency.
All imperfections were gone and the floor looked pretty good after we painted it.
I remember we didn't have to screed it at all.
Wish I had know then how to add pigment to the stuff so we didn't have to paint it.
Wolffie
Some links here
http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=80333
http://www.concreteideas.com/concrete_ideas/interior_floors/concrete_overlays_and_resurfacing/understanding_decorative_concrete_overlays_resurfacing
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-112168032.html

[prozac]

Here are some more decoratives uses. http://www.dectech.com.au/Files/texstain.htm

prozac

[Richard Crago]

Hi Skyhook, I recently finished a house with concrete floor - it was helicopter type finish. Hired a scrubber for the day from Kennards, to remove most of the goo. Then applied Hychem 100 water based epoxy finish (to about 145 square metres). Good finish resulted. If you are interested we may have some stuff left over. Hychem details on internet. Cheers Ric :):)

[Tools]

Do I need to go to the (considerable) expense of getting it polished first?



SkyHook

If the slab hasn't been poured yet, then have the concreter burnish the surface,and it will be as smooth as a baby's bum.

Tools

[gordonwindeyer]

I had my workshop built 18 months ago and the concrete floor is poor on two counts:
1. It is not very flat - I have to put wedges under my machines to stop them rocking.
2. I have significant cracks throughout the slab - although my engineer says I won't win a claim against my builder because the cracks are within the Aust Standard.
Has anyone got any input on improving the truness and appearance of the surface...are the self levelling products worth the risk or should I just stay with bare concrete and wedges?

Regards

Gordon

[sogni]

Gooday- Newby today so hoping to enjoy the mutual benefits !

Have a 35 sq m concrete floor that has old adhesive/glue over broad sections.It is soft but difficult to scrape off.

We want to brink concrete back to 'natural' so to speak.And then seal w/ paving paint or some other durable compound (open to suggestion) - it will be white as it is a hair salon floor.

Has been suggested that we hire a Concrete Grinder (PCD) & Vacuum to complete the job (ie. for me to do it myself).

Only concern is whether the adhesive might clog the the grinder...and is this a job a do it your selfer should attempt...its about $500/day to hire the gear...

Thanks in anticipation !
Ian:doh:

[joe greiner]

In my humbly professional opinion, floors of any material should not be highly polished; especially in locations subject to wetting such as entryways and bathrooms, because of slipping hazard. Covered with rugs [with taped or gripping underside] OK, but not otherwise.

Joe

[Different]

Thanks everyone for the advice. And Craig - if we don't start saving trees from wood-chipping soon, the whole planet will be getting a very warm feeling

This debate clearly needs its own thread.
Craig is right most of these little green fads like "Earth Hour" are just a self indulgent environmental wet dream that will ultimately have no real effect on our rapidly approaching crisis. He is right that their only real effect if for the uninformed to feel warm and fuzzy for a while.
There is only one prime environmental issue that must be addressed and that is population control or better yet reduction. But nobody gets warm and fuzzy talking abut that so it goes undiscussed!

And yes I do see myself as an environmentalist just not the warm and fuzzy type.

Rgds

Ross

[Toymaker Len]

My brother-in-law has just done a slab floor with pigments then a gloss finish over it and it looks fantastic. No polishing.

[rrich]

All of the "Painted" concrete floors that I've seen look like crap after a few years of wear.

If adding color to the concrete mix before pouring is not possible then I would suggest a staining procedure. Basically it is an etch with HCl (Muriatic Acid) and then apply a stain that penetrates. The available colours are sort of bland and earth tone.

There is a product that adds colour to fresh concrete. The stuff is a powder that is worked into the concrete during the finishing process. It can be done as part of a texturing (simulated stone) process. Usually a second colour is used as a release agent for the stamping molds that are used to create the texture. There are much more colours available in this process.

[joe greiner]

All of the "Painted" concrete floors that I've seen look like crap after a few years of wear.

If adding color to the concrete mix before pouring is not possible then I would suggest a staining procedure. Basically it is an etch with HCl (Muriatic Acid) and then apply a stain that penetrates. The available colours are sort of bland and earth tone.

There is a product that adds colour to fresh concrete. The stuff is a powder that is worked into the concrete during the finishing process. It can be done as part of a texturing (simulated stone) process. Usually a second colour is used as a release agent for the stamping molds that are used to create the texture. There are much more colours available in this process.

And mineral pigments (powder) are generally more durable than liquid (stain) additives. Sunlight is the enemy of all such colouring, especially blue, and liquid stains survive the shortest.

Joe

[clare]

Hi Skyhook,
Agree with Joe's observation about polished floors being dangerous when wet, or slippery for rugs etc. I don't know what you're intended use for the studio is, but from experience know that dropped chisels and concrete floors don't mix well! (ooops....back to the grindstone)

[Gene45]

We painted a basement floor to look like ceramic tiles. The paint suppliers recommendation was to etch the concrete with muriatic acid to get good bonding . We did and the paint has not peeled after 6-7 years.

I would not recommend a polished floor. It might get really slippery and the paint likely would not bond as well.