Imagine a smooth, high-luster floor

Yucaipa, CA (PRWEB) April 26, 2006 --

Imagine a smooth, high-luster floor that is durable enough in a warehouse for foot traffic to heavy forklifts and yet shiny, clean, and professional enough for office buildings, hotels, and restaurants. With recent advances in polishing equipment and techniques, concrete contractors are now grinding concrete floor surfaces—whether new or old—to a high-gloss finish that never needs waxes or coatings.



Simply put, polishing concrete is similar to sanding wood. Heavy-duty polishing machines equipped with progressively finer grits of diamond-impregnated segments or disks (akin to sandpaper) are used to gradually grind down surfaces to the desired level of sheen—from satin to high-gloss. The resulting surface is very low-maintenance and can be stained to replicate the look of polished stone.

The key reason many warehouses and retail facilities are opting for polished concrete is the ease of maintenance. Not only are polished floors easy to clean, requiring only occasional damp mopping, they hold up well to heavy foot traffic and resist the marks of forklift truck tires and staining from oil and chemical spills.. They also eliminate the need for messy waxes or coatings—as well as the associated labor, time, and expense to apply them.

The high light reflectivity of polished concrete is another important benefit, especially for office buildings, hotels, restaurants, and other public facilities that want to project a bright, clean, professional image. Some customers simply want a look that’s unique, according to contractor Doug Demmert of Demmert & Associates, Glendale, Calif.

He says that polishing can give concrete a higher degree of shine—similar to polished marble or granite—than can be achieved with a high-gloss coating. This makes polished concrete a particularly good alternative for homeowners or businesses that can’t afford marble or granite floors but want the same brilliant, mirror-like finish.

Homeowners, builders, designers and architects interested in locating a concrete contractor with polishing concrete services can utilize The Concrete Network’s Find-A-Contractor directory. The directory provides visitors with a list of decorative concrete contractors throughout the U.S. and Canada. The service is fully searchable by 22 types of decorative concrete work and 198 metropolitan areas throughout North America.

	grinding This is the second stage in securing a flawless surface. This stage will remove all scratches from any de-lipped surface.

	Polishing Polishing: This is the final stage, which leaves the surface with reflective characteristics.

	Marble MARBLE: CHARACTERISTICS This standard includes general information on the characteristics and common uses of marble and identifies typical problems associated with the material. INTRODUCTION Marble is an extremely hard, metamorphic stone composed of calcite (CaCO3). It is formed as a result of the recrystallization of limestone under the intense pressure and heat of geologic processes. The effect of this process is the creation of a stone with a very tight crystalline structure and small but definite porosity. Because of its structure, marble can take a very high polish and is a very popular decorative stone for architectural and sculptural uses. The limited porosity of marble, especially polished marble, makes it less vulnerable to the leaching effects of water. Calcium carbonate, however, of which marble is composed, is highly susceptible to attack by acidic agents. Marble is readily dissolved by acids, even very dilute acids, however the actual results of acidic exposure will vary with the nature of the acid. Chlorides, nitrates, sulfates and other chemical compounds react differently with marble and produce various by-products, which have a wide range of solubility and impact on the durability of marble. For this reason, it is always important to determine the exact type of pollutants causing marble deterioration. Marble itself can be of two types, one composed of calcite and the other of dolomite. Dolomitic marble is much more resistant to acid attack than calcite marble. The color of marble ranges from the brilliant white of calcite to black, including blue-gray, red, yellow and green, depending upon the mineral composition. TYPICAL USES Marble has many decorative and structural uses. It is used for outdoor sculpture as well as for sculpture bases; in architecture it is used in exterior walls and veneers, flooring, decorative features, stairways and walkways. The way in which the stone is used may be a factor in limiting or controlling the severity of exposure. The use or function of the marble may also affect the feasibility of applying certain treatments, but type of use is not the primary factor in the major types of deterioration and damage to which marble is susceptible.