Many people don’t give much thought to their garage floor until it’s in desperate need of supplement. With the steadily rising use of garages for a multitude of purposes, the urge to make modifications in all parts of the garage has progressed in recent years. There is a plethora of ways to improve the functionality and aesthetics of your garage, ranging from fresh strokes of paint on the walls to increased lighting. The flooring in your garage is one of the most overlooked, yet equally crucial aspects of the overall appeal of your garage space. For most individuals, it’s simple to try to work around this frequently bland concrete slab because it isn’t an expensive or time-consuming job that they desire to undertake. But why settle for something only of exterior appeal but inefficient optimal functionality? Thus, here’s where we talk about garage polished concrete floor.
When it comes down to it, polished concrete is exactly what it says on the tin — concrete that has been pushed down to a high-gloss sheen of varied degrees, depending on client choice. With an exquisite floor that doesn’t require regular waxing, glossing, or coating, you can appreciate having a beautiful flooring without constantly thinking about the regular upkeep of waxing, glossing, and coating. The floor will last approximately a decade without the need for any further refinishing efforts. But if that doesn’t convince you enough, then let’s tackle on the perks and drawbacks of having a garage polished concrete floor, and see for yourself whether it’s indeed a good idea or not.
Advantage of Garage Polished Concrete Floor
1. Stain-Resistant
Polishing a concrete floor effectively seals and hardens the surface, making it nearly impervious to water and contaminants. Because some coatings can give anti-microbial protection, they are appropriate for use in kitchens. Ideally, there will be no fissures or cracks to collect dirt and food, which would otherwise provide a great breeding ground for bacteria. When wet, slabs are also more prone to becoming slippery than other types of surfaces. Extra grip is provided via garage polished concrete floor. Additionally, it is well suited for situations where spills are expected to occur as well as regions with high foot activity.
2. Cosmopolitan Option
The basic material of concrete is still in style, but renovating your garage means you want something modern and innovative. Garage polished concrete floor retains the concrete’s simple appearance and feel. While it provides an avant-garde show, it also serves as a compliment to the contemporary architecture design. The industrial style may be used in any room, including your garage.
3. Flexible Usage
With garage polished concrete floor, business owners and homeowners have virtually limitless options when it comes to color and design options. Polished concrete floors may be utilized in both indoor and outdoor settings, and they can be stained and dyed to create a virtually limitless range of colors and patterns.
4. Plethora of Design Options
The number of stains and dyes that can be used on garage polished concrete floor is virtually endless. You may customize the appearance of your concrete flooring surface by incorporating different colors and particles into it to create the look you desire. Furthermore, because these floors are fully seamless, there are no uneven lines to be seen. The seamless characteristics of these flooring solutions allow you to open up and free up any space of clutter, making your clients and visitors feel more welcome in your establishment.
5. Increased Market Value of Real Estate
In the estimation of real estate agents, a property with polished concrete floors should expect to see a significant increase in its value when it comes time to sell. Polished concrete floors are appropriate for every area in the building, and they can be used to improve corridor entrances, give your garage a distinctive appearance, and create a gorgeous outdoor area.
Disadvantages of Garage Polished Concrete Floor
1. Hard Surface
Although this material’s strength and durability are advantageous, the surface of a garage polished concrete floor is extremely hard and will not cushion or “give” under foot pressure, making it inconvenient to stand on for extended periods of time. Anti-fatigue mats can be placed in areas where employees spend long periods of time on their feet on a daily basis to help alleviate this problem.
2. Moisture-Susceptible
If concrete flooring is not thoroughly coated and sealed, it will be extremely susceptible to moisture infiltration and will eventually fail. If a liquid manages to seep into the cracks of a concrete floor, it can remain there for a long period of time, promoting the formation of mold and mildew. If you have a garage polished concrete floor installed by a reputable contractor, you shouldn’t have to be concerned about this issue at all.
3. Loud
Polished concrete floors, like ceramic tile, carrara marble flooring, and some hardwood and bamboo floors, can be rather noisy. Similarly, garage polished concrete floor can be quite noisy. In order to limit the amount of noise in the room, you can use carpets, heavy curtains, acoustic wall panels, and other components that filter or block sound to decorate it.
Design Possibilities for Garage Polished Concrete Floor
Garage polished concrete floor has a flawless and reflective surface that opens the door to a breathtaking variety of design possibilities, including colouring, scoring, and the creation of lateral sides, grids, bands, and borders, among other patterns. The most common method for improving already polished concrete is to apply stains and colours to the surface.
