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9th March 2008, 07:16 PM #1Amateur D-I-Yer
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- Mar 2008
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- Byron Bay
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- 56
Does a Concrete Floor Need to bo Polished?
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
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9th March 2008 07:16 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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9th March 2008, 07:22 PM #2
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9th March 2008, 08:12 PM #3Skwair2rownd
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- Nov 2007
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- Dundowran Beach
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concrete floor
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.
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11th March 2008, 08:03 PM #4
wouldnt it be like anything else?
if you want a perfect mirror finish then you need to start with the same, surely.____________________________
Craig
Saving a tree from woodchippng is like peeing in the pool;
you get a warm feeling for a while but nobody notices.
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11th March 2008, 09:01 PM #5Amateur D-I-Yer
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- Byron Bay
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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
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12th March 2008, 02:19 PM #6
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
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12th March 2008, 04:03 PM #7
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/concret...ys_resurfacing
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-112168032.htmlEvery day is better than yesterday
Cheers
SAISAY
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12th March 2008, 10:05 PM #8
Here are some more decoratives uses. http://www.dectech.com.au/Files/texstain.htm
prozac
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14th March 2008, 05:28 PM #9Novice
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- Mar 2008
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- Wagga nsw
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- 19
concrete floor
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
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14th March 2008, 07:37 PM #10SENIOR MEMBER
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14th March 2008, 08:58 PM #11Member
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- Apr 2006
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- Sydney
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- 57
Further ideas on concrete floors
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
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21st May 2008, 01:13 PM #12Novice
- Join Date
- May 2008
- Location
- avalon nsw
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- 16
Concrete Polishing More Questions
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
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21st May 2008, 09:09 PM #13
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.
JoeLast edited by joe greiner; 21st May 2008 at 09:11 PM. Reason: [added]
Of course truth is stranger than fiction.
Fiction has to make sense. - Mark Twain
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22nd May 2008, 12:13 AM #14
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
RossRoss"All government in essence," says Emerson, "is tyranny." It matters not whether it is government by divine right or majority rule. In every instance its aim is the absolute subordination of the individual.
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22nd May 2008, 11:35 PM #15GOLD MEMBER
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- Mar 2003
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My brother-in-law has just done a slab floor with pigments then a gloss finish over it and it looks fantastic. No polishing.