Polished Concrete Standards

There are not published standards for polished concrete, but it is generally agreed that the concrete must be polished through the sequence of disks ending with 1800-3500 grit diamonds to be considered polished concrete. At this level the concrete will exhibit a glossy sheen and high reflectivity without the use of a topical coating.

Polished Concrete Kerry Calvert Artistic Surfaces Inc Indianapolis, IN
Read about how this floor was dyed and polished.
Artistic Surfaces Inc. in Indianapolis, IN

Polished concrete in not simply exposing the rock in the concrete mix then applying a sealer.

Benefits of Polished Concrete

During the polishing process an internal impregnating sealer is applied. The sealer sinks into the concrete and is invisible to the naked eye. It not only protects the concrete from the inside out, it also hardens and densifies the concrete. This eliminates the need for a topical coating, which reduces maintenance significantly (versus if you had a coating on it).

When Demmert and Associates brings the concrete to a full polish, they never apply a topical coating or wax. According to Greg Demmert, "Waxing the surface would be defeating the purpose of a fully polished floor because the concrete floor itself is already shining, so there is no need to put something on the floor that would then need to be maintained."

Options with Polished Concrete

If the decision is made to polish concrete in advance of the concrete being poured, there is a stunning array of available options:

  • Colored aggregate can be applied to the concrete mix or seeded into the top layer of the mix. The polishing process will reveal these aggregate.
  • Integrally colored concrete can be used.
  • Glass can be seeded into the mix. The polishing process will reveal the glass pieces.
  • Nails, bolts, computer chips, or any other objects can be seeded into the mix and then polished smooth.
  • Of course, any of these options can be combined together or into a pattern.

Not Polished, but Still Awesome

As noted earlier, polishing concrete required a series of polishing steps culminating with the use of 1800-3500 grit diamonds. Each step in the process increases the shine and reflectivity of the concrete.There are other options, which though they stop short of 1800-3500 grit diamonds, are still beautiful.

Two steps of grinding to expose the aggregate, then applying a topical sealer, might be called the exposed aggregate, sealed look. While still taking on a polished look, the polish is a result of a topical coating (still beautiful, but requiring more maintenance).

Site Doug Demmert Demmert and Associates Glendale, CA
Ground and sealed concrete with a topical coating.
Demmert & Associates in Glendale, CA

Demmert and Associates in Los Angeles produces a finish they call a honed finish where they stop at 220 grit diamonds. This honed finish has some surface shine, but is still smooth and easy to clean.

Demmert and Associates also lets customers review the floor at the 400-800-and 1800-grit diamond level of shine if the customer is unsure if they want a fully polished look (though most clients do want the floor fully polished).

Clearly, there are many levels of floors that stop short of truly being polished concrete, but are beautiful in their own right.

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