Because polishing is a multistage process, you have the freedom to select the amount of sheen — ranging from matte to high gloss — that best satisfies the aesthetic and upkeep needs of your project. Because of its adaptability, garage polished concrete floor is an excellent choice as a flooring medium for a wide variety of settings.
Check out some design concepts and project features to gain some inspiration for colouring your own garage polished concrete floor using stains and dyes, ornate engraving, stencilled designs, and fake finishes. You can even do all of these things yourself!
Garage Polished Concrete Floor Procedure
Grinding concrete with a machine is the first stage in producing polished concrete, which is a multi-phase process. After that, bonded abrasives will be used to refine and polish the material in preparation for cutting the concrete surface. The refined cuts, which can result in either a glossy or satin-like finish, determine the level of gloss that can be attained. Garage polished concrete floor provides you with an almost infinite number of design possibilities due to the wide range of colours and patterns that are available.
Additionally, the procedure is quite important. To ensure that the end outcome of your garage polished concrete floor is exactly what you want it to be, you need to work with a skilled and experienced team. Since you intend to use polished concrete for your garage flooring, which are already in place, the process could be different depending on the condition of the floor. The contractor is also responsible for determining how the process should begin and come to a close. But in most cases, it goes something like this:
- The first thing that should be done in any situation is to make certain that the region that needs to be worked on for your garage polished concrete floor is concentrated while the area surrounding it is secured and concealed. It is necessary to remove any old floor coatings. Employ the services of a portable storage company that offers both off-site and on-site storage options for your items to ensure the safety of your possessions.
- The garage polished concrete floor could be treated with a chemical densifier to improve their appearance. The product’s goal is to completely seal the material so that it does not have any holes or pores in it. A chemical reaction takes place as a result of the substance’s hardening and penetrating the open area. The end result is a surface that is more resistant to wear and tear. This step is very important, but it might not be necessary on other floors. The subsequent stage will be carried out provided that cracks and joints have been sealed, and that the current floor has not sustained any additional damage.
- The grinding process will start off gradually. Because of the similarities, you might conceive of this process as being akin to sanding wood. The usage of a polishing equipment that has diamonds with finer grits is frequently favoured and encouraged. It is what will give your garage polished concrete floor the desired consistency and sheen that you are looking for. To boil it down, the aggregate size increases proportionately with the grade. When it comes to grit, the result of the finished product will be smoother if the grit is finer.
- Filling in divots will assist in producing a surface that is significantly smoother. At this stage of the diamond grinding process, the grit will continue to be steadily raised in size. The procedure will continue. The surface of the garage polished concrete floor will be strengthened by the application of a hardener and a densifier by the contractor.
- The next step is to use resin discs to polish the surface layer. It’s called the honing process, and it begins with grits ranging from 200 to 800. At this point, you are able to have concrete staining installed if that is something that interests you. The polishing is not yet complete. In point of fact, this is where everything gets rolling. When using diamond pads with a grit of 1,500 or 3,000, you will create a true polishing effect.
- It will then be treated with oil and water repellents. Additionally, a stain protector could be applied to the surface of the garage polished concrete floor. It is not required, but it is strongly advised, mostly due to the fact that your garage floor is polished concrete. The stain guard performs the function of a sealer by penetrating the concrete substance with its ultra-thin coating. This prevents the concrete from taking in any stains or chemicals that may be applied to it.
As the owner of the property, you ought to have already taken a few preparations before beginning any of the processes outlined above for your garage polished concrete floor. The floor’s aggregate level and its level of shine are the most crucial customization options. Your contractor will be able to walk you through the specifics and discuss your options.
Even bearing its fair share of downsides, it’s still apparent that the perks of installing garage polished concrete floor dominates its overall functionality. But still, the final verdict is on you. If coming to your senses mean opting for garage polished concrete floors, then you are the right track of the process. Renucrete Sydney takes pride in its top-notch quality of work with the most in-demand concrete work professionals. Specifically, our services are available in residential, commercial, and industrial areas in Sydney Western Suburbs and its neighbours.
Particularly, we offer a wide range of flooring services in Sydney aside from concrete polishing. For instance, we do flake epoxy garage flooring, professional concrete honing, stencil crete, cementitious overlays, and many more. Check us out today!
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